13 June 1997


Press Release
SG/A/639


SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS LIVIU BOTA AS HIS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR GEORGIA


Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Liviu Bota, a national of Romania, as his resident Special Representative for Georgia and Head of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) with effect from 1 July. Mr. Bota succeeds Edouard Brunner, who has been serving as the Secretary- General's Special Envoy for Georgia since May 1993. Mr. Bota has been serving as resident Deputy Special Envoy for Georgia and Head of the UNOMIG Mission since 1 October 1995.

Prior to his involvement in the Georgian/Abkhaz conflict, Mr. Bota was Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva from April to September 1995. Other United Nations assignments he has carried out include: Head of the United Nations Mission of Observers to Tajikistan (UNMOT) (January 1993 to March 1995), Senior Advisor to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Somalia (May to December 1992), and Director and Senior Advisor to the Under-Secretary-General for Human Rights in Geneva (1988-1992).

Mr. Bota became closely involved with United Nations disarmament affairs in 1973 when he served as a Senior Political Affairs Officer with the United Nations Centre for Disarmament Affairs at Headquarters. From 1980 to 1987 he served as Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). He was also Deputy Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Bucharest from 1971 to 1973.

From 1961 to 1971 Mr. Bota was a member of the Romanian diplomatic service.

Mr. Bota is married and has one daughter.

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