Secretary-General Announces Appointment of Lakhdar Brahimi as Joint

Arab League-United Nations Special Representative for Syria

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General of the United Nations is pleased, along with Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby of the League of Arab States, to announce the appointment today of Lakhdar Brahimi as their Joint Special Representative for Syria.

The violence and the suffering in Syria must come to an end.  The Secretary-General appreciates Mr. Brahimi’s willingness to bring his considerable talents and experience to this crucial task for which he will need, and rightly expects, the strong, clear and unified support of the international community, including the Security Council.

Diplomacy to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Syria remains a top priority for the United Nations.  More fighting and militarization will only exacerbate the suffering and make more difficult the path to a peaceful resolution of the crisis which would lead to a political transition, in accordance with the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.

The Secretary-General takes this opportunity to reiterate his deepest gratitude to former Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his selfless efforts and contributions to the search for peace in Syria.

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For information media • not an official record