Remark of UN official from China embarrassing: Ban

NEW YORK - A senior UN official embarrassed his colleagues when he said he disliked Americans and the current UN chief, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday.

The official in question is UN Undersecretary General Sha Zukang, the highest-ranking Chinese official in the UN system, who made the remarks during a retreat of top senior officials in Austria last week.

Ban periodically organises the retreat for top echelon of UN officials so they can honestly review their work.

“Mr Sha has apologised deeply in person (to me),” Ban told reporters when asked how he would settle the problem with Sha.

“He regretted his behaviour was not appropriate as a senior adviser,” Ban said. “He also knows his behaviour has embarrassed other senior officials at the time.”

But Ban said his top aides would be needed in coming weeks because of the opening of the UN General Assembly session Tuesday and important meetings with national leaders from around the world in New York.

Sha is head of the UN Department on Economic and Social Affairs and oversees all meetings dealing with those issues.

Sha had an outburst at the retreat, saying he disliked Americans and Ban himself.

“I know you (Ban) never liked me, Mr Secretary General,” a transcript of the remarks said. “Well, I never like you, either.”

Sha said of another Ban senior aide, Robert Orr, the American assistant secretary general for policy coordination and strategic planning who attended the retreat, “I really don’t like him. He’s an American and I really don’t like Americans”.

Sha has not suppressed his dislike of Americans in the past. In 2006, he criticised former US secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld for his remarks on China’s defence budget.

“It’s better for the US to shut up,” Sha said. “Keep quiet. It’s much, much better.”

The top UN posts like political affairs, peacekeeping and information are given to permanent members of the UN Security Council and countries that contribute the most to the UN.