UAE rejects Iran’s criticism of UN secretary-general candidate — The National
In the UAE, senior officials responded to Iran’s criticism of the candidacy of Emirati diplomat Lana Nusseibeh for the post of UN secretary-general. In a post on X, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf questioned her platform.
Response from UAE officials
Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said that discussing Nusseibeh’s platform was appropriate, but that Ghalibaf’s comments, in his view, lacked objectivity. He also said that these statements ignore the UN’s purpose as a platform for dialogue and conflict resolution, rather than for entrenching hostility and settling scores.
As The National reports, Gargash called Nusseibeh a professional diplomat known for seeking to overcome differences and prioritize diplomacy. Ali Al Nuaimi, chairman of the Federal National Council’s Committee on Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs, in turn accused Ghalibaf of trying to lecture the UAE, referring to what he called Iran’s record of “exporting instability.”
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Race for the UN’s top post
Nusseibeh joined the race for the post of UN chief last Wednesday, when no clear favorite had emerged among eight other candidates. According to the publication, her candidacy was supported by Gulf countries and other states.
The second and final term of the current UN secretary-general, António Guterres, ends at the end of the year. UN Security Council members have already held several informal votes on a successor, but have not yet reached a consensus. Nusseibeh promised to pursue generational change and reform the UN by setting clearer priorities. If elected, she would become the first woman to serve as UN secretary-general and the second representative of Arab countries after Egypt’s Boutros Boutros-Ghali.
Lana Nusseibeh was appointed UAE ambassador to the UN in 2013. Before that, she held several positions at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
