Britain appoints special representative

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has named a special representative for the Great Lakes region, according to a statement posted on the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office website on Tuesday. It said the appointment of the special representative, Doug Scrafton, was “further evidence of Britain’s continuing high-level commitment” to peace and stability in the Great Lakes region. Scrafton, who most recently served as British ambassador to the DRC, would be based in London and would focus on coordinating Britain’s policy with “regional players and the international community”, it said. Scrafton’s appointment would help sustain international support for the Lusaka agreement on the DRC and the Burundi peace process, “building on the recent Security Council mission to the region,” it added.