UNITED NATIONS, April 23 (AFP) - President Jacques Chirac of France and South African statesman Nelson Mandela are the world leaders with the best sense of humour, according to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
He cited the two men in an interview with Nickelodeon, a magazine published for children by a US television channel of the same name.
Annan also said he had been to "about 90" countries and that Mongolia was the country he would most like to visit among those he had not seen.
"Historically it's interesting -- it's where Genghis Khan came from," he said, referring to the Mongol conqueror who died in 1227.
Replying to another question, he said: "Nelson Mandela has a good sense of humnour and so does Jacques Chirac."
Annan, a 61-year-old citizen of Ghana who is approaching the end of his first five-year term as UN secretary general, said he was "a bit mischievous" as a child.
His favourite joke was about negotiations, he said. A hen and a pig were discussing world issues and agreed it was sad so many people were dying of hunger. The hen said "between the two of us, we could produce enough eggs and bacon to feed the starving masses." The pig replied: "It's easy for you. Yours is a contribution; mine is a total commitment."
