UNITED NATIONS, New York: Not many people realize that one of the oldest peacekeeping operations launched by the United Nations shown in old reference books as a skiing patrol in snowcapped Kashmir is still in place “on the roof of the world” 37 years later. Reporters were reminded of this and other things at the farewell news conference last week of the senior British UN. official, Brian Urquhart, whom a diplomat once described as “the No.1 UNN. peacekeeper, skillful negotiator, eminent historian and, above all, a gentleman.”
Urquhart, who was the second person recruited for the U.N. secretariat in July 1945 the first ‘was another Briton, Gladwyn Jebbis retiring at 66 as under-secretary ‘general for special political affairs.
When Jebb employed him as his personal assistant, Urquhart was recovering from fractures he suffered when his parachute failed to open over France in World War Il and he landed on a pile of garbage in a farmer’s yard.
Now he is joining the Ford Foundation, across the street from UN. headquarters, as a special consultant. He is being replaced at the United Nations by 49year old British diplomat Marrack Goulding whose latest posting was ambassador to Angola.
Urquhart wrote what is probably the best biography of the second UI. Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden, who died in a plane crash in Africa in September, 1961.
He now plans “several” books and is working on the life of Ralph Bunche, the black American whom Urquhart called his “mentor and predecessor” in the role of top UN, peacemaker.
“U.N peacekeeping is essentially the use of the military in a nonviolent role,” Urquhart said. “In the nuclear age this is a very important idea which I hope will be seized on and further developed in the future. If we have a future at all.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 21, 1986
