UNITED NATIONS, April 7: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday announced appointment of veteran UN Pakistani official Rafeeuddin Ahmed as his special adviser on Iraq.

Talking to reporters before a meeting with the UN Security Council members, Mr Annan said: “Rafeeuddin Ahmed has been a special adviser, he has been working for me on this issue since February. I will be appointing him as my special adviser and will inform the council about it. We have discussed it before.”

Asked about Mr Ahmed’s role in the post-war Iraqi scenario, Kofi Annan said: “His role will be thinking about the future, thinking about what is likely to happen and what the likely UN role will be, and also to be available to the council members and all the members involved, to exchange ideas and then give me some advice.”

Rafeeuddin Ahmed, who recently headed UN task force on Iraq is the longest serving Pakistani at the United Nations. He has been working for the last 34 years at top positions, including as chef-de-cabinet to the former UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldhiem, associate administrator of UN Development Programme, besides serving as undersecretary-general for Political Affairs and as UN’s special envoy to Cambodia.

A former Pakistan foreign service official Mr Ahmed joined United Nations in 1970 as secretary of UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for east Asia and was adviser to the United Nations Commission on Women.