ISMAT KITTANI CONSUMMATE DIPLOMAT WHOSE LIFE ‘WAS AN EXAMPLE TO US ALL’, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL, ON DEATH OF 36TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

ISMAT KITTANI CONSUMMATE DIPLOMAT WHOSE LIFE ‘WAS AN EXAMPLE TO US ALL’,

SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL, ON DEATH OF 36^TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

Following is the statement of Secretary-General Kofi Annan upon learning of the death of Ismat Kittani:

Ismat Kittani was a cherished member of our United Nations family.  He served five Secretaries-General with dedication and commitment.  He performed many sensitive missions with the utmost skill and judgement.  He was loved by those who knew him, and respected by all who came in contact with him.

Both in the service of his country and as an official of the United Nations -– including a distinguished term as President of the thirty-sixth General Assembly -- he was a consummate diplomat, combining the discretion of the international civil servant with an intimate knowledge of the intergovernmental process.

When he retired from the staff of the Organization, he said in his farewell remarks that no person is forced to work for the United Nations; that you do so because you believe in its goals.  Ismat Kittani was someone who helped us all sustain that belief, and who made our work here even more rewarding.  Today, my thoughts and prayers today go to Ismat’s family and loved ones.  I hope they will know that his life was an example to us all.

* *** *