KABUL - German diplomat Martin Kobler, the newly appointed Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (Political) of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), arrived in Kabul today to take up his post.

Mr Kobler will be responsible for political issues in UNAMA, including electoral and parliamentary matters.

“I am really happy to serve with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan at this particular time. UNAMA is here to serve the people of Afghanistan and I commit to ensuring that all the work we do is in line with the priorities of the Government of Afghanistan. We are here to support and assist the Afghan Government and the Afghan people,” said Mr Kobler.

As UNAMA's Deputy Special Representative (Political), Mr Kobler will also be responsible for matters relating to peace and stability, and security-sector reforms.

Mr Kobler was posted as Germany’s Ambassador to Egypt from 2003 to 2005, and Ambassador to Iraq from 2005 to 2007. He was serving as Director-General for Culture and Communication in Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs when he was appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in early March to become one of UNAMA’s two Deputy Special Representatives.

He has more than 25 years of service in his country’s Foreign Ministry, and vast experience in developing policies in conflict areas. In 1974, he established the German Representative Office with the Palestinian Authority in Jericho, staying on as Office Head for three years. Then he moved to the position of Deputy Head of the Balkan Task Force of the German Foreign Ministry from 1997 to 1998.

From 1998 to 2000, he was Deputy Chief of Cabinet to then German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, before being elevated to Chief of Cabinet to Minister Fischer from 2000 to 2003. The German ambassador – who holds an advanced law degree and speaks German, English, French, Indonesian and Arabic – has also served with UN missions in Haiti, Nicaragua and Cambodia.

Born in Stuttgart in 1953, Mr Kobler is married and has three children.