SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS YULI M. VORONTSOV AS HIGH-LEVEL COORDINATOR PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION 1284 (1999)

Press Release
SG/A/723
IK/287

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS YULI M. VORONTSOV AS HIGH-LEVEL COORDINATOR PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION 1284 (1999)

The following statement was issued today by the Office of the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

On 10 February, the Secretary-General sent a letter to the President of the Security Council informing him of his decision to appoint Yuli M. Vorontsov of the Russian Federation as the high-level coordinator pursuant to paragraph 14 of resolution 1284 (1999).

Mr. Vorontsov will serve at the level of Under-Secretary-General on a when-actually-employed basis. He will be asked to come to New York in mid-March to discuss the plan of action with the Secretary-General.

In 1999, Mr. Vorontsov, upon completion of his national diplomatic career, was appointed by the Secretary-General as his Special Envoy for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) at the Under-Secretary-General level on a when-actually-employed basis.

Mr. Vorontsov had been Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States since 1994. From 1990 to 1994, he served as his country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the Security Council with the rank of Deputy Foreign Minister. In 1991, he also served as the Foreign Policy Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation.

He was the First Deputy Foreign Minister of the former Soviet Union from 1986 to 1990. In 1988 to 1989, he concurrently served as Ambassador to Afghanistan.

Mr. Vorontsov was Ambassador to France (1983-1986) and Ambassador to India (1978-1983). In 1977, he headed his country's delegation at the Belgrade Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

From 1966 to 1977, Mr. Vorontsov served in Washington as Counsellor and Minister-Counsellor. He served in the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in 1963-1964 and in 1954-1958.

Mr. Vorontsov is a Paul Harris Fellow and Professor at the International Informatization Academy. He was educated in the former Soviet Union (PhD in Political Science and International Affairs) and is fluent in English.

Born on 7 October 1929, Mr. Vorontsov is a widower and has one daughter.

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