UN, October 31. /TASS/. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a letter to UN Security Council members that he had decided to appoint Norwegian diplomat Geir Pedersen as his new special envoy for Syria, diplomatic sources told TASS.
According to the sources, the secretary general delivered the news in a letter to UN Security Council members.
"In taking this decision, I have consulted broadly, including with the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic," reads the letter, a copy of which was obtained by TASS.
According to Guterres, the new envoy would "support the Syrian parties by facilitating an inclusive and credible political solution that meets the democratic aspirations of the Syrian people."
A diplomatic source earlier told TASS that Pedersen’s candidacy was earlier approved by all members of the UN Security Council. At the same time, the secretary general’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric told TASS that all appointments are unofficial unless they are announced by the UN Secretariat.
Pedersen currently serves as Norway’s ambassador to China. Earlier, he held the post of the country’s permanent UN envoy.
On October 17, UN Special Envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura announced his resignation from the post at the end of November. He held this position for more than four years.
