UN diplomats: Algeria's Brahimi strong candidate to replace Annan as peace envoy to Syria

Ron Depasquale, The Associated Press

Diplomats say that former Algerian foreign affairs minister Lakhdar Brahimi is a strong candidate to replace former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan as peace envoy to Syria.

Diplomats who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly said that Brahimi was a strong possibility, while other contenders are ex-NATO chief Javier Solana of Spain and ex-Spanish foreign affairs minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.

Brahimi has worked in several high-profile positions at the U.N., including as envoy to Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a member of the Elders, a group of world leaders working for global peace that includes Nelson Mandela.

Annan announced his resignation last week as joint U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, ending a frustrating six-month effort that failed to achieve even a temporary cease-fire.

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Associated Press writer Edith Lederer contributed to this report.