Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)

 

"The Special Representative of the Secretary-General as the head of UNMIK, is the highest international civilian official in Kosovo. He will enjoy the maximum civilian executive powers envisaged and vested in him by the Security Council in its resolution 1244 (1999), and will also be the final authority on their interpretation. . . . , the Special Representative will facilitate a political process designed to determine Kosovo's future status, taking into account the Rambouillet accords." (Secretary-General in his report on UNMIK, 12 July 1999.)

Lamberto Zannier (Italy)

Dates served: 20 June 2008 - present

Most recently, Mr. Zannier, who presently holds the rank of Ambassador, has worked for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on EU Common Foreign and Security Policy issues, headed the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, and were the Italian Representative in the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Mr. Zannier’s extensive experience with politico-military issues dates back many years; he has been Chairman for negotiations on the Adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), and he has also been seconded by the Italian Government to NATO as Head of the Disarmament, Arms Control and Cooperative Security Section. Mr. Zannier joined the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1978 as a career diplomat and served the Italian Embassies in Abu Dhabi, Vienna and The Hague. He has also worked for the FAO Legal Office in Rome. Mr. Zannier holds a Doctorate in Law from the Trieste University, and is married with two sons and two daughters.