-- UNESCO's 58-jnember Ex-. ecutive Board Hias selected Japanese diplomat Koichiro Matsuura. 63. as its new Director-General, says a press release.

Matsuura replaces Federico Mayor of Spain who ended his second six year mandate a* the end of 1999.

Married with two sons. Matsuura is the first Asian ever to be nominated for the organisation's lop job. He was elected with an absolute majority of 34. after three rounds of voting, ahead of ten other candidates in a fiercely fought campaign. The runners up were Ghazi Al-gosaibi of Saudi Arabia and Lawrence Carrington of Trinidad and Tobago. Matsuura said he was "very happy" with the result. The outgoing director-general was the first to congratulate his successor and wish him well in his labours as UNESCO chief.

A career diplomat with a sound reputation for management Matsuura trained in law . at Tokyo University, and economics at Haverford College in the United States. He began his career at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1959. where he has served as D' -ec-tor-General of the Econr.nic Cooperation Bureau. Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau. Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Ambassador tq France. Andorra and Djibouti. In 1992 and 1993 he was named Japan's "Sherpa" to prepare for the G7 summits.

Matsuura Is also the author of six books on Japanese diplomacy, economics and on relations between Japan and France and Japan and the United States. Since 1998 he has chaired UNESCO's World Heritage Committee and is also a counselor for the National Federation of UNESCO Associations In Japan.