Surakiart Sathirathai leaves Government House yesterday after telling Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont of his decision to drop out of the race for UN secretary-general.

Surayud broke the news after Surakiart visited him at Government House in the afternoon. Amid speculation over who might become the next foreign minister, a post once held by Surakiart, Surayud did not mention whether Surakiart had expressed interest in the job. Surakiart had campaigned to replace outgoing UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan of Ghana. In the latest straw vote held earlier this week, however, Surakiart received only four votes of encouragement from the UN Security Council.

Thailand has congratulated South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon on securing 14 "encourage" votes.

"We hope that the poll will pave the way for the United Nations Security Council to recommend the name of an Asian United Nations Secretary-General for approval by the United Nations General Assembly later on this month," read the statement by the Foreign Ministry.

Ban appears set to be confirmed as the next UN secretary general next week after winning a fourth informal poll in the UN Security Council (UNSC).

The career diplomat won the backing of 14 out of 15 UNSC nations, including the five permanent members. The ministry thanked other Asean members for supporting Surakiart in his bid for the post.