Paris Vows 'Full Support' for Libya Role of ex-Lebanese Minister Salameh

France on Tuesday lauded a United Nations decision to appoint ex-Lebanese minister Ghassan Salameh as the new U.N. envoy for Libya.

"We will offer him our full support for the sake of strengthening dialogue among the Libyan parties and consolidating the U.N.-sponsored political process, in addition to coordinating diplomatic initiatives,” said a statement distributed by the French Embassy in Beirut.

Salameh, a Paris-based Lebanese academic and a former U.N. adviser, had been selected for the Libya role by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and approved last Tuesday by the members of the U.N. Security Council.

Salame, who would replace Martin Kobler of Germany, served as a senior adviser to then secretary-general Kofi Annan from 2003-2006, and later as Lebanon's culture minister. He is currently dean of the Paris School of International Affairs and a professor of international relations at the Paris Institute of Political Studies.

Several previous candidates to be the U.N. special representative for Libya were vetoed by council members, including the United States.