Rubio says US sees 'two or three very qualified people' for top UN job

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the US believes there are "two or three very qualified people" for the job of United Nations secretary general, which will shortly be vacated by Antonio Guterres.

In remarks reported by PassBlue, which covers the UN, Rubio said that if he revealed who Washington's preferred candidate was, "it would doom them to lose".

"There's a couple really good candidates, people that we like, two or three, and the process will work itself out," Rubio said. "And I think we've expressed our views, but that - it's an ongoing process."

US President Donald Trump's administration favours Emirati diplomat Lana Nusseibeh for the job, according to multiple diplomatic sources who have spoken with Middle East Eye.