Former Finnish Prime Minister appointed new head of UN mission in Kosovo
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named former Prime Minister Harri Holkeri of Finland as his new envoy and head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named former Prime Minister Harri Holkeri of Finland as his new envoy and head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
Mr. Holkeri, who also served as the President of the fifty-fifth session of the UN General Assembly in 2000, brings to the post a wealth of political experience, as well as a reputation as a skilled mediator and consensus builder.
He was Finland’s Prime Minister from 1987 to 1991 and for over four decades has served his country and the international community in several political and economic posts.
Mr. Holkeri succeeds Michael Steiner, a senior German diplomat who is to become his country’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva. Mr. Steiner was the third Special Representative and UNMIK chief since it was established in 1999, following Hans Haekkerup of Denmark and Bernard Kouchner of France.