German official named to head UN mission in Iraq

UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Friday named Martin Kobler of Germany as the new head of the UN mission in Iraq helping the government with efforts to recover from conflict. Kobler, 58, a former top official at the German foreign ministry with particular expertise in helping countries in conflict, moves from the UN mission in Afghanistan where he was deputy head. He had previously been Germany's ambassador to Iraq. Kobler replaces Ad Melkert of the Netherlands, who had led the UN mission in Iraq, UNAMI, since July 2009. "The secretary general is grateful for Mr Melkert’s leadership of UNAMI," said Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky.