| Revision as of 16:21, 17 May 2007 editPetri Krohn (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users37,089 editsm →Career: sp← Previous edit | Revision as of 16:24, 17 May 2007 edit undoDigwuren (talk | contribs)11,308 edits Removed POV-pushing addendum regarding Estonian politicsNext edit → | ||
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
| He was appointed as the first High Commissioner on National Minorities of the ] in December 1992 and took up his functions in January 1993. He remained in office until 2000. | He was appointed as the first High Commissioner on National Minorities of the ] in December 1992 and took up his functions in January 1993. He remained in office until 2000. | ||
| In that capacity he was able to intervene, in 1993, in the fragile new state of ]. The nationalist government had introduced measures ] a large part of the ]. This in turn led the government of neighbouring ] cut off gas supplies and to threaten to intervene, if necessary, to protect ethnic Russians. | |||
| Responding quickly, at the invitation of the Estonian government, the High Commissioner shuttled between both sides, securing agreements that removed a great deal of the tension and preserved Estonia's territorial integrity. '']'' noted that "Mr Van Der Stoel achieved something remarkable... a modicum of trust between would-be warring parties." It has been argued by peace-making bodies such as the ] that the situation could, without Van Der Stoel's personal involvement, have developed into something like the catastrophic collapse of the former Yugoslavia. | |||
| {{Netherlands-politician-stub}} | {{Netherlands-politician-stub}} | ||
Revision as of 16:24, 17 May 2007
Max van der Stoel (born August 3, 1924 in Voorschoten) is a Dutch politician and former Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is also known as the first High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Career
Van der Stoel studied law at the Rijksuniversiteit Leiden. From 1953 to 1958 he worked for the Wiardi Beckmanstichting, the scientific bureau of the Partij van de Arbeid (PvdA) and become international secretary for the PvdA in 1963. From 1973 to 1977 and 1981 to 1982 he served as the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He was appointed as the first High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in December 1992 and took up his functions in January 1993. He remained in office until 2000.
 | This article about a Dutch politician is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
