UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Francois Giuliani, a former Reuters journalist who later served as spokesman for three United Nations secretaries-general, died on Monday aged 70, the world body announced.
Giuliani, who was French, died after a brief illness, U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas told a news briefing. U.N. officials said he was on vacation at the time in the Belgian city of Bruges.
Giuliani worked for global news and information agency Reuters for 10 years as a correspondent in London and Africa before joining the United Nations in 1971.
In 1976 he was appointed spokesman for then Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim of Austria. He performed the same role for Waldheim's successor, Peruvian Javier Perez de Cuellar and -- for one year -- for Boutros Boutros Ghali of Egypt, who followed Perez de Cuellar.
In 1996 he left the United Nations to become director of press and public relations for New York's Metropolitan Opera. He retired from the Met in 2006.
Born in Algiers, Giuliani was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris and Oxford University.
(Reporting by Patrick Worsnip; Editing by Chris Wilson)
