Secretary-General Welcomes Election of Catherine Samba Panza in Central African

Republic as Head of State of Transition, Chance to Put Process Back on Track

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

The Secretary-General welcomes the election of Catherine Samba Panza as Head of State of the Transition of the Central African Republic through a transparent process led by the National Transitional Council.  He congratulates Ms. Samba Panza on her election and commends all those involved in the election process and looks forward to the nomination of a new Prime Minister in the coming days.  The change of leadership in the Central African Republic offers a critical opportunity to put the transition process back on track.

The Secretary-General remains extremely concerned about the ongoing sectarian violence in the Central African Republic and the worsening humanitarian crisis that affects more than half of the population.

The Secretary-General welcomes the successful holding of a ministerial meeting convened in Brussels on 20 January 2014 by the United Nations and the European Commission, and urges Member States to immediately deliver on international pledges.  He commends the European Union’s political agreement to support the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) through the planning of a complementary mission and urges close European Union cooperation with the African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

The Secretary-General reminds the international community of the importance of ensuring the success of MISCA, and appeals to all those in a position to do so to provide financial and in-kind assistance to MISCA.  The Secretary-General looks forward to generous contributions at the MISCA donor conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 1 February.

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For information media • not an official record