United Nations: Former Algerian Foreign Minister Lakhdar Brahimi on Friday was named as joint U.N.-Arab League special representative for Syria, replacing Kofi Annan as the international mediator tasked with finding a solution to end 18 months of violence.

Brahimi served as a U.N. envoy in Iraq and Afghanistan and is a member of The Elders, a group of world leaders working toward global peace.

“The secretary-general of the United Nations is pleased, along with Secretary-General Nabil Al-Arabi of the Arab League, to announce the appointment today of Lakhdar Brahimi as their joint special representative for Syria,â€‌ the United Nations said in a statement issued in New York City.

SOURCE: ARABNEWS