Albania

It is an honour and a particular pleasure for me, on behalf of the Albanian delegation and the Albanian people, to extend my heartfelt congratulations to you, Sir, upon your election as President of the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session. It is a tribute to your personal accomplishments, an honour to your country, and an expression of the qualitatively new role that countries in transition are playing in the international arena. I believe that the current session, under your presidency, will successfully attain its goals, which are the goals of the international community at large. I should like to assure you of the support of the Albanian delegation in the Assembly's work during this session. I take this opportunity to convey my thanks and express my highest consideration to your predecessor, Mr. Samir S. Shihabi, for the admirable way in which he presided over the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session. Allow me also to extend my greetings to Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, for his commendable role at the head of the world Organization, for his contribution to the strengthening of the spirit of cooperation, and especially for his personal contribution to solving various problems in different hotbeds of tension in the world of today. 29 My special greetings go also to the 20 newly admitted Members of the Organization, which are going to play their part in upholding the common values of the new society that is taking shape. Their accession to membership of this world body has enriched the universal character of the United Nations. The Republic of Albania has strongly supported their membership, believing that it will further promote the peace process and strengthen the democratic way of development. Since the last session of the General Assembly we have witnessed a number of significant events which followed the cold war and which will have an effect on the future of mankind. The fundamental values of the post-cold-war era are being established. Confrontation between the blocs, and the attendant political tension, has been supplanted by the universal values of democracy and equality in international relations, which are interdependent in terms of the economic and social development and security of every country. This has been confirmed. Today, the aspirations of the peoples towards self-determination and their striving to establish their national identity, which had been marred under communism, as well as their thirst for democracy and equality, have become the driving forces of the situations we are faced with today. Nationalism is not a product of democracy. Nationalism is the affirmation of national identity which, only afterwards, will work towards integration. The blows dealt by the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to the paralytic system of some years ago are today translating euphoria into onerous efforts to overcome a very difficult period of trial and transition. The year that has passed has strengthened the tendency towards political union and has witnessed the victory of the basic principles of respect for human rights, democracy, the rule of law and the move towards the market economy system. 30 The contribution of the United Nations and in particular of the Security Council to these ends since the last session of the General Assembly has been remarkable. In seeking to add a human dimension to the delicate balances to be struck, the United Nations is shouldering historic responsibilities. The political vector of its activities is aimed precisely at promoting those principles and thus at creating a common political psychology of thought and action. Unity in diversity that is, the realization of one's national interests in the overall equation of world development is undoubtedly the foundation and the raison d'etre of the Organization; it is the very embodiment of the predominance of peaceful reasoning over passionate action and the preservation of the very delicate balance between the two. The resolutions of the Security Council, especially the one imposing sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro; the Middle East peace talks that are increasing the chances of finding a solution; the talks on resolving the conflict between the communities in Cyprus, as well as other activities, all reaffirm the universality of the Organization and the overall impact of its unique and inalienable role, which is the universal yardstick in measuring compliance with implementation of the principles of international law and tacit norms of world civilization. 31 In this context, Albania welcomes the recent contribution of the Secretary-General in the form of his report entitled "An Agenda for Peace" as a comprehensive approach to the challenges of the world of today and of the Organization. This session of the General Assembly gives Albania the opportunity to proclaim from this rostrum the remarkable victory scored by the democratic anti-communist forces in my country in the general parliamentary elections of 22 May 1992 and in the local elections of 26 July. Those events finally determined the course upon which Albania has embarked and which it is persistently pursuing. Those events laid the foundations, in Albania, of the rule of law which is becoming institutionalized. They marked the beginning of our first epoch of non-communist, democratic governments, the first of which is implementing a very profound reform as the only course towards the overall transformation and development of the political, economic, social and other fields, at the level of the individual and of society as a whole. My Government's main goal is to establish the legal framework needed to facilitate that reform in order to harmonize the integration of the Albanian economy with the world economy, in order to eradicate the disastrous consequences of isolation and to overcome the economic collapse which the Government inherited from many years of totalitarianism. That, however, is not all the Government inherited. It also inherited active human resources inclined to change, human beings full of potential who are endeavouring to follow the models of the new system, people who, for no fault of their own, lack experience. These are the people who are working to shape the new Albanian society, and to do so they have turned to international political life to find remedies against impatience. In this context, the 32 involvement of various United Nations agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), already active in the country, is a valuable contribution to democracy in Albania. I would single out in particular the remarkable contribution of the IMF in working out the programme of economic reform that is being implemented. Albania is faced with a very challenging economic crisis resulting from the total failure of the centralized economy which it inherited and from the inevitable difficulties of transition itself. At present, Albania