Sudan Okays appointment of new UN envoy
August 29, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan has accepted the designation of the current UN Secretary General envoy to Iraq as his special representative in Sudan, a post that has been vacant since a year.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon submitted Qazi’s name to the Sudanese government about two weeks ago, the Associated Press said.
The daily said Qazi would accompany Ban Ki-Moon during his next week visit to Sudan after he was informed of the necessity of acting fast to deal with the situation in Sudan where intensive international interest was being generated due to the situation in Darfur.
Qazi, a Pakistani diplomat who served in key posts around the world including in Washington, was named the top U.N. envoy to Iraq in July 2004.
Qazi may be replaced in Baghdad by Staffan de Mistura, who once served in southern Lebanon for the United Nations as well as the deputy representative in Iraq two years ago, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said last week.
The top post in Sudan has been empty since Dutchman Jan Pronk was told in October 2006 to leave the country after accusing the army of violating U.N. resolutions by mobilizing Arab militias in Darfur following heavy losses in fighting with rebels.
The U.N. Mission in Sudan, known as UNMIS, supervises the peacekeeping operation of some 10,000 personnel in southern Sudan but not the separate operation in Darfur.
Ban told a news conference on Tuesday he expected to announce a successor to Pronk in Sudan “a couple of days before my visit takes place to Sudan” next week.
“I’ve proposed a nomination of special representative of the secretary-general to Sudan and the announcement will come out very soon,” Ban said.
(ST)