CARL BILDT TO REPRESENT UN IN STABILITY PACT FOR SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE
Press Release
SG/SM/7175
CARL BILDT TO REPRESENT UN IN STABILITY PACT FOR SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE
19991013The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
The Secretary-General has asked Carl Bildt of Sweden, his Special Envoy for the Balkans, to intensify his efforts in the region and to represent the United Nations in the work of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe.
In a letter to the President of the Security Council dated 12 October, the Secretary-General noted that while the situation in Kosovo and implementation of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) remain top priorities, it is crucial also for the United Nations to maintain focus on the wider region. Mr. Bildts role, as envisioned when he was appointed on 6 May 1999, remains an important pillar in the Secretary-Generals efforts to promote peace and stability in the area.
The Secretary-general considers that Mr. Bildts extensive contacts with regional leaders and personalities, key governments, including the Group of Seven industrialized countries and the Russian Federation -- G-8 - and multilateral institutions place him in a special position to serve as a political focal point for the United nations in this process.
An important aspect of Mr. Bildts work will be to continue advocacy on behalf of countries in the region not directly involved in, but affected by the Kosovo crisis. He will consult regularly with the United Nations programmes, funds, offices and agencies involved in operations in the region, as well as with United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) and United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK). This will ensure that he remains fully informed of perspectives affecting regional stability, including humanitarian, economic and social dimensions. It will also contribute to integrated and coherent support from the United Nations system for the Stability Pact, where Mr. Bildt will represent the United Nations.
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