Romania

It gives me great pleasure to congratulate you, Madam, on your election as President of the General Assembly. The Romanian delegation looks forward to a presidency which brings to the world Organization excellent diplomatic skills, while increasing our confidence in the prospects for more balanced gender representation at the top. I would also like to pay tribute to Ambassador Jan Eliasson, President of the General Assembly at its sixtieth session, for his outstanding performance and for his commitment to the reform of the United Nations. Romania subscribes to the statement made by the President of Finland on behalf of the European Union, and fully shares the views expressed therein. I would like, in addition, to give a frank account of my country’s keen and active interest in a strong and effective United Nations. Let me say, in all modesty, that we strive hard to practice what we preach. Romania has had to make up for 16 years of lost time — decades of ideological pandemics, economic mismanagement, lack of respect for human rights and lack of democracy. I would like to express the gratitude of my Government for the continuing support that the United Nations has extended during our transition in many helpful ways, including the valuable work of its country team in Romania. We have come a long way to now be in a position to join the European Union, which is profoundly rooted in the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law. We have worked hard, that is true, and we have had very good friends all along to help us prevail. I am therefore proud to say that the United Nations has been, and still is, foremost among those friends. Let me quote a recent statement by the Secretary- General: “Our success in advancing the agenda will depend on great part on forging coalitions for change involving Government representative, civil society, the private sector, philanthropic foundations, academic institutions and all others with contributions to make. I know that Romania is strongly committed to this path of partnership and has been working actively to cement constructive ties with the United Nations and with its neighbours throughout Europe as the country moves towards formal accession to the European Union.” I myself could not have put it better if I had wished to characterize in a nutshell our genuine commitment to effective multilateralism and to better management of the rapid and multifaceted changes brought about by the globalization process. That is why Romania understands, and wishes to be an active participant in, the current reform process, pursuant to the guidelines we accepted as set out in the Millennium Summit Outcome. We have made significant steps ahead as far as institutional reform is concerned. We agreed to change the Human Rights Commission, a body whose historical mission had been accomplished. We created a new Human Rights Council to help the United Nations make a fresh start in the implementation of the impressive corpus of international human rights instruments built since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But let us not indulge in complacency. If we do not fill this new box with the expected contents, our intention to reform will remain unfulfilled. The Human Rights Council should spare no effort in order to do what it is meant to do: uphold, in the daily work of Governments across all continents and legal systems, the priority goal of ensuring that human rights are widely and deeply known and observed. We should not see the primary duty of the international community to monitor the implementation of human rights law, be it by a universal peer review or by the expert work of the special procedures of the Human Rights Council, as unfriendly gestures towards our Governments. We are deeply honoured by the exceptional opportunity we have as members of the first Human Rights Council to contribute to the reform of the United Nations human rights machinery. We have already come up with a number of proposals aimed at streamlining the work of the new Council and at upholding its authority. We need to make greater efforts to make human rights a fundamental pillar of the United Nations, on an equal footing with security and development, by will of its Charter. 06-53323 36 There is a similar need with respect to the Peacebuilding Commission. The history of the United Nations involves the continuing trend of creating new bodies to address new problems. That can be a virtue if such bodies have a strong mandate and sufficient resources to meet expectations. But it can also be a sin if all we do is generate additional meetings and documents without consequence. The Peacebuilding Commission is a remarkable institutional and legal innovation. Let us introduce new thinking and resources, rather than old habits, into this framework. Considerable efforts have been deployed since 1993 to reform the Security Council. Romania is ready to embark on a meaningful and pragmatic consideration of the question of increasing the membership of the Security Council while preserving its effectiveness and credibility. We are aware of the difficulties inherent in further Council expansion. Recent debates have shown that all Member States should benefit to a certain extent from the reform of the most powerful body in the United Nations system. An obvious case in point is the Eastern European Group, which expects to receive its fair share in the eventual outcome of negotiations on this matter. The issue of the revitalization of the General Assembly is also on our agenda. The intensive efforts made to expand the Security Council should not obscure the need to genuinely reform the most representative organ of the United Nations — namely the General