UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan named on Tuesday former US president Clinton as the Special Envoy for Tsunami-affected Countries.

Annan said in a statement that he is confident that president Clinton will bring energy, dynamism and focus to the task of sustaining world interest in the vital recovery and reconstruction phase following the Tsunami disaster that hit south Asia on Dec. 26, 2004.

Annan also said he believes that no one could possibly be better qualified for this task.

Clinton said in a statement that he looks forward to serving as the special envoy beginning next month, and he will have more to say about that when a formal announcement is made by the secretary.

Annan and Clinton agreed that a formal announcement with a joint appearance by both should await Clinton's return from a visit to the tsunami-affected region with former US president George Bush later this month.

Source: Xinhua