Annan appoints representative

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Mussagy Jeichande from Mozambique as his Representative and Head of the UN Office in Angola (UNOA). Annan informed the Security Council of his decision in a letter dated 31 July. UN Security Council Resolution 1268 authorised the establishment of UNOA last October but it is only now that the head of the office has been identified. “The Angolan government expressed its preference for a lusophone African,” a UN official told IRIN. “It took some time to find the right candidate.” The official added that Jeichande was expected to come to New York in August to be briefed before going to Angola. The Angolan government has advocated that the UN presence in the country should primarily be confined to humanitarian affairs and human rights capacity building, but Resolution 1268 also gives UNOA the mandate “to liaise with the political, military, police and other civilian authorities, with a view to exploring effective measures for restoring peace.” An Angolan official told IRIN: “The main purpose of the UN presence is to deal with humanitarian affairs and human rights but the head of UNOA will once in a while exchange views with the government about the peace process.”