10月9日，联合国安理会15个成员国一致通过向联大推荐韩国外交通商部长官潘基文担任下任联合国秘书长，这是继缅甸人吴丹后第二位来自亚洲的联合国秘书长。不过，就在安理会提名潘基文成为新任秘书长的前几个小时，朝鲜进行了地下核试验，吸引了全世界的目光，这将意味着潘基文未上任就面临严峻挑战。对此，潘基文表示，韩国将支持联合国安理会采取必要措施，“韩国政府绝对支持联合国安理会作出的任何决议，我们将与国际社会紧密合作。韩国政府已经发表严重抗议，表达了深切关注，朝鲜必须承担所有后果。”

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon delivers a speech after he was nominated to succeed Kofi Annan as the new UN Secretary General.(AFP/Kim Jae-Hwan) The United Nations (UN) Security Council has nominated South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon as its choice to succeed Kofi Annan as UN secretary general. Ban had earlier told reporters that South Korea supports an emergency Security Council meeting following North Korea's nuclear test. "My government fully supports the immediate convening of a Security Council meeting tomorrow New York time," Ban said in a meeting with US ambassador Alexander Vershbow. "We will very closely cooperate with the international community." Ban's remarks came as the United States called for immediate action by the Council after North Korea's announcement that it detonated its first nuclear device on Monday. The Seoul government vowed to "sternly deal with" Pyongyang's act, saying it would not tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea. "Our government has issued a very strong statement expressing our deepest concern," Ban told the US envoy. "All the consequences should be borne by North Koreans." Ban said he had had emergency telephone conferences with his US and Japanese counterparts. Ban, 62, is set to be designated as the next UN secretary general when the Security Council meets Monday to formalize its choice. It is expected to recommend him to the 192-member General Assembly, which will then formally elect him -- most likely later this month. Ban would take office next January to replace Kofi Annan, a Ghanaian who steps down after having completed two five-year terms. Ban would be the first Asian to run the UN in more than 30 years. (Agencies)

Vocabulary:

detonate: 引爆 emergency telephone conferences: 紧急电话会议 （英语点津陈蓓编辑）