New York - Gregory B Starr, a US State Department official, was appointed on Wednesday to become the head of safety and security of the United Nations.

Starr will become UN undersecretary general for safety and security, a post that is responsible for safety and security for UN personnel and compounds around the world, including the UN headquarters in New York, Geneva and Vienna.

The appointment was made by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Starr will replace David Veness of Britain, who has said he wants to step down in the wake of the bombing of the UN office in Algiers last year that killed dozens of people. Veness' departure has been delayed until a replacement was found.

Starr is currently director of the diplomatic security in the US Department of State in Washington. He is responsible for international and domestic security programmes, a post that oversees security for 285 US embassies and consulates around the world and 100 US-based facilities that employ 85,000 employees, families and contractors, the UN said.

The UN said Starr will bring to the UN "first-hand experiences" in security policies and in the implementation of security measures to continue to provide protection for UN facilities.(dpa)