A n Indian former diplomat and academic, Lakhan Mehrotra, was named on Tuesday, as

the U. N secretary-general's Representative to Cambodia.

Mehrotra, 62, has served as India's ambassador to a number of countries. He is

currently overseas director of the Indian Institute of Culture in New Delhi and a

visiting professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

He was closely associatd with the Cambodia peace process, including the conference

that culminated in the 1991 Paris accords.

The previous UN representative in Cambodia was Benny Widyono of Indonesia, who

retried after being caught in the middle of a dispute between the co-Prime Ministers

over whether his term should be extended.