British Diplomat Reportedly Appointed as Special Coordinator but Ban Says Consultations Ongoing

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has appointed a British diplomat as special coordinator for Lebanon to replace Michael Williams, a diplomatic source said.

The source told al-Mustaqbal daily published Friday that Ban appointed Derek Plumbly to replace Williams whose mandate ended in October.

But Ban denied to An Nahar newspaper that he had made the appointment.

“The internal consultations are ongoing … I met several candidates and I hope I could announce the (name of) the new special coordinator soon,” he said in the interview.

“For the time being, the office of the special coordinator is working with Robert Watkins as special coordinator for Lebanon ad interim,” Ban added.

Western diplomatic sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that Plumbly was the most likely candidate to be appointed as special coordinator. He has served as British ambassador to Saudi Arabia between 2000 and 2003 and Egypt between 2003 and 2007.