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New UN chief faces early scrutiny, criticism for caution
By Gerard Aziakou
AFP
UNITED NATIONS
Petroleumworld.com 01 15 07Barely two weeks since he took over as UN chief, Ban Ki-moon is facing close scrutiny and even criticism of his reluctance to take a clear stand on sensitive world issues and of his caution in pushing through institutional reforms.
In his first formal news conference Thursday, Ban sought to dispel the unease created by his refusal to condemn Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein's hanging late last month, a stand that seemed at variance with the United Nations's traditional opposition to capital punishment.
He acknowledged the growing worldwide movement "toward a phasing out of the death penalty" and said: "I encourage that trend."
And he defended his appointment of five top new UN managers, including three women, saying the officials were picked on the basis of merit as well as to meet gender and geographic balance.
"I hope that you will judge the people and appointments by how they perform their duties, and I sincerely hope that instead of judging by what you heard from different sources, I hope that you will judge my appointments on the basis of merit and on the basis of their performance," he told his media critics.
Ban, who has pledged to restore trust between the world body and UN member states, would not be drawn into a debate over the merits of US President George W. Bush's plan to send 21,500 additional troops to curb the chaos in Iraq.
He also steered clear of any criticism of the US air strikes against Al-Qaeda in Somalia.
Tuesday, he is to travel to Washington for wide-ranging talks with Bush.
In a "Don't ban your instincts, Ban Ki-moon" opinion article published Saturday on The Washington Post's website, former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton, a fierce critic of the previous UN secretary general Kofi Annan, advised Ban to stick to his role as the world body's "chief administrative officer" -- as defined by the UN charter -- "not its chief moralizer."
"Those who complain that Ban's comment forfeited the role that Annan so ardently played should understand instead that Annan's proclivities were not ultimately helpful to the world body," wrote Bolton, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank.
"If he (Annan) had spent less time moralizing and more time doing his day job, the United Nations may have been spared the oil-for-food scandal, procurement fraud and widespread sexual exploitation and abuse by its peacekeepers," he said.
Bolton specifically warned Ban against meddling in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Annan consistently singled out a "just and comprehensive settlement" between Israelis and Palestinians as the priority and the key to resolving other conflicts in the broader Middle East.
And Ban has been pushing for an early meeting of the diplomatic Mideast Quartet -- the European Union, the UN, the United States and Russia -- to jumpstart the stalled roadmap for the creation of a viable, independent Palestinian state. A Quartet meeting is tentatively scheduled for early February.
"Believing that peace and stability would emerge in Iraq if only those troublesome Israelis could be brought into line is more a matter of faith than of logic," Bolton noted.
"The struggle is underway to determine what sort of leader Ban will be: Will the status quo of the UN system overwhelm him, or will he follow his instincts and those of his supporters, including Washington?," Bolton said.
Noting that Bush and his top aides "will again have the chance to take his measure" this week, the blunt-talking Bolton added: "I hope they encourage him to let Ban be Ban."
Internally, Ban appears intent initially on pushing through the management reforms initiated by Annan.
"He is pursuing a very careful approach," said a Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. "His priority is consolidation of the process started by Kofi Annan."
After it was leaked that he intended to name the current US ambassador to Indonesia, Lynn Pascoe, as the new head of an expanded department of political affairs (DPA), Ban delayed the announcement.
He also put on hold the unveiling of a major streamlining of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which would hand over some key tasks to DPA, pending talks with the 132-member Group of 77 and China to explain his ideas.
The powerful G77 group of developing nations frowns on any move that would strengthen the already considerable powers of the UN Security Council's five veto-wielding permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Looking ahead to his first foreign trip as secretary general later this month, Ban stressed that "Africa will be the focus of many of my priorities."
He is to attend the African Union (AU) summit on January 29 in Addis Ababa where the Darfur conflict and Somalia will be at the top of the agenda.
He is also to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya on his swing.
On his way to Africa, the UN chief is to attend a donors conference on Lebanese reconstruction in Paris on January 25 after visiting Brussels for talks with European Union officials.
AFP 14 0805 GMT 01 07
Copyright© 2001 AFP.All Rights Reserved.
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