U.N. body to honor Edinburgh

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- The United Nations' education and cultural body is to name Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, the world's first City of Literature, the BBC reported Wednesday.

Scottish Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson said the decision confirmed the city's literary credentials.

Leading writers, including J.K.Dowling, Dame Muriel Spark and Ian Rankin, participated in the campaign to gain the recognition for their city.

Scotland's long list of great writers includes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns, all of whom lived and wrote in Edinburgh.

The United Nation's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was to make the formal announcement Thursday, the BBC said.