By NNN-Xinhua
Kabul : Untied Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed a Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide of Norway as his envoy to Afghanistan, a press release of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) received Tuesday said.
“Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Kai Eide of Norway as his Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA),” the press release added.
Eide replaces Tom Koenigs of Germany, who completed his assignment in December 2007.
Previously, Eide served with the United Nations as Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to undertake a comprehensive review of Kosovo in 2005 and as Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1997-98.
He also served as Permanent Representative of Norway to the NATO and as the Norwegian Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including as Chairman of the OSCE Permanent Council.
The Afghan government which rejected the appointment of British diplomat Paddy Ashdown last month has shown support to the appointment of Eide as the world body’s special envoy to Afghanistan.