Brussels, 11/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 11 July, the spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton hailed the previous day's appointment of former deputy foreign minister of Italy Staffan de Mistura as United Nations Special Representative for Syria. De Mistura, an Italian-Swedish diplomat who is aged 67, will replace Lakhdar Brahimi, who resigned in mid-May (see EUROPE 11080).
“Mr de Mistura's long standing experience in the region and his excellent reputation as a seasoned and skilful diplomat make him a very good choice for dealing with an increasingly complex reality in Syria and its neighbourhood”, said Ashton's spokesperson in a press release. “We call on the international community and all Syrian parties to grant full and concrete support to the missions of Mr de Mistura”, the spokesperson added, stating that the EU will use all means at its disposal to assist the diplomat.
In the view of the UK's Foreign Secretary William Hague, de Mistura's appointment comes “at a time when the need for a political settlement in Syria has never been more pressing”. While Brahimi was joint special envoy for the UN and Arab League, de Mistura will only represent the UN. The UN secretary general conducted wide consultations - including with the Syrian authorities - before appointing de Mistura. He will be assisted by Egypt's former deputy minister for foreign affairs Ramzy Ezzedine Ramzy, appointed by the UN after consultations with the Arab League. De Mistura has held various posts in the UN - including those of special representative for Afghanistan (2010-2011), Iraq (2007-2009) and Lebanon (2001-2004) and the post of deputy director for the World Food Programme (2009-2010). He speaks six languages including colloquial Arabic. The Syrian conflict - which has been going on since March 2011 - has claimed over 160,000 lives. Around 2.9 million Syrians are refugees in neighbouring countries and around 10.8 million need humanitarian aid. (CG)