U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is appointing Italian Major-General Claudio Graziano as commander of UNIFIL, the U.N. mission patrolling the borders of southern Lebanon, Ban wrote in a letter to the U.N. Security Council this week. In his letter, Ban stated that Graziano will replace French Major-General Alain Pellegrini, who will relinquish the post on February 17. Graziano has worked with NATO, served with the United Nations as commanding officer in a mission to Mozambique, and has held the position of military attaché in Washington. He also recently served as a commander in Kabul, Afghanistan.
