Security Council calls for more mediation efforts

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A UN troubleshooter said Tuesday that the world body must combat the perception in some parts of the globe that it is biased if it is to maintain its credibility as a mediator in conflict situations. Lahkdar Brahimi, an Algerian diplomat and former UN envoy to Iraq, told the Security Council at a special session on conflict mediation on the sidelines of the General Assembly that the world body often comes under criticism that it is unresponsive to some needs. "The credibility of the United Nations and the world's faith in its relevance suffers greatly when the mediation of certain conflicts is left unattended for long periods of time, or ignored altogether," Brahimi said, adding that the continued failure to strike a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians has fed such a perception in parts of the world. "When the UN Security Council is perceived to be concerned about the suffering of some over others, selective in the enforcement of its resolutions, or employing 'double standards,' the credibility of the UN as a whole is affected." Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, addressing the council, urged officials to "to invest up-front in our mediation capacity so that we can do more of this quiet diplomacy - and less often cross that Rubicon to where vast suffering and huge peacekeepin