Musical chairs at UN - top officials rotate posts
The UN spokesperson told journalists Tuesday that “The Secretary-General has [announced his intention] to appoint Mr. Ashraf Jehangir Qazi of Pakistan as his Special Representative for Sudan. He succeeds Mr. Jan Pronk of the Netherlands, who left the post last year”. She indicated that Qazi has ended his time in Iraq, and will begin work in Sudan, where he will be based in Khartoum, on 4 November.
On Wednesday, the UN spokesperson announced that “Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has informed the Security Council of his intention to appoint Stefan de Mistura, who is Swedish and Italian, as his Special Representative for Iraq, in succession to Ashraf Qazi … Mr. de Mistura has already served in Iraq under Mr. Qazi as Deputy Special Representative in 2005 and 2006. Before that he was then Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Personal Representative for Southern Lebanon for four years”.
The UN News Centre [the UN uses British-English spelling] reports that “the Spokeswoman added, in response to a question, that no decision had been made yet on who would replace Michael Williams as the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process”.
Filed under: Iraq, Middle East Peace Process, Sudan - Darfur, Sudan - Southern Sudan
Plus ca change plus c’est pareil.
You would think that SR who have failed to make in-roads would be left on the side line. Nope !!!
Perpetual non-closures.
Ainsi va la monde :confused:
It was very amusing to read this exchange from the Wednesday noon briefing:
Question: With regard to Mr. de Mistura, what exactly are the qualifications he brings to the job?
Spokesperson: Well, he was the Deputy Special Representative to Iraq before.
Question: So that’s the qualification?
Spokesperson: Well, of course. If he was chosen then, it’s because it was felt he was qualified.
Question: I just wondered if there’s anything more that you might be able to say about him, because it’s a pretty important job.
Spokesperson: Well, you have his biography upstairs. And you can get some biographical data on him. And he has the experience. He was there before.
Question: Does he speak Arabic?
Spokesperson: As far as I know, yes.
Question: Fluent Arabic?
Spokesperson: As far as I know he speaks Arabic.
Okay, I’m sorry. We just have to stop it here because you have the President of the Council coming here right now. Okay? Thank you very much.”
It was also mentioned that “Mistura, who is Swedish and Italian, currently serves as Director of the UN Staff College in Turin, Italy, and previously had been the Deputy Special Representative for Iraq…”
What a masquarade?Just want to be PC here
“Col Gaddafi had pledged to use his influence to bring Darfur rebel groups to Libya for UN-sponsored talks with Khartoum’s government next month” according to the SG.