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Former German President, new UN envoy to Western Sahara

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New York, June 4, 2017 (SPS) - Former German President Horst Köhler is to be appointed as UN envoy for Western Sahara to relaunch talks between Morocco and the Polisario Front, according to a letter released on Friday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres informed last week the Security Council of his decision to appoint Köhler, and no country has objected, which validates his appointment.
An economist and former banker, Köhler served as president of Germany from 2004 to 2010 after heading the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and chairing the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Köhler, 74, will be the Secretary General's fourth personal envoy of the UN for Western Sahara, after two Americans James Baker and Christopher Ross and Dutch Peter Van Walssun. (SPS)
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