Cook linked to top UN role in Kosovo

ROBIN Cook, the former foreign secretary, was at the centre of a deepening mystery last night, over claims that he was being lined up for a new job as the United Nations’ top man in Kosovo.

UN sources in New York said Mr Cook had a "good chance" of being offered the post of the UN secretary general’s special representative for Kosovo, a job which comes with a six-figure salary.

Sources within the Kosovan civil administration also told The Scotsman that Mr Cook, who was foreign secretary during the successful operation to drive Serbian forces from Kosovo, had been mentioned as a leading contender for the job. Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, is believed to want a higher-profile political figure to take on the difficult task of running the country.

Mr Cook, who took part in the post-war peace conference at Rambouillet in France, would fit that description and has clearly ruled out any prospect of returning to high political office in the UK.

Yesterday, a UN spokesman in New York said he had a "good chance" of being offered the job, adding: "As for Robin Cook, I think his chances may be good, but it has been an unusually long process".

But, in an extraordinary move last night, Mr Cook and Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, issued a joint statement flatly denying the reports. "Neither of us has any idea where this has come from. There is no truth in it," the statement said.

The post of head of the UN mission in Kosovo has been vacant since Michael Steiner, of Germany, completed his 18-month term of office last week. The position has also been held by Bernard Kouchner, from France, and Hans Haekkerup, from Denmark.

But internal wrangling among UN members has hampered attempts to fill the post. Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, blocked the appointment of one of the other front-runners, Stefano Sannino, because he works for Mr Berlusconi’s political adversary, Romano Prodi, the European Commission president.

Another candidate, Pierre Schori, the Swedish ambassador to the UN, was vetoed by the United States because of his opposition to the Iraq war.

Mr Cook, a fierce opponent of the Iraq conflict, has been a thorn in the side of the government since he resigned his Cabinet post as leader of the Commons on the eve of the war. His appointment in a role away from Westminster would be seen as a welcome move in some government circles.

An ambitious politician, he was hurt when he lost the job of foreign secretary after the last election. In an interview last month, he said he had achieved what he set out to do in British politics and had "been up there at the top".

Earlier yesterday, Mr Cook refused to speculate on the Kosovo job, but the task facing any new man is daunting.

Nearly 60 per cent of Kosovans are out of work, the average monthly income is just 137 and its status in relation to its neighbours in the Balkans is still uncertain.