After the Asia-Europe Meeting in Finland on Monday, Thaksin will continue his trip to Havana for the 14th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and then to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

He is scheduled to return home on September 22.

At the NAM summit in Cuba, Thaksin will join some 50 leaders in seeking ways to strengthen the 116 member inter-continent grouping.

The grand mission for the leaders at the Havana summit is to revitalise the group that emerged in Bandung, Indonesia in 1955 during the height of the Cold War as an alliance of developing countries seeking alternatives to alignment with the then Soviet Union and the United States.

The NAM needs to prove it is still relevant in the absence of two conflicting blocs and the domination of a unipolar world.

The host Cuba will reportedly urge the NAM to promote peaceful co-existence between nations and reinforce multilateralism - as well as strengthen the central role of the United Nations.

Thaksin, perhaps, may not pay as much attention to the direction of the NAM, which the chair and other members like to move around. He is really interested in pushing his two main agendas: the Asia Co-operation Dialogue (ACD) and the campaign for the candidacy of his deputy Surakiart Sathirathai to the top UN job.

It's interesting to note that Surakiart is the head of the preparatory team for Thaksin at the NAM meeting - and the trip to New York - rather than Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon, who is currently on another trip in Europe.

In his speech at the NAM, Thaksin will promote his brainchild the ACD, initiated when he took the helm five years ago. He will update the meeting on the progress of Asia bond, a financial instrument created as an alternative source of funds for development in the region - according to an official who helped prepare content for Thaksin's trip.

The main purpose in promoting the ACD and the Asia bond is not to sell an Asian financial instrument to the club of the poor like the NAM, but to raise Thaksin's international profile showing his initiative and leadership in the region.

 In between, Thaksin will explain to leaders that the election in Thailand will take place soon and that he is qualified to run, but will be blocked from leading the country by an "unconstitutional force".

Another main agenda for Thaksin during the Havana summit is to campaign for Surakiart's bid for the UN secretary general's post. The Thai delegation won support during the NAM ministerial meeting in Malaysia in May to promote Asia's turn for the next secretary general, replacing out-going Kofi Annan.

But the name "Surakiart" was not mentioned as many Asian candidates have now entered the race, and Asian members might no longer favour the Thai candidate.

Thaksin will need to work hard during the NAM summit as the next straw vote to cast prominent names will be later this month. The previous straw poll in July failed to place candidates from India, South Korea, Thailand and Sri Lanka, as real contenders. Despite being ranked only No 3 in that vote, Surakiart has not given up and will be lobbying heavily during the NAM summit, whose size in terms of membership is second only to the UN.

Thaksin has been labelled by the international media as one of the "well known" leaders attending the Havana summit, alongside presidents Mahmoud Ahma-dinejad of Iran, Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and Bashar Assad of Syria, as well as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India.

However, the spotlight may not stay too long on Thaksin as many other "well-known" leaders have their own agendas. Iran, for instance, will lobby to have the NAM solidarity back its struggle on its nuclear programme. The NAM backed Iran's stand-off during past meetings saying Teheran had the right to develop nuclear technology.

Thaksin will need to be more aggressive than usual, as the fiery Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, is also expected to use the NAM platform to pursue his quest for international influence.

Chavez, a close associate to Cuban leader Fidel Castro, is likely to campaign for a UN Security Council seat for Venezuela.

Thailand might think about some horse trading with Chavez as Venezuela needs the support of two-thirds of the 192 nations in UN General Assembly - in a vote set for October 16. But that tactic might not work as the United States views the leftist Chavez as a loose cannon, so the support from him for Surakiart's candidacy could well back-fire.

The right place to push Surakiart's bid will come when he arrives in New York early next week for the UN General Assembly. For Thaksin, though, it's not as important, as the campaign itself during this time will allow Thaksin to put himself in the international spotlight.

Campaigning for Surakiart makes Thaksin better known internationally and gives him more chances to beg for sympathy from international leaders over his political struggle.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

 The Nation