Peace process – Appointment of Mideast UN Special Coordinator, Envoy to the Quartet (Alvaro de Soto) – SecGen letter to SecCo

Letter dated 6 May 2005 from the Secretary-General addressed to

the President of the Security Council

I wish to inform the Security Council of my intention to appoint Mr. Alvaro de Soto as the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East  Peace Process and my Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. He would succeed Mr. Terje Roed-Larsen, who served in the position from 1 October 1999 until 31 December 2004.

Mr. de Soto is well known to the Security Council. He has served as a staff member of the United Nations for 23 years, most recently as my Special Representative for Western Sahara.

I would intend that the new Special Coordinator be guided by the principles set out in relevant Security Council resolutions and the road map framework for peace put forward by the Quartet, as endorsed by the Security Council in its resolution 1515 (2003). He would act as my Envoy to the Quartet, and do all possible to support the momentum towards peace.

Mr. de Soto’s functions and responsibilities would include coordination of all United Nations activities on the ground related to the Middle East peace process, with the aim of ensuring that the United Nations contribution is fully integrated and coordinated. As the Special Coordinator, Mr. de Soto would represent me in all meetings and structures involving the parties and the international community and provide political guidance to the United Nations family.

(Signed) Kofi A. Annan

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