Annan names Jean Arnault as new head of UN mission in Georgia

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has informed the Security Council of his intention to appoint Jean Arnault of France as the new United Nations Special Representative in Georgia, a spokesman for the world body said today.

Mr. Arnault will replace Heidi Tagliavini as head of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG). The recommendation came in a letter to the Council President, spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

Mr. Arnault has a history of serving with UN offices deployed in various hotspots, including in Guatemala, where he was the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, and Burundi, where he held a similar appointment. Most recently, Mr. Arnault worked in Afghanistan as Special Representative to the Secretary-General and head of the UN mission there.

He has held a variety of other appointments over the course of his UN career, including Political Affairs Officer in Namibia in 1989 and Senior Political Affairs Officer in Kabul in 1990.

Ms. Tagliavini, in her final press conference on 12 July, said significant progress had been made in political dialogues between Georgian authorities and Abkhaz separatists, but stressed the importance of the role played by UN police in the region and the need for them to be allowed into both sides of the conflict zone.

Tensions in Abkhazia escalated into a series of armed confrontations in 1992 when despite a ceasefire agreement, nearly 30,000 refugees fled their homes. Strategically located on the Black Sea, the conflict began with social unrest and attempts by the local authorities to separate from the Georgian Republic.