United Nations:  French diplomat Alain Le Roy was Monday entrusted with the heavy task of leading UN peacekeeping operations at a time when the blue helmets are more needed than ever around the world.

Le Roy will replace Jean-Marie Guehenno, the Frenchman who has led the UN peacekeeping department (DPKO) for the past eight years.

Under Guehenno's leadership, UN peacekeeping efforts saw unprecedented expansion, with some 20 separate efforts around the globe involving some 100,000 personnel.

Since September Le Roy, 55,has been the ambassador in charge of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Mediterranean Union project aimed at linking Europe with six countries of North Africa.

But he is a a seasoned diplomat who cut his teeth in the Balkans, where he was sent to direct the reconstruction of public services in post-war Bosnia, serving as a deputy to the UN secretary general in 1995.

In 1999-2000 he was assigned to be administrator to the region of Pec, in western Kosovo, as part of the interim UN administration (1999-2000) there following the ouster of Serbian forces by NATO.

The United Nations in May marked the 60th anniversary of its peacekeeping operations, with its overstretched "blue helmets" still in high demand but somewhat tarnished by sex abuse and corruption scandals.

The world body does not have its own military force and depends on contributions from member states. Yesterday some 120 countries contribute some 110,00 men and women military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping.

The largest troop contributors are Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria and Nepal, which together provide more than 40 percent of all blue helmets.

Source : PTI