PM reneged on UN deal, says Rudd

B12 Private letters indicate that an agreement was reached but then withdrawn before the general election.

Kevin Rudd says he was told he had Malcolm Turnbull’s strong support for his bid for the top job at the United Nations before the prime minister suddenly reneged on that commitment, according to private letters from Rudd to Turnbull. In an explosive new development in the aftermath of the Turnbull government’s official rejection of Rudd’s request for endorsement to run for the post of UN secretary-general, Rudd has released letters which, while only showing one side, suggest that agreements had been reached to support the Rudd bid, but that this support was suddenly withdrawn on May 1, just days before Australia’s general election was called. ‘‘You will recall that last September, I contacted you asking for guidance on how I should address the matter of your previously stated support to me for my candidature when I met Foreign Minister Bishop at the UN General Assembly in September,’’ Rudd wrote to Turnbull in an email said to be dated May 1, 2016. ‘‘You in fact sent me a message on your preferred Wickr system where you stated that you and the FM (foreign minister) were ‘‘as one’’ in your support for my candidature. ‘‘You will also recall I came to see you in your Parliament House office on 11 November last year where we discussed the matter at length. Once again you restated your position of support for my candidature. You went further to ask for a list of governments whom you would need to lobby at a prime ministerial level in the future. ‘‘We continued this discussion further on Wednesday 23 December in your Sydney office. Once again you stated your support for my candidature. You added that when the time came to lodge my nomination, you now wanted to take it to cabinet to avoid the perception of a ‘‘captain’s pick’’. You also said to me that the cabinet process would not change the outcome.’’ The correspondence, assuming it accurately reflects discussions between the former and current prime ministers, suggests Rudd has been the victim of a sudden policy and attitude change by Turnbull. It also suggests that claims by Turnbull aides that he had never backed the Rudd nomination could be wrong. A spokeswoman for Turnbull said Rudd’s claim that he had received support in December last year was wrong, and he was advised in April that the matter would need to go to cabinet. Rudd learned by telephone that he would not be nominated to run for the top UN job, despite requesting a face-to-face meeting Turnbull and flying to Sydney for purpose.

The decision to reject his request for Australian endorsement was a severe blow to the two-time Labor prime minister, who has been campaigning across the world for the past 18 months, on an understanding of official backing at some point.

It is also being seen as a defeat for Bishop, who recommended nomination, and who believed Rudd was eminently qualified to at least go forward into what would be a difficult, complex and potentially arduous international process dominated by superpower politics.

Cabinet colleagues denied suggestions that Turnbull’s decision, which followed an acrimonious cabinet debate, was aimed at eroding Bishop’s authority, amid ongoing mutterings that a senior figure from the party’s conservative wing, most likely Peter Dutton, is jockeying for her job as deputy Liberal Party leader.

At an abrupt press conference in Sydney on Friday, Turnbull revealed that he had told the former prime minister that in his opinion, Rudd was not well suited to enter the nomination race to replace outgoing Secretary-General Ban Kimoon.

‘‘This is no disparagement of Mr Rudd. He is a former prime minister of Australia,’’ with that You stated that you and the FM (foreign minister) were ‘‘as one’’ in your support for my candidature. Turnbull said.

‘‘But my judgment is that he is not well suited for this particular role.

‘‘I do not want to add to his disappointment, but the threshold point here is when the Australian government nominates a person for a job . . . is do we believe the person, the nominee, the would-be nominee is well suited for that position?’’

Turnbull has maintained the snub had nothing to do with partisan politics but rather was ‘‘a judgment about Mr Rudd’s suitability for that particular role’’.

In a statement, Rudd expressed his disappointment at the loss of a historic opportunity. ‘‘It would have been the first time in the United Nations’ 70-year history that Australia offered a candidate for UN Secretary-General,’’ he wrote.

‘‘A nomination by the government would not have granted Mr Rudd a position. It would simply have enabled him to stand alongside the 12 other candidates from across the world, and compete on his merits – to be.’’

When asked what Rudd’s unsuitable characteristics of were, Turnbull declined to elaborate, saying he did not want to add to Rudd’s disappointment.

Acting Labor leader Tanya Plibersek and foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong called the move a ‘‘petty decision’’.

‘‘This captain’s call confirms that Malcolm Turnbull occupies the office of prime minister in name only. Australia is diminished by his weakness,’’ the pair said.

Former foreign minister Gareth Evans was scathing, declaring that the decision did Turnbull no credit.

‘‘Kevin Rudd’s international standing is very high. He is regarded as immensely competent and credible, and – though facing a number of obvious obstacles (including I think a likely Russian veto) – was manifestly seen as a serious candidate for the UNSG position,’’ he said.

‘‘This decision is embarrassing for Australia. It will be seen by most governments around the world for what it is: petty, partisan and vindictive. It will leave a very bad taste in many mouths.’’

Bishop had offered support for Mr Rudd’s nomination to succeed Ban Kimoon, arguing it was appropriate as a former prime minister and would not amount to an endorsement from the Australian government.

Senior ministers including Scott Morrison, Greg Hunt and Peter Dutton remained opposed to supporting Rudd, the president of the New York-based Asia Society Policy Institute.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott had pledged to support former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, who has the backing of her country’s government.

The move has been seen as Turnbull avoiding a fight with members of the Coalition party room who were steadfast in their opposition to Rudd, despite the precedent of governments supporting former political rivals for international roles.

Some UN member nations are expecting a woman to become secretary-general for the first time, while eastern European nations have argued that they are due to have a representative in the top job.

Of the 12 declared candidates, Antonio Guterres, former prime minister of Portugal, is considered a front runner after a that is now not strong vote.

The UN Security Council will consider nominated candidates from next month, before taking a resolution to the UNS General Assembly. The five UN Security Council permanent member nations – the United States, Britain, Russia, China and France – can veto any nominee.

A secret ballot will take place before the next secretary-general is due to take office on January 1. showing in the first straw poll