Giandomenico Picco
Giandomenico Picco worked for some twenty years (1973-1992) at the United Nations. He led the task force that secured the cease-fire agreement between Iran and Iraq in 1988, and was a member of the UN team that negotiated the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. From 1988 to 1992 he conducted the operation that led to the release of 11 Western hostages in Lebanon. Since 1994 he has been a consultant to private companies on matters of political risks and critical infrastructure protection. His account of his hostage saga and other negotiations in the Islamic world is contained in his book Man Without a Gun, published in 1999 by Times Books-Random House.