Ex-Lebanese minister to head UN Support Mission in Libya

The United Nations has appointed Tarek Mitri, a former minister in several Lebanese governments, as the head of the U.N. Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). In a statement Wednesday, U.N. chief Ban Ki moon’s spokesperson said Mitri would succeed Ian Martin who will complete his assignment on Oct. 14 this year. “The secretary-general is grateful to Mr. Martin for his dedicated service during his tenure in UNSMIL over the past year,” Ban’s spokesperson said in the statement. Mitri held several ministerial portfolios in several Lebanese governments between 2005 and 2011. Most recently, Mitri held the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair on Dialogue at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, and served as a Senior Fellow at the Fares Center for Public Policy and International Affairs of the American University of Beirut. Prior to participating in the Lebanese government, Mitri also spent time working with the World Council of Churches in Geneva and the Middle East Council of Churches. In July, some 2.7 million Libyans headed to the polls to vote for members of the North African country’s new National Congress. Over 3,000 candidates ran for office, including more than 600 women. The election was conducted in a largely peaceful manner, receiving praise from international observers and the Security Council. The polls were the first free elections in decades in Libya, where Moammar Gadhafi ruled for more than 40 years until a pro-democracy uprising last year – similar to the protests in other countries in the Middle East and North Africa – led to civil war and the end of his regime. The Daily Star