Daniel Craig named UN envoy on landmines

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday named British actor Daniel Craig the first UN envoy for the elimination of mines and explosive hazards, saying that Craig, who played secret agent James Bond in movies, was given "a license to save."

Craig, who has been starring in four movies as agent 007, met with the secretary-general at UN headquarters in New York and was appointed as the UN global advocate for the elimination of mines and other explosive hazards for the next three years.

"As 007, Mr. Craig had a license to kill," the secretary- general said. "Today we are giving him a license to save."

"Announcing the designation, the secretary-general thanked Mr. Craig -- known for playing James Bond as you know -- for using his star power to draw attention to the causes of mine destruction and mine awareness," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.

"As the first UN global advocate on this issue, Mr. Craig will be raising awareness about United Nations mine action work, promoting our vision of a world free from the threats of mines and explosive remnants of war, visiting UN mine action programs, and assisting in raising political and financial support for mine action activities," the spokesman said.

Landmines come in two varieties: anti-personnel and anti- vehicle. Both have caused great suffering in the past decades.

The United Nations said 162 States are parties to the Anti- Personnel Mine Ban Convention. Last year, the United Nations said it destroyed more than 400,000 land mines and explosive remnants of war and more than 2,000 tons of obsolete ammunition. Endite