HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
NEW U.N. DEPUTY MIDDLE EAST ENVOY IS NAMED
- The Secretary-General has asked Max Gaylard of Australia, a senior United Nations official with extensive experience in humanitarian and development coordination, to serve as Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process ad interim.
- The Secretary-General has asked Mr. Gaylard to travel to the region this week to lead the UN country team in the occupied Palestinian territory.
- Gaylard is currently serving as the Director of Mine Action with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and has previously served as the Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator in Somalia and as the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq.
- Asked whether the appointment was intended as a replacement for former UN Special Coordinator Michael Williams, the Spokeswoman said that this was an ad interim appointment for the Deputy Special Coordinator, Kevin Kennedy, who had recently left the mission.
U.N. POLITICAL CHIEF TO ATTEND MIDDLE EAST QUARTET MEETING
- The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, is departing New York today and will be attending a meeting in Jerusalem on Thursday of the envoys of the Middle East Quartet. Pascoe is currently acting as the Secretary-General’s Envoy to the Quartet.
- In addition to attending the Quartet envoys’ meeting, he plans to hold meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials in Ramallah and Jerusalem.
- En route to Israel, Pascoe will stop in Bahrain, where he plans to meet with the Foreign Minister and to hold discussions at the U.S. Central Command regarding security conditions concerning the work of the United Nations in Iraq.
- He will accompany the Secretary-General in Istanbul at the expanded ministerial meeting of Iraq and its neighbors.
Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
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