12 March
2008
Ambassador Kai Eide of Norway was appointed as the new UN Special Representative in Afghanistan and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer welcomed the appointment: “Ambassador Eide is well known and extremely well respected in international circles for his diplomatic skills, his experience in post-conflict situations and his knowledge of security issues.”
Mr. Eide will work closely with NATO to improve the coordination and profile of the international effort in support of Afghanistan..
A career diplomat with the Norwegian foreign service, Mr. Eide served as Permanent representative of Norway to NATO from 2002 to 2006. In 2005 he was Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General in Kosovo and from 1997-1998 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mr. Eide replaces Tom Koenigs of Germany, who completed his assignment December 2007.
