Yasushi Akashi

Yasushi Akashi (明石 康 "Akashi Yasushi", born January 19, 1931 in Hinai, Akita Prefecture) is a senior Japanese diplomat and United Nations administrator. As a politically appointed International Civil Servant at the Headquarters of the United Nations Secretariat in New York, he held positions as Under-Secretary-General of Public Information, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs and Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Among many other additional assignments he was the Secretary-General's Personal Representative for the war in the former Yugoslavia. He also supervised the Cambodian peace talks and subsequent elections in 1993. Despite his successes there, he was strongly criticized for his subsequent role in the Balkan, particularly for failing to prevent the massacre of Srebrenica [ [http://www.haverford.edu/relg/sells/srebrenica/BiancaJagger1.html Bianca Jagger: The Betrayal of Srebrenica. ] The European, 25 September-1 October, 1995 ]

Akashi was expected to visit Sri Lanka in the last week of September 2006 to help facilitate negotiations between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government. [http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.aspx?cu_no=2&item_no=107748&version=1&template_id=44&parent_id=24 Lanka warfront largely quiet as talks hopes rise] Gulf Times] In the past, Akashi has met with JVP official Somawansa Amarasinghe. [http://www.jvpsrilanka.com/statements_page/statement_siri_akashi_discussion.htm JVP leader & Yasushi Akashi meet in Japan] People's Liberation Front]

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