UN chief defends choice of Fayyad as Libya envoy Washington, 12 February 2017(Lana) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday defended his choice of former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to be the UN peace envoy to Libya, after

The decision to put forward his candidacy "was solely based on Mr Fayyad's recognized personal qualities and his competence for that position," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. "United Nations staff serve strictly in their personal capacity. They do not represent any government or country," he said. Guterres had informed the Security Council earlier this week of his intention to appoint Fayyad, and set a deadline of Friday for members to raise objections. Diplomats had said they expected the appointment to be approved, but US Ambassador Nikki Haley decided to oppose it. "For too long the UN has been unfairly biased in favor of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of our allies in Israel," she said in a statement. Fayyad, 64, was prime minister of the Palestinian Authority from 2007 to 2013, and also served as finance minister twice. =Lana=