SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW FORCE COMMANDER FOR LEBANON

Press Release
SG/A/712

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW FORCE COMMANDER FOR LEBANON

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Major General Seth Kofi Obeng of Ghana as Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), with effect from 1 December 1999. He succeeds Major General Jioje Konousi Konrote of Fiji, who served as Force Commander from 1 October 1997 to 30 September 1999. The Secretary-General takes this opportunity to pay a warm tribute to Major General Konrote for his distinguished service in the peacekeeping mission.

Major General Obeng joined the Ghanaian Armed Forces in 1965 and has held senior command and staff appointments, including Commandant of the Staff College and Chief of Staff of the Ghanaian Armed Forces. He has extensive peacekeeping experience. He served as Deputy Force Commander of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in Liberia from August 1994 to September 1996 and as Force Commander of the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) from 1 May 1998 to 31 October 1999.

Major General Obeng holds a Master of Science degree in defence studies and a postgraduate diploma in international and comparative politics.

Major General Obeng was born on 26 January 1945.

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