Turkish diplomat named new UN aid envoy to Pakistan

Turkey's Rauf Engin Soysal has been named to the UN Pakistan aid post by th Secretary General.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has named a veteran Turkish diplomat as his new special envoy for assistance to Pakistan, the UN press office said on Monday.

Turkey's Rauf Engin Soysal will be replacing Jean-Maurice Ripert, France's former UN ambassador, who was named to the UN Pakistan aid post in August 2009. It was not immediately clear whether Ripert would take on another UN post, officials at the world body said.

The Turkish diplomat "brings to this position extensive experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy and in depth knowledge of the region," the UN press office said in a statement. Soysal is currently Turkey's under secretary for political affairs and was Ankara's ambassador to Pakistan from 2007 to 2009.