Sahara: UN Says No Decision Yet on Köhler’s Successor

The United Nations has affirmed that no decision has so far been made on the appointment of a new UN Sahara envoy in replacement of German Horst Köhler, 76, who stepped down last May “for health reasons”.

In his daily press briefing, Farhan Haq, Deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said on Tuesday “there were some rumors” that the UN Chief has made a decision on the appointment of his next Personal Envoy for the Sahara.

“This is false and baseless,” said Farhan Haq, affirming that the process to select the Personal Envoy for the Sahara is ongoing. The UN official also said that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “looks forward to appointing an Envoy as soon as the process is completed”.

The name of former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop was cited lately by some press reports as a serious contender for the job of UN Sahara Envoy.