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• Position: Planet UN - Excerpt

PLANET UN

Edited by Romuald Sciora and Annick Stevenson

Editions du Tricorne, 2009 pp. 164, $16

Romuald Sciora collaborates with the United Nations on audiovisual, literary and educational projects. His most recent project is a television series on the UN's history as told by its Secretaries-General, which has been broadcast in more than 20 countries. The series grew into a documentary called "Planet UN" and a book of the same name. Below is an excerpt from Mr Sciora's introduction in the book.

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The four of us, which included Staffan de Mistura, were standing on that blue line that separates southern Lebanon from Israel and that is overseen by the United Nations. The distant throbbing of engines from vehicles driven by the Blue Helmets could be heard over the subtle fluttering of the blue UN flag flapping in the wind. It was dusk. In silence we stared out over the horizon formed by this border under surveillance, in the reassuring harmony of the pink and blue pastel shades of evening that illuminated our faces. In a spontaneous gesture, Staffan drew us all even closer together with an embrace. A bit earlier, Jean Lacouture had asked him: 'I have to ask you the question. Are you really accomplishing anything here?' Staffan de Mistura, who has the passionate and fiery characteristics of his Italian father and the pragmatic and peaceful personality of his Swedish mother, in his sing-song accent, had given us a brilliant elucidation of the usefulness of the United Nations presence: removing land mines, planting trees, building hospitals ..., so many essential gestures in anticipation of peace in the region, he had explained, 'so that we just don't stand around waiting for peace instead of working toward peace, because peace, like friendship, is made up of small gestures.' Jean...