Report: Ban Indecisive about his Representative in Lebanon

United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon has not yet decided on the diplomat who will succeed U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams, As Safir newspaper reported on Friday.

The daily said that Ban has ruled out appointing any of the three persons whom media outlets had named as the main candidates to succeed Williams.

The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published the names of the three main candidates expected to represent Ban in Lebanon. They are former Norwegian Ambassador to Lebanon Aud Lise Norheim, Switzerland's Special Envoy for the Middle East Jean Daniel Ruch and ex- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos.

However, As Safir said that Moratinos’ candidacy is facing an obstacle which is the presence of another high-ranking official from Spain in Lebanon, UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Alberto Asarta.

It has been unfamiliar for the U.N. to assign two high-ranking officials in the same country from the same nationality.

Asarta’s tenure ends at the head of the mission on January 28, 2012. But the U.N. chief sought to exclude Moratinos, according to European diplomatic sources in Beirut.

A U.N. source told the daily that “the General Secretary has not yet decided on this matter, and we can’t speculate on who he will choose… He hasn’t set a timeframe to appoint his representative in Lebanon.”

“Ban prefers to choose a figure from the U.N., because he will be able to communicate better with the organizations and will implement the U.N. policies,” the source said.

U.N. Resident Coordinator for Lebanon Robert Watkins is carrying out the tasks of Williams whose term ended on Sept. 30, and his position has been vacant since.

As Safir reported that there is no legal timeframe for the U.N. chief to choose his representative.