War clouds gather. Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the UN, has got his work cut out. Tell me something about him.

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Q.� So who is he

A.� Annan - who speaks English, French and several African languages - is son of a provincial governor in Ghana and a Fante tribal chief. He is married to Nane Lagergren, a Swedish artist and lawyer whose uncle, the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, helped thousands of Hungarian Jews to escape from the Nazis during the Second World War.

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Q.� So when did he get this top job

A.� Kofi Annan became the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations on 1 January 1997. He succeeded Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt, whose second term as secretary-general was vetoed by America.

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Q.� Biography

A.� Born in Ghana in 1938, Annan studied economics in Kumasi and gained a bachelor's degree at Macalester College, Minnesota, in 1961.

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Q.� And into the UN

A.� Yes. In 1962, he began work in financial and management posts with the World Health Organisation and then moved on to the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and at UN headquarters in New York. He headed the UN's Peacekeeping Department from 1993-1995 and again in 1996, during a period of huge growth in UN peacekeeping operations.

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Q.� How big

A.� At its peak in 1995, the UN was fielding almost 70,000 military and civilian Blue Helmets (UN troops, you guessed it, wear light blue headgear) from 77 countries - principally Bosnia and Rwanda.

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Q.� And then secretary-general

A.� He became chief at a bad time in the UN's life. The organisation was suffering from a lack of support from major member states. When Annan came into office in 1997, he faced formidable challenges. The UN was near bankruptcy and faced serious criticism and hostility in Washington - where it was regarded with the same lack of respect accorded by British Eurosceptics to the Brussels Eurocrats.

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Q.� So how did Annan tackle that

A.� In his first weeks in office, Annan travelled to Washington to build support in�Congress. He promised to shrink the UN's operating budget, asking in return that America pay its $1.6 billion in back dues. He introduced many management reforms - a new post of deputy secretary-general, a new office to keep watch for waste and corruption, and a more efficient cabinet-style management.

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Q.� And how will he tackle the impending war on terrorism

A.� Not easy to say. But Annan is a man who should never be underestimated. Among staff, he is appreciated not only for his political acumen, but also for his respect for and willingness to work collaboratively with his colleagues. He is also candid and good-humoured. Annan is also fond of a story about the importance of listening and understanding.

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Q.� What is it

A. �When Annan was a college student in Minnesota, he vowed never to wear earmuffs. They offended his sense of style. But he changed his mind after a midwinter outing nearly froze his ears off. 'Never walk into an environment and assume that you understand it better than the people who live there,' he said in a speech.

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by Steve Cunningham