Speech UNESCO Symposium en hommage à Monsieur Boutros Boutros-Ghali, « Visionnaire engagé au service de la paix et du développement »

Madame la Directrice générale de l’UNESCO,

Monsieur l’Ambassadeur,

Excellences,

Collègues,

Chers amis,

Je voudrais commencer par dire que je suis très honorée d’avoir été invitée à participer à cet hommage rendu à la

mémoire du Secrétaire général Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

Je suis d’autant plus sensible d’avoir été invitée à participer à cet hommage que je vois Madame Boutros-Ghali présente parmi nous aujourd’hui.

Leia Boutros-Ghali a été un soutien inconditionnel et essentiel de son mari ; et comme durant les longues années de vie a côté du Dr. Boutros-Ghali, elle a voulu être ici aujourd’hui pour souligner une fois encore toute son affection et tout son attachement à lui.

Durant mes années au cabinet du Secrétaire général, il se trouve que je faisais souvent partie de sa délégation lorsque il

1 voyageait. Je garde un tres bon souvenir de ces voyages de

travail en compagnie du Secrétaire général et de Leia.

Comme Boutros-Ghali voyageait avec très peu de personnes dans son entourage, il y avait une atmosphère quasi familial. Et c’est vraiment dans le cadre de ces missions que j’ai appris à connaître et apprécier les Boutros-Ghali, à nouer avec

eux des relations de proximité et d’amitié.

Ces années au cabinet du Secrétaire général ont vraiment été pour moi une grande expérience professionnelle et humaine. En partie en raison de l’importance de la période durant laquelle Boutros-Ghali a été Secrétaire général – période qui a vraiment été une étape charnière entre la fin de la Guerre Froide et l’époque que nous vivons maintenant, et qui rendait donc notre travail quotidien au sein du cabinet du Secrétaire général à la fois d’une grande intensité et passionnant.

Mais ces cinq années ont aussi été une grande expérience pour moi également en raison de la personnalité même de Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Et c’est cette personnalité

que je voudrais évoquer en quelques mots aujourd’hui.

Working in the office of Boutros Boutros-Ghali, five aspects of his personality were particularly striking. By this I mean, his formidable discipline, his energy, his vision of international relations, his sense of humour and his integrity.

2 First of all, the discipline he brought to his work in the continuous stream of issues that came across his desk. Given that as Secretary-General much of his daily itinerary was dominated by meetings, it would be logical that someone in his position would have little time to study issues in depth, not to mention reading or writing books, in addition to the extensive briefing material that was constantly prepared for him. This was not the case with Boutros-Ghali. His work day began quite early in the morning, at the residence. By the time he arrived at UN Headquarters at 9AM, he was well read on the issues of the moment and had a clear plan in his mind, or at least proposals on how to tackle them. He was a very decisive person but he listened to and took advice from those he respected. He could be convinced to take a course of action other than his initial

thinking if persuaded that this was the right thing to do.

Similarly, in the evenings after dinner, he worked late into the night. He never failed to write in his journal the events of that day, jotting down his impressions. It may not be widely known, but Boutros-Ghali kept a journal all his life.

In essence Boutros-Ghali was an intellectual and was never more content than when he was at his desk, with the time to read, to reflect and to write. While he was Secretary- General, he wrote a book – The Road to Jerusalem – about the peace process between Egypt and Israel, based on 1000 pages of his own notes taken during those years.

3 Another trait about Boutros-Ghali was his remarkable energy, his stamina. In part this was linked to his intention to make the best use of his time as Secretary-General, but it was also linked to his discipline about work that I have just mentioned. Nowhere was this energy more apparent than when he was walking determinedly to get somewhere, for example in the long corridors of the Palais des Nations or from his office in New York to the Security Council. Even his security detail had difficulties keeping up with him. And the jet lag that would decimate the rest of us seemed less of a problem for him. He was even energized by those long trips, sometimes

five or six countries at a stretch.

A third quality of Boutros Ghali was his vision, even passion about, international relations, their actors and institutions. It is interesting to note that Boutros-Ghali as a young man wrote a dissertation on Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, entitled regional arrangements. He could not have known then that, many years later, he would become UN Secretary-General. And it is he who initiated, what has now become a regular feature on the agenda of his successors, namely to periodically invite to New York the heads of regional and sub-regional organizations from across the world for a meeting with him and senior UN offiials on the range of issues that concerned all of them.

4 One needs to recall that Dr Boutros-Ghali, before assuming his high official positions in Egypt and at the UN, had been a professor and an academic, and had written many books, essays and articles. He had a profound knowledge not only of international law, but also international relations. This interest went together with a passion for contemporary history, in particular of the countries that had recently gained their independence and their relations with the developed countries. He felt a special connection with the Non-Aligned Movement (recall the 50th anniversary of the Bandung conference in 1995 in Indonesia, a very moving event for him). Overall, Boutros-Ghali had his own clear vision of international relations and an extensive network of contacts throughout the world, not only of officials but other professors, scholars and writers like himself.

A fourth aspect of Boutros-Ghali’s personality was his marvelous sense of humour. In a relaxed atmosphere, including in the office away from formalities and cameras, he enjoyed making jokes and teasing people, especially those close to him and those he appreciated. Moreover, he could make fun of himself, a sign of someone comfortable and at ease with himself. He was excellent company as well as a wonderful

raconteur. This was part of his charm.

Boutros-Ghali did not attach undue importance to status. What mattered for him was the intellect and competence of his

5 interlocutors. In fact I recall several Permanent Representatives to the UN with whose Government’s positions Boutros-Ghali might have been at odds, but whom he

respected for their mastery of the issues and their keen wit.

Finally, and not least, there is another characteristic, perhaps the most important, that must be underlined about Boutros Ghali – this was his integrity. No doubt, he had a strong personality, some would call him imperious. He was very direct, not your typical diplomat. He never hesitated in making his views known. And he had little patience for obsequiousness or bureaucratic inefficiency. He liked to go straight to the issues – yet if a junior or mid-ranking officer in the Secretariat had drafted an exceptionally good briefing note (even though submitted under the name of the USG of that Department) Boutros-Ghali would ask to know who was the author and he would commend that person. He carefully read and often revised extensively himself his reports to the Security Council and General Assembly, sometimes putting himself at odds with member states, not least one or more of the permanent members of the Security Council.

Boutros-Ghali’s frankness, some would call it bluntness, was an expression of his unyielding attachment to principles. It was vital for him to adhere to principle rather than compromise for the sake of political expediency. He had a strong sense of responsibility in holding the office of Secretary-General of the

6 United Nations and as such considered it essential to command

respect because he wanted the UN to be respected.

How should I conclude? What should I say besides the point that the principled stand and vision of Boutros-Ghali as Secretary-General were in full conformity with his exceptional intellect and personality. And he is remembered and respected for this. I just spent a number of years in Cyprus, a country whose « problem » or « question » has been on the agenda of the Security Council for more than 50 years and negotiations about which have engaged Boutros-Ghali's three predecessors and two successors as UN Secretary-General. Even now, more than 20 years later, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike still recall « the Ghali set of ideas » as an important building block and contribution on the way to a resolution of the conflict.

These were his – Boutros-Ghali's – ideas.

During his term of office, Boutros Boutros-Ghali put his remarkable intellect, ideas and personality, at the service of the Charter and of the principles and purposes of the United

Nations. And for this we must be grateful to him.

Thank you for your attention.

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