Gulfnews; Joseph A. Kechichian, Senior Writer

Beirut: Two Lebanese figures announced their candidacies for the key
post of head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (Unesco), although the nomination process proved — once
again — to be interminable challenges.Former Minister of Culture
Ghassan Salameh announced his bid for the leadership of the Paris-based
organisation last week, even if local media reports claimed that the
move was not coordinated with Lebanese authorities, which must vet and
endorse all such submissions. The other candidate, Vera Al
Khoury-Lacoeuilhe, apparently lobbied in Beirut and, according to her
testimony, secured support from Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Foreign
Minister Jibran Bassil, and Culture Minister Rony Araiji.

According
to media reports, Al Khoury-Lacoeuilhe visited Bkerke on March 20 to
seek the support of Maronite Patriarch Mar Besharah Al Ra‘i. Salameh,
a son of Kfardebian and a professor of international relations at
Sciences Po university (Paris), was minister of culture during
2000-2003. He served as special adviser to the UN
secretary-general and as the political adviser to the UN mission in
Iraq. Well known in academic circles for several serious tomes, Salameh
also served as the co-chairman of the board of the International Crisis
Group and is the founding chairman of the Arab Fund for Arts and
Culture.

Al Khoury-Lacoeuilhe currently lectures on international
organisations at the Sorbonne Law School (Université Paris I
Panthéon-Sorbonne), according to the UN’s website and was appointed on
February 24, 2016 to the Independent Team of Advisers within the United
Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) looking at various
development projects.

Nominating a Lebanese to succeed Irina
Bokova, whose term ends in 2017, is urgent if the Arab community within
the UN agency is to field a successful candidate. The only other Arab
running for now is the former Culture Minister of Qatar, Hamad Al
Kawari, although other countries may field contenders in due time.

In
Beirut, the Salameh-Al Khoury-Lacoeuilhe competition received local
attention when Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt voiced
his support for Salameh and criticised the government bid to nominate Al
Khoury-Lacoeuilhe, who “has landed from the Caribbean Sea sky”
according to Jumblatt, on account of her credentials as representative
of the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia at Unesco. Al
Khoury-Lacoeuilhe’s candidacy was apparently heavily lobbied by
Nigeria-based, and well-connected, Lebanese businessman Gilbert
Shaghouri.