The UN five permanent members are considering the possibility of nominating Thailand's Supachai Panitchpakdi as the next UN secretary-general (UNSG), replacing Kofi Annan when he steps down in the coming weeks, according to a diplomatic source at the UN in New York.

"The person right now being most mentioned and most likely to be recruited as UNSG by [the five permanent Security Council members] is Dr Supachai who is acceptable to all sides, moderate, and the right mix of outsider and insider," the source said.

"But we'll have to wait and see whether political developments in Bangkok over the next few days will take him away," he added.

Supachai is the secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad). He was previously head of the World Trade Organisation.

Incidentally, Supachai is also one of the leading choices for the post of interim prime minister to replace Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a bloodless coup led by Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin.

In Bangkok, efforts to prevent ex-deputy premier Surakiart Sathirathai's return to New York and to get Sonthi to distance the Council of Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) from his candidacy, appeared to have failed as the CDRM yesterday issued an order designating Foreign Minister's deputy permanent-secretary Sihasak Puangketkoew, to be team leader in assisting Surakiart's campaign.

Sihasak has been in New York over the past week lobbying for Surakiart's candidacy.

The CDRM's announcement sent a confusing signal among various quarters, including key generals, because Surakiart had taken the lead role in condemning Sonthi and defending Thaksin when the coup unfolded.

Surakiart went on CNN to attack the coup plotters and defend Thaksin even as army tanks were taking up positions in Bangkok.

According to Army sources, Sonthi was also aware that Surakiart was the key person in the redrafting of Thaksin's speech that was supposed to be delivered to the UN General Assembly but was sabotage by the CDRM just hours before the delivery.

Thaksin was looking to use his speech to attack Sonthi for carrying out the coup. Sources attribute the sabotaging of Thaksin's UN speech to the quick thinking of former intelligence tsar, Prasong Soonsiri, a political strategist for the CDRM, who told the junta to instruct the Thai Ambassador to UN, Laxana-chantorn Laohap-han, to pull Thailand's name from the roster because a new regime was effectively in place in Thailand.

A UN diplomat said Surakiart's return to New York to face the UN members could proved to be awkward for Thailand because "they will wonder why a coup had to be staged if members of the old government are not removed."

The diplomat said the UN members will definitely ask Surakiart about Thaksin's rule and it would be interesting to hear what he has to say about his former boss.

Surakiart has long billed himself as the Asean candidate. But sources said other Asean countries are prepared to nominate one of their own - if and when Surakiart withdraws his bid.