United Nations:"UN Under Secretary General ShashiTharoor, who had unsuccessfully contested for the top post of the worldbody" said after resigning that Secretary General Ban Ki moon had theright to choose his own team.

He said he now looked forward to 'new challenges' in his professional life.

"Speaking personally, I look forward to new challenges in my professionallife. To live is to embrace change," Tharoor said yesterday.

Ban, the former South Korean Foreign Minister, has accepted his resignation.

Tharoor's contract as Under Secretary General was also expiring at the end ofFebruary.

He was among several top officials whose resignations have been accepted andhis Chef de Cabinet Vijay Nambiar said they would go when their contractexpires.

Ban had sought resignation from all Under-Secretaries- General and AssistantSecretaries-General to give himself the flexibility of choosing his own team.

Tharoor is being replaced by Kiyotaka Akasaka of Japan.