Secretary-General saddened at death of ambassador al-ashtal of yemen

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

The Secretary-General was saddened to learn of the death of Ambassador Abdullah Saleh Al-Ashtal, who served as Yemen’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations for almost 30 years.

Deeply committed to the work and ideals of the Organization, Ambassador Al-Ashtal was a doyen of envoys to the United Nations.  He presented his credentials on May 29, 1973, as Permanent Representative of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen to the United Nations, and continued to represent a united Yemen from 1990.  He remained in his post until July 2002, giving the title of Permanent Representative exceptionally real meaning.  As one of Yemen's most articulate diplomats and a widely popular delegate to the United Nations, he was a leading advocate of economic and social development.

The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the family of Ambassador Al-Ashtal, as well as to the Government of Yemen.

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