NEW NATO SENIOR CIVILIAN REPRESENTATIVE IN AFGHANISTAN

APPOINTMENT OF AMBASSADOR FERNANDO GENTILINI

The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ambassador Fernando Gentilini of Italy to the position of NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan.

Mr. Gentilini, whose biography is attached, has a long and distinguished career in the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including senior positions as the European Union High Representative’s Personal Representative to Kosovo in 2004 and most recently as Deputy Diplomatic Advisor to the Italian Prime Minister since August 2006.

Mr. Gentilini replaces Ambassador Daan Everts who served as NATO’s second Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan from August 2006 to December 2007.

Following Ambassador Everts’ departure in December 2007, Ambassador Maurits R. Jochems ably fulfilled the duties of NATO Senior Civilian Representative in an acting capacity from January 2008.

As Senior Civilian Representative, Mr. Gentilini will be responsible for carrying forward the political-military aspects of the Alliance’s assistance to the Afghan Government.  He will work closely with ISAF, the United Nations and other co-ordinating bodies established by the international community and the Afghan Government in Kabul.

Fernando GENTILINI

-         Born in Subiaco (Rome), Italy, 2^nd March 1962;

-         Graduated in Law from the University of Rome, 1986;

-         Joined the Italian Diplomatic Service in February 1990; first assigned to Department of Human Resources and Administration, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome;

-         Second Secretary (Economics and Trade) at the Italian Embassy in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), July 1992;

-         Promoted to First Secretary of Legation, January 1995;

-         First Secretary at the Italian Permanent Representation to the E.U. in Brussels, December 1996;

-         Seconded as Italian Representative within the Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit at the E.U. Council Secretariat, under the authority of the High Representative for the E.U. Common Foreign and Security Policy, December 1999;

-         Promoted to Counsellor of Legation, Rome, July 2000;

-         Posted to MFA’s Department of European Countries as Head of Unit for Western Balkans, Rome, December 2002;

-         Seconded as E.U. High Representative’s Personal Representative to Kosovo, April 2004;

-         Promoted to Counsellor of Embassy, July 2004;

-         Seconded to the Policy Unit at the Office of the Secretary General/High Representative for the CFSP in Brussels, December 2004;

-         Seconded to the Presidency of the Council as Deputy Diplomatic Advisor to the Italian Prime Minister, Rome, August 2006;

-         Second Lieutenant (short service) of the Italian Army (Artillery), March 1987;

-         Awarded the Italian Honour, “Cavaliere Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica” in 2006.