Assembly. There are many ways to do much more within existing structures and available resources in terms of time and money. We can make simple reforms. We may choose to streamline the agenda by confining it to essential and topical issues, avoiding the annual repetition of texts which bring no true added value, and using less rhetoric and more pragmatism as the main thread of our decisions. The General Assembly can also do more in its role of supporting democratization processes in various countries. We know how shy the drafters of the Charter were about the use of the idea of democracy. During the cold war, the concept of democracy was merely totemic at the United Nations. However, times have changed for the better. I genuinely believe that the United Nations has made considerable, if not truly spectacular, progress in that area. My country is proud to have been an active player in two international movements whose fundamental task is to promote democracy: the New or Restored Democracies process and the Community of Democracies. We have taken dedicated action under the auspices of both. Romania initiated a series of five resolutions on different aspects of democracy-building that have been adopted since the year 2000 by both the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly. There is no reason why the United Nations would slow down this process. On the contrary, we take this opportunity to encourage both the sixth International Conference of New or Restored Democracies, to be held in Qatar, and the third Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies, to be held in Mali, to dare to do more. The time has come for us to adopt a universal declaration on democracy, a code of democratic conduct or even an international covenant on the right to democracy. Democracy works, despite difficulties and temporary setbacks. Let me add that, if we have doubts about our duty, we should ask our nations if they want to have a choice, in a multiparty system, and to make full use of fair elections, as opposed to not participating or having to accede violently to power? Do they want to be governed by dictators who work for themselves or by Governments that work for the governed? We all may find the answer to these queries quite obvious. In our deliberations about reform, one of the questions that arose was how to undertake constitutional reform and bring the Charter more in line with the new challenges of our time. There is much to be done here, in spite of our understandable reluctance to reopen the sacred book. At the same time, we could adequately make the most out of the existing legal framework. We believe that Chapter VIII of the Charter is a generous framework for increased and more efficient cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations. During its tenure as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, my country, Romania, initiated a rewarding debate on this topic, which led to the adoption of resolution 1631 (2005). We welcome the report of the Secretary-General entitled “A regional-global security partnership: challenges and opportunities”. The report is a very valuable contribution to the clarification of the possible distribution of roles based on the competitive advantages of regional organizations. I therefore 37 06-53323 support the recommendations made by the Secretary- General aimed at passing from an “adhocracy” to the gradual institutionalization of the operational mechanisms of an enhanced cooperation. In this field, Romania practices what it preaches. The proof lies in its determination to pursue regional cooperation processes in Central and South-Eastern Europe, in various fields: the South-Eastern European Cooperation Process, the Central European Initiative, the Stability Pact for South-eastern Europe, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and so on. The stability and prosperity in the Black Sea region is the main priority of our foreign policy at the regional level. We are pursuing a new cooperation paradigm that is expected to produce deliverable results. Romania is satisfied at having promoted, during its chairmanship of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, two very important initiatives: a Black Sea Euro-region, under the auspices of the Council of Europe, and a Forum for Dialogue and Partnership. We are a conscientious and responsible member of the international community and ready to assume our duties. The constant and robust economic growth of recent years has now enabled my country to consider acting as a donor, helping developing countries in their long-standing pursuit of economic prosperity. My Government has already taken measures to define a legal framework for the financing of official development assistance. Europe has peace on its borders. But that is only half true if we take into consideration the continued existence of frozen conflicts that seem to escape the active attention of the United Nations. We are shirking our duty if we turn a deaf ear to the unresolved conflicts whose roots date back to the Soviet era. Those conflicts affect small States that are working hard to consolidate their independence, their institutions and their economies. They need the assistance of the United Nations and protection under international law. One of the most striking examples is the situation in Transdniestria, a separatist area of our neighbouring country the Republic of Moldova. The lawless regime there must not be allowed to become permanent. Supported by heavily armed troops, that regime is involved in smuggling and illegal trafficking and is disrespectful of human rights; it is also ready to seize schools manu militari. Relying on its weapons and ammunition, the regime threatens