Inside the glass house

NEW YORK - The UN's Middle East envoy Alvaro de Soto, who spent nearly 25 years overseeing peace negotiations in political hot-spots such as Cyprus, Western Sahara and El Salvador, ended his long career as an international civil servant last week by dropping a diplomatic bombshell that has jolted the glass house by New York's east river.

In a parting shot at the UN, he submitted a confidential 52-page report on the faltering Middle East peace talks accusing both Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his predecessor Kofi Annan of caving into US pressure on Palestine. The charges were not really new, but the fact that it came from a UN envoy at his retirement underlined two incontrovertible facts: first, the UN has long ceased to be an objective mediator in the Middle East, and second, international civil servants risk their tenure if they are perceived to be negative about the establishment.

Some speak out while in office thereby dooming their career at the UN, while others articulate their views after leaving office. Asked to comment on de Soto's report, the secretary-general was more concerned with the public revelation of a confidential document than the strong views outlined in the study.

It was "unfortunate that the document was leaked to the press," he told reporters last week, and added, "I would like to make it clear that this is his (de Soto's) personal view," Ban said, trying to get out of an escape hatch.

Chris Toensing, Editor of the Washington-based Middle East Report, was dead on target when he said: "Bravo to Alvaro de Soto for committing his unvarnished views to paper, and shame on the secretary-general for disavowing the opinions of this distinguished international diplomat, indicating that he, like his predecessor (Kofi Annan), will sacrifice the independence of the UN to curry favor with Washington."

Mary Robinson, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and ex-President of Ireland, paid a heavy price when Annan, under US pressure, refused to renew her contract primarily because she challenged the US war on terror which, she rightly said, resulted in human rights violations.

"If human rights are respected ... conflict, terrorism and war can be prevented," she declared. The White House, also unhappy with her outspoken criticism of Israeli human rights abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories, campaigned against her. She criticised US detention of terrorist suspects, citing the need for "translating intelligence information into evidence that is acceptable in courts of law."

Robinson also incurred the wrath of the Russians when she denounced the crackdown in Chechnya. A critical report on Chechnya to the UN Human Rights Commission resulted in the censuring of Russia for violating human rights there. Peter Hansen, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), was another unfortunate victim because of his criticism of Israeli atrocities.

Hansen refused to spare the Israelis when he challenged the deteriorating security situation in the Gaza Strip as "a matter of serious concern to me". He also condemned the extensive Israeli military operations in Beit Hanoun and increased unpredictability and insecurity faced by UN staff in crossing into and out of the Gaza Strip during humanitarian relief operations. As a result of both US and Israeli pressure, Hansen was not given a renewal of his contract.

De Soto, on the other hand, has nothing to lose because his hard hitting report was a political gift at his retirement. According to the report, which was first published in the London Guardian, both Ban Ki-moon and Kofi Annan provided political cover to the US and the European Union (EU) in their efforts to marginalize Hamas despite its electoral victories in the occupied territories.

Annan was accused of "hampering" de Soto's efforts to maintain regular political contacts with Hamas leaders. The former secretary-general was accused of playing ball with the US: a charge that has also been made by several non-governmental organisations against the current secretary-general who is beholden to the US for his job.

De Soto has little or no faith in the Middle East Quartet -- a group comprising the US, EU, the UN and Russia -- which is said to provide a political "shield" for the US and the EU to bankrupt the Palestinian government."Even handedness has been pummeled into submission," De Soto says. At the same time, he criticised the Hamas leadership for continuing its advocacy of the destruction of Israel. He describes the Quartet as a political "side show" and advises the UN to get out of the Group.

A forthright UN official and a puppet UN chief