DR BOUTROS Boutros Ghali sees himself as the symbol of the Third World majority against the only remaining superpower, and is determined to pursue his quest for reappointment as UN Secretary General, no matter how futile this may appear.
A close aide said last night that in the eyes of his supporters in the developing nations, the US veto cast in the Security Council on Tuesday was a badge of honour and no humiliation.
If more vetoes follow, as seems likely, the 74 year old Egyptian diplomat would not consider this a disgrace, but "more medals to pin on his chest", according to Mr Ahmad Fawzi, his compatriot and deputy press secretary.
China exercised its veto power no fewer than 16 times in December 1981 to block the appointment of Dr Kurt Waldheim for an unprecedented third term. Mr Salim Ahmed Salim, now secretary general of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), was repeatedly vetoed by the US.
"One veto or 16, I doubt whether the Secretary General would consider it made much difference," Mr Fawzi said.
Dr Boutros Ghali, the grandson of a pro British prime minister who was assassinated in 1904 when Egypt was a protectorate of Britain, is a proud man who felt deeply wounded when the US informed him last spring that he could not look forward to a second five year term. The secretary general indignantly rejected a proposed one year extension as a "dignified exit" after his 75th birthday.
Since then, officials say, he has received hundreds of letters and telephone calls from all over the world declaring support and sympathising with him as the target of the nation that is the UN's biggest financial debtor.
Because he was backed by the OAU, Dr Boutros Ghali now feels an obligation to continue to stand up to Washington. Still, he acknowledges privately he has almost no hope of prevailing against a determined superpower whose continued support for the UN may well depend on his removal.
But the Security Council's patience is not inexhaustible and there are some signs that other contenders may soon appear, with, Ghana already reported to be wavering in its support.
The Guardian Service adds: The search for another African to lead the UN began in earnest yesterday.
Britain did not support the US, but last night urged member states to avoid a "drawn out and acrimonious debate". Earlier, France threatened to counter the US veto by blocking any candidate supported by Washington.
African countries declared their support for Dr Boutros Ghali as the continent's candidate in the next round of voting, but are privately preparing to put forward names acceptable to the five Security Council permanent members.
Mr Hamid Algabid of Niger, secretary general of the Islamic Conference, and Mr Kofi Annan of Ghana, the highly regarded head of UN peacekeeping, are expected to contest, the post in the next round of voting.
Unusually, the 15 members of the council have agreed that an African should get the first crack at succeeding Dr Boutros Ghali because it is still Africa's turn to hold the job.
But after this second phase the contest will be thrown open. So the pressure is on African countries to come up with an acceptable alternative or risk losing the post. Several are waiting in the wings, including the President, Mrs Robinson, and Ms Leticia Shahani, a senator from the Philippines.
African diplomats want job avoid their 1981 mistake, when, they backed the wrong man, Mr Salim Salim of Tanzania, who was repeatedly vetoed by the US for thwarting its efforts to preserve a seat for Taiwan 10 years earlier.