UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Asian nations dropped thoughts of opposing U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan's re-election on Monday, positioning themselves instead to field a candidate of their own in five years time.

At a meeting of 50 Asian U.N. members, many wanted to endorse Annan immediately for a second five-year term. Others said their governments needed to give approval first, according to Pakistani Ambassador Shamshad Ahmad, current chairman of the Asian group.

In the absence of a candidate from Asia now, Annan's re-election appears a foregone conclusion.

"There was no doubt in the mind of anyone that he would be re-elected," Ahmad said.

The only mention of a challenge came several months ago when names were floated informally during a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Singapore. But no campaign was mounted for a single nominee.

"There was a strong feeling that the Asian group as a whole should endorse his candidature for re-election on the assumption that when he completes his second term, that the next secretary- general would be an Asian," Ahmad told reporters.

Noting Asia has not fielded a secretary-general for 20 years, Ahmad said, "So it is legitimate for the Asians to expect that when Secretary-General Kofi Annan completes his term, it will be an Asian."

The last U.N. secretary-general from Asia was Burmese U Thant, who served from 1961 to 1971.

Although the U.N. Charter says nothing about how to choose a secretary-general, re-electing Annan, a Ghanaian, would give Africa three terms, rather than the customary two.

Annan's predecessor, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, an Egyptian, served from 1992 to 1996, but was blocked by a U.S. veto in the Security Council from seeking a second term.

With 53 African nations having endorsed Annan, diplomats said the Asians would do their best to make sure African countries supported them in five years.

China, which usually follows positions of the Asian group, whose members range from Jordan to Japan, has not endorsed Annan yet, but its envoys say they are sensitive to the wishes of African nations.

On Friday, U.S. President George W. Bush openly backed Annan, saying, "We heartily endorse his second term as secretary-general."

Annan, who turns 63 next month, met Bush a day after he declared he was seeking a second term at the end of this year.

Usually, the five permanent Security Council members with veto power-- the United States, Russia, Britain, China and France -- keep silent until the last minute. The council votes on a candidate first, followed by the General Assembly.

But this year, not only the United States voiced strong support but a French Foreign Ministry official said Paris supported Annan, the seventh U.N. secretary-general.

Previous secretaries-general were Boutros-Ghali, Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru, Kurt Waldheim of Austria, U Thant, Dag Hammarskjoeld of Sweden and Trygve Lie of Norway.