Security Council approves Ghassan Salame as Libya envoy

The president of the Security Council says members have approved the secretary-general’s selection of former U.N. adviser Ghassan Salame, a Paris-based Lebanese academic, as the new U.N. envoy for Libya.

Bolivia’s U.N. Ambassador Sacha LLorentty Soliz told reporters Tuesday that he sent a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres approving Salame, the final step before an official announcement.

Salame, who would replace Martin Kobler of Germany, served as a senior adviser to then secretary-general Kofi Annan from 2003-2006, and later as Lebanon’s culture minister. He is currently dean of the Paris School of International Affairs and a professor of international relations at the Paris Institute of Political Studies.

Several previous candidates to be the U.N. special representative for Libya were vetoed by council members, including the United States.