its neighbours and the legitimate Government of the Republic of Moldova and cynically mocks democracy through unlawful referendums. The United Nations must apply the provisions of the Charter to put an end to the dark ages in Transdniestria. What is needed is genuine will on the part of all relevant actors — be they international organizations or neighbouring countries. We also believe that it is our duty to assist the courageous efforts of Georgia to build a democratic society and to regain full territorial integrity. There is hope. The recent adoption by the General Assembly of a decision to include on its agenda a new item on protracted conflicts — which Romania has fully supported — augurs well for a new attitude. Seven years after the United Nations took responsibility for the future of Kosovo, that province symbolizes the difficult legacy that the Western Balkans is struggling to overcome. We support the efforts of Martti Ahtisaari, Special Envoy for the future status process for Kosovo, and of the Contact Group. Both sides directly concerned should show greater flexibility in order to find a lasting and mutually accepted solution. In that regard, the United Nations role remains extremely important until the future status of the province is decided. Our interest in achieving peace, stability and prosperity is not confined to our own region. Romania is trying hard to make significant contributions to the maintenance of peace throughout the world. Romanian military, police and civilian personnel are present in the United Nations peacekeeping operations deployed in Afghanistan, Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Haiti and the Sudan. Together with other peace-loving nations, we also contribute troops to other major peace operations, including those in Afghanistan, Iraq and Bosnia. Nearly 1,500 Romanian troops, civilian police, military observers, staff officers and support personnel are deployed in those areas. At the same time, we believe that more efforts are needed to find lasting political solutions to existing conflicts and tensions. Afghanistan has come a long way towards becoming a stable State, free from terrorism and the Taliban. However, many challenges still lie ahead. Winning the peace in Afghanistan requires even more enhanced and coordinated efforts 06-53323 38 by the international community — especially to fight insurgents, to train the Afghan army and police and to accelerate quick-impact reconstruction projects. Romania firmly supports the Government of Iraq in its efforts to create an efficient and responsible administration. Strong international support is needed if the Iraqi people are to succeed in achieving lasting stability and in going back to work for the country’s prosperity. Technical and financial support is also badly needed. It is essential not to weaken the international presence in Iraq, without which the progress made thus far would be put at risk. We take note with satisfaction of the latest developments in Lebanon, particularly the progress made in deploying an expanded United Nations force in the area. We believe that we are witnessing a historic breakthrough in a long-standing conflict. We are confident that the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and of the future mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon will build hope and trust for a lasting political solution to the Middle East conflict. The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction has emerged as a major threat to global security and international stability. We should never underestimate the chances that such weapons will be used in terrorist activities. We support new international efforts to strengthen the existing international regimes, to ensure the full and unconditional implementation of obligations undertaken by the States parties and to promote the universalization of multilateral treaties and agreements in the field of disarmament and non- proliferation. At the same time, we must continue to fight terrorism, individually and collectively, in order to eliminate it as a threat to the lives of innocent people and to the daily life of our societies. If it is to succeed, the international community must correctly identify and overcome the factors that contribute to terrorism. Romania is firmly engaged in the fight against terrorist threats through its participation in the efforts of the international community and in those undertaken by regional and subregional organizations. (spoke in French) Romania will soon have the honour to host the eleventh summit of la Francophonie. This conference of heads of State and Government of countries using French as a common language will take place on 28 and 29 September 2006 in Bucharest. La Francophonie definitely does more than promote multilingualism. At the previous summit, la Francophonie acted as a faithful partner by adopting a strategic framework aligned with the Millennium Goals and the objectives of the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held at Johannesburg. That framework is fully in keeping with the fight against poverty and the efforts to promote sustainable development. It is based on a consensus that emphasizes human rights, good governance and democracy, as well as conflict prevention and peacebuilding. This year, the summit will have the theme “Information technologies in education”. That is another complementary area on which la Francophonie intends to focus in order to contribute to the objectives agreed at the World Summit on the Information Society. I hope that during the present session of the General Assembly, Romania will be able to report further actions taken by la Francophonie in keeping with United Nations objectives.