New Syria Special Envoy, Yemen, Ukraine & other topics - Daily Briefing (31 October 2018)

Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- SG Note
-DSG
-Yemen
-Sri Lanka
-Ukraie
-Cities
-Senior Personnel Appointment
-Senior Personnel Appointment - 2
DESCRIPTION
STORY: UN / NEW SYRIA SPECIAL ENVOY
TRT: 1:08
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 31 OCTOBER 2018, NEW YORK CITY
SHOTLIST
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
31 OCTOBER 2018, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press room
3. Wide shot, journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The Secretary-General announced today the appointment of Geir O. Pedersen of Norway as his Special Envoy for Syria....
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STORYLINE
In a statement read by his spokesperson, UN chief António Guterres announced today the appointment of Geir Pedersen of Norway as his new Special Envoy for Syria to succeed Staffan de Mistura.
De Mistura had recently announced his intention to step down from his post at the end of November after more than four years siting personal reasons.
Speaking to reporters in New York today (31 Oct), UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said the Secretary-General reiterated his “deepest gratitude” to Staffan de Mistura for his “concerted efforts and contributions to the search for peace in Syria.”
Haq said Pedersen brings “decades of political and diplomatic experience” to the position, having served both in government and United Nations capacities, most recently as Norway’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China and as Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations.
Pedersen had served the UN in various roles, including as Special Coordinator for Lebanon and as Personal Representative of the Secretary-General for Southern Lebanon. He also worked as Director of the Asia and Pacific Division in the Department of Political Affairs.
Pedersen served as the Norwegian Representative to the Palestinian Authority Between 1998 and 2003. He was also a member of the Norwegian team to the Oslo negotiations in 1993 that led to the signing of the Declaration of Principles and the mutual recognition between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel.
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