Oxford post for UN envoy

Britain's most senior official at the United Nations, Marrack Goulding, is to step down next year to become the Warden of St Anthony's College, Oxford. The move will trigger a race between diplomats for Britain's highly-coveted top-slot at UN headquarters in New York.

For the past three years years, Mr Goulding has occupied the highly sensitive post as Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, serving as Boutros Boutros-Ghali's closest adviser on matters ranging from management of the organisation to peace-keeping missions in Bosnia and Somalia.

As Warden at St Anthony's, a position currently occupied by Ralph Dahrendorf, Mr Goulding would be returning to his old university and taking over the stewardship of the college considered to be pre-eminent in Britain in the sphere of international affairs. David Usborne