Ban faces criticism of leadership style

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's willingness to talk with dictators is undercutting the body's moral authority, critics say.

U.N. civil servants and diplomats are complaining that Ban's trademark "quiet diplomacy," which has seen him discreetly negotiate with the likes of Myanmar's Gen. Than Shwe and Sudan's Omar Hassan al-Bashir rather than denouncing them in public, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said Ban is facing a leadership crisis halfway through his first term, with U.N. diplomats saying he is an ineffective administrator who is reluctant to come down hard on outlaw leaders.

But Ban says his methods have been successful.

"It is human relationships which can make a difference," Ban told the Post, saying that while he won't scold foreign leaders in public, he also doesn't hesitate to deliver tough messages to them in private.

Critics, though, point to Sri Lanka as an example. Ban refused to criticize the country's leaders over civilian deaths as they moved to crush Tamil rebels this year. And while his diplomatic efforts achieved a brief pause in the fighting, it did little to stem to slaughter of civilians, 7,800 to 20,000 of whom died, the Post said.