The comment appeared to be a departure from the view of UN Ambassador John Bolton, who has said that candidates should be considered irrespective of region.

  Bush spoke in an interview in the White House on Monday with reporters from Russia, Germany, Italy and Japan. The White House released a transcript of the session on Tuesday.

  No Asian has served as secretary general in more than 30 years, and there is strong sentiment among some UN members that Annan's replacement should be from that continent.

  "We're really looking in the Far East right now to be the Secretary-General," Bush said, noting that tradition holds that secretaries general rotate by region.

  At another point, however, he said the United States "will work closely with friends and allies to come up with the best candidate."

  Announced candidates from Asia thus far are from South Korea, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

  Bush said he would not oppose a candidate for secretary-general who is Muslim.

  He was replying to a question about the possible candidacy of Jordan's Prince Zeid al-Hussein, who is Muslim and his country's UN ambassador.

  Meanwhile US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has refused to say whether it will back Thailand's push to have Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai replace outgoing Annan, caretaker Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon said yesterday.

  "US Secretary of State informed me that this is not the time for the US to decide on the issue. She said she would take into consideration our nomination of Surakiart for the top UN post," Kantathi said in Washington DC.

  Kantathi raised the issue during a meeting with Rice in Washington on Tuesday.

  Surakiart is one of several Asian candidates seeking to replace Annan, whose second term will expire in September.

 Asean has thrown its support behind Surakiart, but he faces rivals from Sri Lanka and South Korea, India and, possibly, Singapore.

  There has been a consensus in the past that the top UN job should be rotated among different regions, and many have said the next UN chief should come from Asia.

by Associated Press and the Nation