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Veteran French diplomat: EU should play greater role in resolving Syria crisis

French diplomat Alain Le Roy discusses the European Union's "unstable" and "insecure" borders and its greater challenge of resolving the crisis in Syria.
Alain Le Roy, under-secretary-general for Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations, looks on in a helicopter during his visit at the Golf Hotel, headquarters of Alassane Ouattara, in Abidjan December 27, 2010, where a detachment of UNOCI peacekeepers provides security. An election meant to resolve Ivory Coast's decade-long political crisis has resulted in two rivals claiming the presidency, with incumbent Laurent Gbagbo defying world pressure to hand over to Ouattara. The standoff has killed more than

Alain Le Roy, who served as the United Nations undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations and secretary-general of the European External Action Service, has extensive knowledge of international affairs and peacekeeping missions. After leaving his post in Brussels this month, he answered questions in a written interview with Al-Monitor on Sept. 16.

Born in February 1953, Le Roy started his career as an engineer in the oil exploration and production industry. He then moved to the French public service. In 1995, he became the UN deputy special coordinator for Sarajevo and continued as UN regional administrator for Kosovo. He was the European Union special representative to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 2001-2002, and returned to the French government in 2002 as director for economic and financial affairs in the French Foreign Ministry. He then served as the French ambassador to Madagascar in 2005-2007, and ambassador in charge of the Union for the Mediterranean project. In 2008, Le Roy was appointed UN undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations. In this capacity, he supervised many operations all over the world. After serving as the French ambassador to Italy in 2011-2014, he worked the last two years as secretary-general of the European External Action Service (EEAS). Now that he has been succeeded by Helga Schmid of Germany, Le Roy gives us his views at a time when the EU faces a critical moment, not only because of the decision by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, but also because of tense discussions on its future, on migration and on security issues in particular.

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