United Nations

NEW YORK, 10 March (UN Headquarters) -- The following statement  was issued today  by the Office of  the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

Today, the  Secretary-General appointed  16 Commissioners  for the  United Nations Monitoring, Verification,  and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC).   In accordance with  Security Council resolution 1284  of 17  December 1999, the Secretary-General, in  consultation with the  Executive Chairman of  UNMOVIC and the members of  the Security Council, is  requested to appoint  suitably qualified  experts  as  a  College  of   Commissioners  for  UNMOVIC. The Commissioners will meet  regularly to review the implementation of  Security Council  resolution 1284 (1999)  and other relevant resolutions, and provide professional  advice and  guidance to  the Executive  Chairman, including on significant policy decisions and on written reports  to be submitted to  the Council through the Scretary-General.

The Commissioners appointed by the Secretary-General are as follows:

Abigun Ade Abiodun (Nigeria)   Reinhard Bohm (Germany)   Ronald Cleminson (Canada)   Cong Guang (China) Therese Delpech (France) Robert Einhorn (United States) Yuriy V. Fedotov (Russian Federation)  Kostyantyn Gryshchenko (Ukraine)  Gunterio G. Heineken (Argentina) Hannelore Hoppe (United Nations-Department of Disarmament Affairs) Takanori Kazuhara (Japan)  Roque Monteleone-Neto (Brazil) Annaswamy Narayana Prasad (India) Marjatta Rautio (Finland) Paul Schulte (United Kingdom) Cheikh Sylla (Senegal) Curricula vitae for the Commissioners are available  in the Office of  the Spokesman of the Secretary-General.

Hans Blix,  in his capacity as  Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC, will chair meetings of the UNMOVIC College of Commissioners.