Stephanopoulos Calls Ban “Slippery”

U.N. Secretary-General-Designate Ban Ki-moon, taking office on January 1, 2007, is budded as ‘slippery eel’, his first nickname on the global stage.

On Christmas day, ABC anchorman George Stephanopoulos said to him, “You don’t answer you don’t want to. I understand the reason why you are called ‘slippery eel’.”

The former press secretary of President Bill Clinton asked Mr. Ban, “Your predecessor Kofi Annan said U.S. invasion of Iraq was illegal. What do you think about that? “

The next Secretary-General responded, “Now what is important is the future of Iraqi people,” trying to elude the question with a ‘hackneyed phrase’. Stephanopoulos cut it on his answer and asked again, “That’s the story we already know. Anyway, do you believe it is illegal?”

Mr. Ban said, “The first rule in dealing with foreign correspondents is not to be overruled by them and say only what you intends to do. And the discussion is all past.” And he added, “As a new Secretary-General, I will do my best to help Iraqi people.” And this is the moment when the anchorman brought the nickname ‘slippery eel’. Mr. Ban responded, “The nickname came because I am media-friendly person.”

srkim@donga.com