Annan pays tribute to late Ismat Kittani, 'a consummate diplomat'

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today paid tribute to Ismat Kittani, a long-time UN official who had served five Secretaries-General "with dedication and commitment."

"He performed many sensitive missions with the utmost skill and judgment," said Mr. Annan in a statement released in New York. "He was loved by those who knew him, and respected by all who came in contact with him."

The Secretary-General called Mr. Kittani, who was born in Madiya, Iraq, in 1929, "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," Mr. Annan recalled. "Ismat Kittani was someone who helped us all sustain that belief, and who made our work here even more rewarding."