From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Feb 01 2010 - 08:50:09 EST
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article33970 UN Chief to name Eritrean
diplomat as new special envoy to Sudan
Monday 1 February 2010
<http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?page=imprimable&id_article=33970>
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January 31, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) — U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on
Sunday said he will name Haile Menkerios, a former Eritrean diplomat as his
special envoy to Sudan making him the third head of the UN Mission in Sudan.
"I have the intention to appoint Haile Menkerios as head of UNMIS as of the
end of February with a view to facilitate the political process," disclosed
Ban Ki Moon during remarks delivered at special meeting on Sudan at the
sidelines of the AU summit in Addis Ababa.
Menkerios, is currently the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for
Political Affairs.
At the UN, he was Director of the Africa I Division in the Department of
Political Affairs from June 2003 to June 2005. On September 26, 2005, UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced his appointment as Deputy Special
Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the
Congo; he assumed this post in October 2005. Subsequently, UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced his appointment as UN Assistant
Secretary-General for Political Affairs on May 16, 2007, and he assumed this
post on July 1, 2007.
>From 1991 to 2000, Menkerios was Eritrea’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and the
Organisation of African Unity, and was Eritrea’s Permanent Representative to
the United Nations.
Ban Ki-Moon said yesterday he would work with the African Union to maintain
united Sudan and avoid southern Sudan secession.
The UN Secretary General reiterated during the special meeting his call for
the Sudanese parties signatories of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to
make unity attractive. He also urged them to reach an agreement on the key
post referendum arrangement.
"To the CPA parties, I urge an acceleration of efforts to make unity
attractive. I call on them to ensure an environment in which candidates can
campaign freely and the people of Sudan can vote without any interference,"
he said.
"The referenda in Southern Sudan and Abyei need to be held without hindrance
and the results duly respected, he added.
In a recent report to the UN Security Council, Ban said a new civil war in
Sudan could break out, given the atmosphere of deep mistrust between various
key players in the country.
Also, Sudan Rice, US envoy to the UN, expressed concerns about arms flowing
to South Sudan saying "We heard today from the U.N. that it is not just
small arms but some heavier munitions that seem to be flowing in," adding
Washington believes some were coming from northern Sudan.
But Khartoum denied the accusations.
(ST)
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