Ex-Foreign Minister of Algeria Lakhdar Brahimi to replace Kofi Annan as UN special envoy to Syria

A former Algerian foreign minister, Lakhdar Brahimi, has been appointed by UN to the post of special envoy to Syria, the press service of the UN Secretary General reports.

VK previously reported that there was unconfirmed information that Brahimi had agreed to replace Kofi Annan as UN special envoy to Syria. The unnamed source reported that he had requested the modification of his powers and changing the name of his office. The kind of conditions requested by Brahimi have not been announced. 78-year-old Brahimi was previously the UN special envoy to Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti and South Africa.

Looking back, on Thursday the UN Security Council decided not to renew the mandate of the mission of international observers in Syria, which ends on August 19. After the withdrawal of international observers, the UN presence in Syria will be reduced to the work of the Coordinating Bureau in Damascus.