Robinson's deputy at UNHCHR resigns after eight months

The deputy to Mrs Mary Robinson in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has resigned after less than eight months. Mrs Robinson is said to be "surprised" at the resignation of Mr Enrique ter Horst, which was told to staff in Geneva on Tuesday.

Mr ter Horst, an experienced Venezuelan diplomat of Dutch extraction, gave no reasons for his premature departure, though speculation in diplomatic circles in Geneva centred on personal differences with the High Commissioner.

"The chemistry between them wasn't as good as it should have been," said one informed UN source last night. Another source close to Mrs Robinson said Mr ter Horst's perception of his value was "not as it should have been. He felt he should be doing something else or differently."

A former head of the UN's human rights missions in El Salvador and Haiti, Mr ter Horst was reportedly unhappy to be playing a secondary role in UNHCHR. "He wanted a greater political role," commented one observer.

Mr ter Horst was in charge of UNHCHR in Mrs Robinson's absence and had specific responsibility for the internal reorganisation of the body which was promised by the High Commissioner on her appointment just over a year ago.

He was also centrally involved in efforts to save the human rights field operation in Rwanda, which was the target of repeated criticism by the government there. In spite of intensive shuttle diplomacy by Mr ter Horst, Mrs Robinson closed down the operation in July after her deputy and the Rwandans failed to reach a basis for staying on. With up to 80 staff, the field operation in Rwanda was UNHCHR's largest operation outside Geneva.

In an internal message to staff, Mrs Robinson yesterday paid tribute to her deputy's achievements in reorganising UNHCHR and in trying to maintain the Rwandan field operation. Her spokesman, Mr Jose Diaz, later denied Mr ter Horst's resignation had anything to do with the withdrawal from Rwanda, which he said was "a long time coming".

He also denied it was due to any "ideological differences". He said Mrs Robinson would not be commenting.

Mr ter Horst, who is in his early 50s, was selected as deputy high commissioner by Mrs Robinson ahead of a number of other highly regarded candidates. He began work in February and is due to leave the post at the end of this month.

His appointment was seen by some as a sop to Latin American interests - Mrs Robinson's main rival for the post of High Commissioner came from Costa Rica and her predecessor was Peruvian. Costa Rica's ambassador walked out when the UN endorsed the former Irish president for the post.

Before Mrs Robinson's arrival, UNHCHR was widely perceived as inefficient, wasteful and riven by internal dissent. Mr ter Horst succeeded in implementing one of Mrs Robinson's main aims, that of incorporating the Centre for Human Rights in Geneva into the High Commissioner's office.

Mrs Robinson's first year has been marked by a number of high-profile disagreements on human rights with governments in Algeria, Iran and Cambodia. These clashes have created the impression in some parts of the developing world of the High Commissioner as a representative of western interests; Mr ter Horst's resignation may add to that. She is due to travel to Colombia later this month.