Awwal 18, 1432 H / April 22, 2011, SPA -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday expressed hope that Russia will support him for a potential second term in the top U.N. post, according to Reuters. "I`d like to really count on your strong support, leadership and guidance in continuing my work as secretary general," Ban told Dmitry Medvedev at the start of a meeting at the Russian president's residence outside Moscow. Diplomats say the United States and other key Security Council members have given preliminary pledges of support for a second five-year term for Ban. Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, has not publicly declared his candidacy for the election, which is expected in the coming months. But diplomats say he has made his intentions to seek re-election clear in private. Russia has criticised the implementation of U.N. resolutions permitting the use of force in conflicts in nations including Libya and Ivory Coast.
