President gets boost in drive for UN post

THE campaign to have the President, Mrs Robinson, appointed to the post of UN Human Rights Commissioner was boosted here yesterday when the Chilean and Mexican Foreign Ministers enthusiastically pledged their backing for her candidacy, the latter describing her as a "citoyenne du monde".

They had been canvassed by the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Spring, at the six monthly meeting between EU foreign ministers and their 12 Latin American counterparts in the Rio Group.

Mr Spring had previously sought the backing of EU colleagues and had received, officials say, a "warm response".

But Mr Spring also almost certainly sealed the fate of the slim chance of Chinese backing over the weekend by strongly supporting a Danish proposal to seek UN censure of China over human rights abuses.

Mrs Robinson had previously angered the Chinese as a senator with a speech condemning the Tiananmen Square massacre and by, as President, hosting the Dalai Lama.

The appointment is made on the nomination of the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, probably in June or July, and must then be approved by a majority vote of the General Assembly in the autumn.

There had been some concern that the Latin American countries would regard the nomination to the human rights job as their prerogative this time because the outgoing commissioner, the Ecuadorian, Mr Jose Ayala Lasso, had not served a usual second term but had returned home to become foreign minister.

The Costa Rican ambassador to the US, Ms Sonia Picado Sotela, is understood also to be a candidate and is reported to be claiming the backing of the countries of Central and Latin America. Thus, the support of Mexico and Chile, who are influential in the region, bodes well for Mrs Robinson.

The Mexican minister, Mr Jose Angel Gurria, said he was delighted to support Mrs Robinson's nomination. "Ever since her candidacy was discussed, not only for this particular job, but for other jobs in the past, we always thought she could be one of the most appropriate candidates," he told journalists.

"She's a woman of outstanding character and achievement. She has done a wonderful job in representing her country and she's also a citoyenne du monde. So we will be very happy to do so.

The Chilean minister, Mr Jose Miguel Insulza Salinas, also said he would support the candidacy. They were well aware of her record, he said, and she made an excellent candidate.