Shortly before the end of his second term, he rejected an unofficial request by members of the Security Council to reconsider his earlier decision not to run for a third term, shortened to two years, as a search for his successor had not, as of then, yielded a consensus candidate.
Veidi enne oma teise ametiaja lõppu lükkas ta tagasi ÜRO Julgeolekunõukogu liikmete mitteametliku taotluse vaadata uuesti läbi oma varasem otsus mitte esitada kandidatuuri kolmandaks ametiajaks, mis kestnuks lühendatuna kaks aastat, kuna järeltulija leidmiseks puudus selleks hetkeks konsensus.