Here’s a bleakly amusing extract from a speech by Ban Ki-moon in Sofia:
Just before coming to Sofia, I spoke with President al-Assad of Syria. This was my third call to him, and a lengthy one. We were arguing. “Why do you keep calling me?” he said.
Ban’s response sounds about right:
I told him that, as Secretary-General, I do not interfere with internal politics. But when it comes to fundamental human rights, when there is a clear violation of those rights, I will speak out.
Stop the violence now, I told him. I advised him, strongly, to do what I have advised all other leaders in the region: listen to your people– really listen to what they are asking. Hear their aspirations. Make bold reforms. Change before it is too late.
I actually like a lot of the Sofia speech, which contains convincing passages on the limitations and risks of the Arab Spring as well as its transformational potential. Having written about Ban’s sporadic and often rather hapless efforts at high-flown prose, I’m cheered by his realistic but respectful take on the Arab revolutions.
