A draft letter from the presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly calls for the next U.N. chief to be selected by September or October of 2016. The letter also says candidates to replace U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon should declare their interest by spring. The letter, seen by The Associated Press on Wednesday, sets out a timeline, a selection process, and qualifications for the person who will take the reins of the world body on Jan. 1, 2017. Britain's U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, the current Security Council president, expressed hope that its 15 members will agree to the British-drafted letter. But diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations have been closed, said Russia is in no hurry to start the process of selecting the next secretary-general.
