Annan pays tribute to UN envoy in Myanmar upon his resignation

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today paid tribute to his Special Envoy for Myanmar, Razali Ismail, who resigned the post he held since April 2000.

“The Secretary-General expresses his warm appreciation and gratitude for Mr. Razali’s more than five years of service as his Special Envoy, during which he helped the Secretary-General’s good offices aimed at facilitating national reconciliation and democratization in Myanmar,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement released in New York.

Mr. Razali’s resignation was effective when his contract expired on 4 January. No successor has yet been named.

Over the past several years Mr. Razali has supported the Secretary-General’s efforts to push the Myanmar Government to allow a role for opposition parties and release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.