New UN Secretary General Is Already An Improvement

In Looking Forward To Kofi Annan's Successor, I mentioned that given that Ban Ki-moon had a reputation for being a friend of Israel and his selection as the new UN secretary-general made UN officials uneasy--things might be looking up.

Maybe they are:

Incoming United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Iran on Thursday it was unacceptable to deny that the Holocaust took place or to call for Israel to be wiped off the map.

Ban was responding to a question asked at a news conference about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who since coming to power in August last year has caused an outcry by terming the Holocaust a "myth" and calling Israel a "tumor" in the Middle East.

..."Denying historical facts especially on such an important subject as the Holocaust is just not acceptable," Ban said.

"Nor is it acceptable to call for the elimination of states or people," Ban said. "I would like to see this fundamental principle respected in both rhetoric and practice by all the members of the international community."

Right now it's only talk, and Ban has not said anything about Iran's attempt to acquire nuclear capabilities--but so far he stands head-and-shoulders above Kofi Annan.

Technorati Tag: Ban Ki-moon and UN and Holocaust.