UN top job contenders face off at Davos

Joining Annan on stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, were Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea and senior Sri Lankan diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala.

All three promised to continue sweeping UN reforms, with Vike-Freiberga in particular lashing the make-up and influence of the Security Council's five permanent, veto-wielding members.

Annan, who took office on January 1, 1997, ends his second term next year, and Asia believes the UN tradition of regional rotation means it is owed the next turn at the helm.