Polish general appointed commander of UN Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed of a senior military officer from Poland as the Force Commander of the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM).

Maj.-Gen. Franciszek Gagor's appointment will go into effect from 17 January, and he succeeds Maj.-Gen. Miguel Angel Moreno of Argentina, who relinquished his post on 18 November 2002.

General Gagor is a 34-year veteran of the Polish Armed Forces. In addition to several command posts with the national forces, he also served in a number of UN missions, including deputy sector Commander with UNIKOM.

The Mission, which was created in 1991 in the wake of the Persian Gulf War, monitors the demilitarized zone between the two countries, deters violations, and reports on any hostile action.