Iran Press/ Europe: Farhan Haq noted that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres named Pedersen, 63, as the UN's new emissary in a letter to the Security Council on Tuesday.
Haq also reiterated that Pedersen is expected to begin his work at the end of November, reported PressTV.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura to resign at the end of November for family reasons.
Pedersen will succeed Italian-Swedish diplomat Staffan de Mistura, who announced two weeks ago that he would resign due to family reasons.
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De Mistura was appointed in 2014 and he succeeded Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi.
Currently serving as Norway's ambassador to China, Pedersen has been a distinct member of the Norwegian team in the negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords in 1993.
He was also special coordinator for Lebanon from 2007 to 2008, and the UN envoy for southern Lebanon from 2005 to 2007. Moreover, he has served as Norwegian representative to the Palestinian Authority between 1998 and 2003.
Meanwhile, Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide praised Guterres' decision, saying that Pederson is one of Norway's "foremost diplomats." He further stressed that finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria is "one of the most difficult tasks facing the UN."
Pedersen will take over at a time when the UN-backed peace process in Syria, dubbed as the Geneva talks, has been sidelined by the Astana process, mediated by Iran, Russia and Turkey.
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The Astana peace process has helped significantly reduce the violence in Syria through the formation of four de-escalation zones in the country, setting the stage for Syria’s warring sides to focus on negotiations on the political future of their homeland.
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