U.N.’s Roed-Larsen To Join Ban on Syria Trip
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
UNITED NATIONS — A U.N. adviser who has often clashed with the Syrian government in the past, Terje Roed-Larsen, will join Secretary-General Ban on a trip to Damascus next week, according to several U.N. officials.
Mr. Roed-Larsen, who has served as an adviser on Lebanese and Syrian issues to Mr. Ban’s predecessor, Kofi Annan, yesterday received an entry visa to Damascus. He will be the top political adviser in Mr. Ban’s small team in Syria during a week-long overseas trip starting Sunday. Mr. Ban’s entourage is expected to stay in Damascus for half a day, avoiding an overnight stay.
Last year, a U.N. team cancelled a trip to Syria after Mr. Roed-Larsen, who is from Norway, was denied a visa. The regime of the Syrian president, Bashar Al-Assad, announced in the state-run press that the Norwegian diplomat — who is considered responsible for a report that Damascus denounced as an unfair portrayal of its role in Lebanon — is “not welcome” any longer in the country. Many diplomats were surprised when Mr. Ban picked Mr. Roed-Larsen to join him on the Syria trip, and some even predicted that Damascus would refuse him entry.