is living on the emergency humanitarian aid offered by the European Community and the Italian Government on the one hand, and on the modest contribution of the growing private sector on the other. The Albanian economy, in this initial phase of recovery, badly needs financial support, substantial investments and raw materials to invigorate industry and employ the large work force, one of the youngest in Europe. Everything cannot of course be done overnight; hence the difficulties of transition. Understanding, support and assistance on the part of the international community are the sole guarantees of improvement of the situation in Albania and of the success of the reform. In that process, Albania is trying to develop its economy against a background of environmental safety. We are fully aware of the possible consequences of neglect, and equally aware of what we have inherited as a result of underdevelopment in this regard. We look forward to benefiting from the relevant experience which the United Nations has to offer. In this context, we welcome the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held earlier this year in Rio. 33 Under those conditions, Albanian foreign policy has also acquired a new dimension and orientation. Concrete proof of its new orientation is the establishment of diplomatic relations with a number of countries such as Estonia, Lithuania, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Paraguay and Qatar; the active participation of Albanian delegations in various activities such as the Black Sea initiative and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). In the course of this year, the Republic of Albania has joined the International Fund for Agricultural Development and has adhered to the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol on the status of refugees. The situation in my country is unfolding against a very tense and perilous background in the Balkans. In some parts of the region, unfortunately, the practices being carried out go against the general political orientation and acceptable norms of behaviour of a civilized society. All-out war has been going on in the former Yugoslavia for more than a year now. The persistent efforts of the international community have been stubbornly flouted by malicious proponents of Serbian nationalism in its unprecedented affront to civilization and the norms of common democratic life. For more than a year now, a number of international organizations have been directly seized of that crisis, which is ravaging more human lives by the day. The United Nations, the CSCE and the European Community, among others, have been forced to consider stern measures to counter that uncivilized challenge. The war, however, is still going on. Albania, a neighbouring country in that region, is suffering the consequences of regional insecurity. Moreover, my country, situated as it is beside that region, is living under the constant threat and real danger of a 34 spill-over of the conflict into Kosovo. That threat is even greater if we take into account the continuing repression of the third group of peoples of the former Yugoslavia, the anti-constitutional amendments there, the laws governing special circumstances, and the complete and total paralysis of institutional life. The danger becomes alarming if we take into account the cruel refusal by the Belgrade authorities to allow the exercise of institutional power by the Albanians of Kosovo, who are peacefully and democratically organized, in conformity with all the norms of international law. Kosovo is one of the most delicate issues of the Yugoslav crisis. The conflict there is a highly political one, a conflict deriving from the impossibility of coexistence with the occupier. It is a conflict between the peaceful exercise of the principle of self-determination and blatant hegemonistic refusal to allow that exercise. Consequently, the situation remains explosive. That is also the conclusion of a number of missions of the European Community and the CSCE which have visited Kosovo. The international community, fully aware and desirous of avoiding violence, is seized of the situation. The Albanian delegation, however, cannot but notice that preventive diplomacy has not as yet yielded the desired results. The legitimate leaders of Kosovo, on their part, although determined to pursue the road of unconditional political dialogue to which the CSCE Helsinki summit gave its blessing, and which was refused by the authorities in Belgrade, are finding it more and more difficult to keep the agitation of their people under control. The sacred principles of the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and other fundamental documents of world political life apply equally to the Albanian people of Kosovo. Principles cannot be selectively applicable. 35 The Albanian side has, for a long time now, voiced its concern and called on the international community to concert its efforts towards finding a just and lasting solution that would be acceptable to the parties involved. The Yugoslav crisis is a complex one. As such, it has been considered by a number of international bodies. The London Conference, the most recent initiative, has set itself the task of finding an overall solution. Albania appreciates and endorses the praiseworthy contribution rendered by the United Nations in trying to solve the crisis over the last year, especially now, as Co-Chairman of that Conference, which we believe will be able to ensure the political commitment of all parties. Albania is participating in that Conference in order to make its contribution to its proceedings, particularly as regards the question of Kosovo. And in those endeavours, it will continue to advocate the finding of an acceptable solution. In our view, the Yugoslav crisis is the crisis of peoples who cannot live under Serbian hegemony any longer; it is not a constitutional crisis or a crisis among republics only. Accordingly, a solution will entail broader direct participation. It will entail the full participation of the legitimately mandated representatives of Kosovo when their future is being discussed. It will entail international mediation. That is the only way to control the various factions which are seeking to obstruct the way to peace. The Republic of Albania trusts that the United Nations, with its valuable contribution, will ensure the triumph of reason over passions, and will adopt the measures necessary to enforce the implementation of its decisions and to stand forcefully against the policy of fait accompli. 36 The social model to come embodies the loftiest standards of respect for the human being. The new world order, based on security, understanding and cooperation, is the guarantee that current structures will be strengthened and further developed. All of us must contribute to strengthening this edifice. The United Nations will continue to provide us with a framework in which peoples can count on good will and mutuality.