United Nations

  VIENNA, 2 October (UN Information Service) -- The new Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations (Vienna), Thordur Aegir Oskarsson, presented his credentials today to Pino Arlacchi, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV). 

 Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Oskarsson served as the Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

 Between 1983 and 1985, Mr. Oskarsson was a Researcher for the Icelandic Committee on Security and International Affairs. The following year he served as a planning officer with the Association of the Municipalities in the capital area. Between 1986 and 1988 he was  Parliamentary Correspondent with the newspaper Timinn.

 Mr. Oskarsson began his diplomatic career in 1988 at the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Between 1990 and 1994 he was First Secretary at the Icelandic Delegation to NATO, followed by a post as Councellor at the Delegation for another year. In 1995 he was appointed Head of NATO Affairs and Security Policy Division.

 In 1996, he was promoted to Minister-Councellor, and in 1997 he was appointed Director for Defence at the Defence Department, at the Islandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs. In 1999 he became an Ambassador.

 Mr. Oskarsson holds a BA degree in Political Science from the University of Iceland. He received a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he pursued further studies towards a Ph.D. 

 He is married and has three children.