There's still no word on whether Helen Clark will stay in the race to lead the United Nations.

She says it's too early to draw any conclusions, after slipping to seventh place in the latest Security Council straw poll.

UN Correspondent Margaret Besheer from Voice of America told Andrew Dickens her placing isn't a good sign and it wouldn't be unusual for her to pull out now, but she thinks she'll stay fighting.

"The first round showed us that she wasn't really in favour to begin with. She wasn't a top front-runner, she wasn't in the top three or four. I think a lot of people were surprised by that, but I think they did expect her to do better in the first round.

"Helen's really a career politician, she's a fighter, she's used to polls being up one day and down the next - I think she might hang in there for one more round."

LISTEN ABOVE: UN Correspondent Margaret Besheer speaks with Andrew Dickens about Helen Clark's chances