Khalaf has drawn my attention to the sad fact that the Jordanian delegation has withdrawn Muna Nijem’s nomination for head of the Information Telecommunication Union or ITU. He says:

After the first round of voting, the candidate from Mali received 53 votes, Germany 45; Brazil 29; Switzerland 14; and Tunisia 9. Nijem received 5 votes. She blamed the lack of support from Arab and Islamic countries for Arab candidates. 19 Arab countries were eligible to vote, and 38 other Islamic countries. So, the Arab candidates received 14 of the 19 Arab votes. There was more competition for the Islamic vote, as Mali is an Islamic state and a member of the Organization of Islamic Conferences. I wonder if anybody told our delegation this.

Yes I’m disappointed. Maybe we’ll have better luck next time!