Kieran Prendergast, top UN political affairs official, to retire in June

The top United Nations political official, Sir Kieran Prendergast, will retire at the end of June after giving the world body more than eight years of service.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, through a UN spokesman, thanked Sir Kieran for his outstanding service, saying that he had "given valuable advice on many of the most difficult issues that the United Nations has to confront, as well as conducting many sensitive diplomatic missions and managing one of the organization's most important departments."

Sir Kieran will leave the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) in June but remain on staff until the end of the year, spending the fall semester as a Goodman Fellow at Harvard University writing a report on his experiences at DPA and recommend ways in which the UN could best fulfil its responsibilities in mediation and conflict resolution, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

With Mr. Annan's tenure ending 18 months after Sir Kieran's departure, the Secretary-General will soon name as the successor to the DPA chief someone who was "already thoroughly familiar with the work of the United Nations" and who can "ensure full continuity in the leadership of the Department," Mr. Dujarric added.

Before joining the UN, Sir Kieran, now 62, served as United Kingdom ambassador to Turkey from 1995 to 1997. From 1992 to 1995 he was UK High Commissioner to Kenya and from 1989 to 1992 was High Commissioner to Zimbabwe.

From 1982 to 1986 he was Counsellor, Head of Chancery and Consul-General in Tel Aviv, Israel.

A graduate of Oxford University, Sir Kieran was posted to the UK Mission to the United Nations from 1979 to 1982.