ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Wednesday, November 20, 1996           TAG: 9611200063
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL   PAGE: A-8  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: UNITED NATIONS
SOURCE: Associated Press

BOUTROS-GHALI VETOED BY U.S. SINGLE VOTE BARS U.N. CHIEF'S RE-ELECTION

Alone among the 15 Security Council members, the United States vetoed Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali for a second term Tuesday and appealed to African states to offer other candidates to avoid a diplomatic deadlock.

But the 74-year-old Egyptian immediately indicated he would remain a candidate, as U.N. rules permit. African ambassadors urged the United States to change its mind and referred the issue to their capitals and the Organization of African Unity to decide the next move in a selection process that could take weeks.

Security Council members have agreed to seek an African for the job, to ensure that the region has a representative for two terms, as is customary. If Boutros-Ghali's candidacy becomes implausible, attention would focus first on other African nominees.

Washington announced in June that it would veto Boutros-Ghali, claiming he has not pursued U.N. reform vigorously enough. U.S. officials said the Republican-controlled Congress was unlikely to pay the more than $1 billion in U.S. debts to the United Nations unless there is a change in U.N. leadership.

The Security Council must agree on a candidate and forward the name to the 185-member General Assembly before Boutros-Ghali's five-year term expires Dec. 31.

The 14-1 vote was unusual in an organization where the United States wields enormous influence. Western diplomats cited several factors, including discontent over Washington's refusal to pay its bills and the decision to announce opposition to Boutros-Ghali in the media before advising fellow U.N. members.

U.S. officials are hoping that, after an initial show of support, Boutros-Ghali's allies will seek other candidates or persuade him to step aside for the good of the United Nations.

``At the end of the day, the U.N. needs the U.S. more than, with all due respect, it needs to retain its current leadership,'' State Department spokesman Glyn Davies said.

Supporters claim the Americans resent his independence at a time when the United States is the world's only superpower. They also accuse the United States of making him a scapegoat for policy failures by the major powers in Somalia, Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

LENGTH: Short :   50 lines