To debug the connection to the mail server, start an X Terminal window and enter
export "CAMEL_DEBUG"="all"
to enable the debug mode of the mail library, and after that
/usr/bin/maemo-summoner /usr/bin/modest.launch -s > /home/user/MyDocs/.documents/log 2>&1

to start the email application. Then try to connect to the mailserver. A logfile named "log" will be in your Home directory (please check for confidential data before attaching).