The United Nations General Secretary Kofi Annan has appointed senior UN official and human rights expert Ian Martin as the head of the new UN mission to be stationed in Nepal, local media reported Friday.

"Annan appointed Martin considering his profound understanding of Nepalese issues and his expertise following his involvement as the head of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR)," The Kathmandu Post (TKP), a private English language national daily, reported quoting a highly placed source in New York.

"However, it is not clear what happens with Martin's engagement with the OHCHR as his tenure in it expires only on May next year," according to TKP. Martin has been serving in the OHCHR Nepal since May 2005.

As the head of the new UN mission, Martin's main task will be " arms management." At least four advisors including political advisor, electoral advisor, cease-fire monitoring expert and military advisor (a retired army officer outside uniform) will be there to assist him in his new job in Nepal for the moment.

Annan is most likely to announce Martin's appointment latest by Friday as he is scheduled to attend a meeting of European Union in Brussels on Friday, from where he will be heading to Middle East.

The new UN mission is being stationed in Nepal as per the request made by the Nepali government and guerrillas on Aug. 9 to assist in the ongoing peace process through separate letters with same content.

Source: Xinhua