Rakesh Sood appointed Ambassador to Nepal

New Delhi, Dec 27 (UNI) Mr Rakesh Sood, presently Ambassador to Afghanistan, has been appointed envoy to Nepal replacing Mr Shivshanker Mukherjee will be the new High Commissioner in London.

Mr Mukherjee will replace Mr Kamalesh Sharma who was elected Commonwealth Secretary General at the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meet in Kampala (Uganda) recently, sources said.

Mr Sood ''is expected to take up his assignment shortly,'' the External Affairs Ministry said.

Mr Sharma is to take over in April 2008 as the new Secretary General of the Commonwealth.

Mr Sood, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1976 batch, is a Nuclear and Strategic Affairs expert.

He has also served as India's Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

UNI