Gunnar Valfrid Jarring (12 October 1907 – 29 May 2002) was a Swedish diplomat and Turkologist.
Early life
Jarring was born on 12 October 1907 in Brunnby, Malmöhus County, Sweden, the son of Gottfrid Jönsson, a farmer, and his wife Betty (née Svensson). He had four siblings. Jarring earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lund University in 1928, a Licentiate Degree in 1931, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1933 The same year he was appointed docent in Turkish linguistics at Lund University. Jarring also served as curator of Helsingborgs-Landskrona Student Nation at Lund University in 1933.
Diplomatic career
thumb|left|Gunnar Jarring (far left) with his wife, Agnes Charlier, Prime Minister of Sweden [[Tage Erlander and wife Aina Erlander and President John F. Kennedy, 1961.]]
Jarring entered the Swedish diplomatic service and worked for the Swedish foreign service as attaché at their embassy in Ankara in 1940. In that capacity he signed on behalf of his country on the Outer Space Treaty in January 1967.
After the 1967 Six-Day War and the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 242, Jarring was appointed by the UN Secretary-General U Thant as a Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Middle East peace process, the so-called Jarring Mission, during which he worked with the Four Powers who included United States UN Permanent Representative Ambassador Charles W. Yost. Jarring's methods of negotiation were used unsuccessfully until the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The mission officially lasted until 1991.
- 50x50px Grand Cross of the Order of Menelik II
- 50x50px Commander with Star of the Order of St. Olav (1 July 1953)
- 50x50px Commander of the Order of Civil Merit