Brian Urquhart ist mit 101 Jahren verstorben. Er war als persönlicher Assistent des ersten UNO-Generalsekretärs Trygvie Lie der zweite Mensch, der bei der UNO angestellt wurde und gilt als „Architekt“ des UN-Peacekeepings. Als ehemaliger Mitarbeiter von Kurt Waldheim hatte Urquhart übrigens auch einen Österreichbezug.
Allerdings wusste der Brite über ihn nichts Gutes zu berichten. Ein paar Auszüge:
I have written about Kurt Waldheim not only because I worked with him for ten years, but also because his story sheds light on many of the peculiarities of international life – the lackadaisical attitude of the most powerful governments toward the United Nations, the triumph of ambition and persistent mediocrity, and the extent to which public figures can, for a time at least, get away with telling lies about themselves …Much of the time he was insufferable … Waldheim worried a great deal about his “image,” as he called it, but his efforts to tackle this problem often made things worse … The prospect of running for office brought out the worst in Waldheim. He seemed to become a man without real substance, quality of character, and swept along by an insatiable thirst for public office … As the world was to discover later, Waldheim had a flexible way with the truth …In 1995, when I was visiting Vienna, I received word that the former president urgently wanted to meet with me. We met in a gilded room in the Hofburg. Waldheim began to berate me for “unfriendliness,” and I replied that in my whole professional career he was the only person I had worked with who had deliberately lied to me on a matter of importance. It was a sad and unsatisfactory conversation.“
Man muss sich das vorstellen, untenstehender Text von Urquhart steht als Charakterbeschreibung von Waldheim auf der offiziellen Website der UNO.
Für einen versöhnlicheren Ausgang hier aber noch ein paar Aussagen von Urquhart zur Entstehung und Entwicklung der Vereinten Nationen:
Ralph Janik 