United Nations insider Rebeca Grynspan was leading in the first round of the process to pick the next UN chief that began Thursday, diplomatic sources told AFP. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementThe UN Security Council met Thursday for the first so-called "straw poll" to gauge support for the seven candidates for the secretary-general role. The Security Council president, Zenon Ngay Mukongo of the Democratic Republic of Congo, confirmed a second round of the straw poll would be announced in the coming days. Diplomats are reluctant to predict the outcome because the council's five permanent members -- the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom -- have yet to indicate their preferences. -In the straw poll, each council member was required anonymously assign each candidate one of three labels: "encourage," "discourage," or "no opinion."