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New Zealand lawmaker lined up to head UN mission in South Sudan

Xinhua, December 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

New Zealand political leaders confirmed Thursday that a senior opposition lawmaker is being considered to head the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

The UN Security Council was considering the appointment of Labor Party Member of Parliament (MP) David Shearer as the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in South Sudan, Shearer said in a statement.

Shearer would not comment further before the Security Council made its decision, but the Labor Party said the job involved heading the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Foreign Minister Murray McCully told Radio New Zealand that the role was "the toughest peacekeeping assignment on the planet" and Shearer was the only name put forward.

McCully said the proposed appointment had the full support of the New Zealand government.

UNMISS, the UN's third largest peacekeeping mission with 17,000 uniformed and almost 2,000 civilian personnel, was charged with building peace and stability in the newest country in the world.

The position was regarded as the most challenging of peacekeeping operations currently, Labor Party leader Andrew Little said.

"Should he be confirmed, David will be the only New Zealander in charge of a UN peacekeeping mission," said Little.

Shearer has been an MP since 2009 and is the Labor Party's foreign affairs spokesperson.

He had worked for the United Nations for almost 20 years, running humanitarian operations for the UN and Save the Children in the Middle East and Africa.

Shearer became leader of the Labor Party in 2011, but he held the position for less than two years before resigning, saying he no longer had the confidence of many in his party's caucus. Endit