SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS LIEUTENANT GENERAL GIOVANNI RIDINÓ OF ITALY AS DIRECTOR

OF NEW STRATEGIC MILITARY CELL FOR UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Lieutenant General Giovanni Ridinó as Director of the newly established Strategic Military Cell (SMC) for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).  The SMC, which will be located at United Nations Headquarters in New York, will provide military guidance to UNIFIL at the strategic level, and will report to the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.

General Ridinó has served in the Italian Army for over 30 years, most recently as a Corps Commander at the Italian Army headquarters (1^st, Vittorio Veneto).  Among numerous other posts, he has served as the Deputy Commander of the Multinational Division (southeast) of the Stabilization Force for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) and the commander of the Territorial Military Autonomous Command for Sicily.  The Secretary-General is grateful to the Government of Italy for making him available for this important mission.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record