Hungary

Allow me to join previous speakers in congratulating Mr. Opertti on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. There is no doubt that his experience and wisdom will be very useful in effectively guiding our work. I should also like to pay tribute to his predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine, for his valuable contribution to the work of this Organization and its reform process. After the euphoria following the end of the cold war, a period of frustration and disillusionment set in. It has therefore not always been easy to remain optimistic while experiencing everyday realities. Indeed, the profound changes that shook the world left it poorly prepared to deal with old or new challenges. Recently, events that have shaken the world?s security environment and the international economic environment have reminded us of the complexities of the post-bipolar period by highlighting the multiple and often detrimental effects of the inexorable process of globalization that is taking place in all parts of the world. If we are to be in a position to stem the damaging effects of this process, we must strengthen multilateralism and expand international cooperation so as to be able to resolve the various problems, often unprecedented in nature, that face humankind at the threshold of the twenty-first century. In this undertaking, the United Nations will be neither a world government nor a passive spectator. It will continue to be a unique Organization with special responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace and security. It will continue to be a global negotiating forum whose purpose is to set consensus-based standards and rules in the most diverse spheres of human activity in order to help us adapt to the demands of a new age. Today?s world is marked by disquieting developments: bloody conflicts, terrorist acts, organized crime, the resurgence of ethnic hatred, attempts to circumvent or undermine non-proliferation regimes, human rights violations causing flows of refugees, problems associated with narcotic drugs, a worrisome gap between the levels of economic and social development of the various parts of the world, environmental degradation, population questions and many other issues and dilemmas that are truly global in nature. Despite the setbacks that it will probably encounter in the future fulfilment of its mission, the world Organization will continue to be the centre of worldwide mobilization of efforts to prepare the peoples of the United Nations to tackle the challenges that lie before them. In order to ensure the success of this operation, we must all make serious and sustained efforts to give new impetus to the United Nations reform process and to maintain its dynamism. The difficulties encountered along the way should not discourage us from the quest to identify what is possible and feasible, while keeping in mind and striving to achieve what is desirable. From this rostrum, we wish to reaffirm our commitment to promoting the revitalization of our Organization and the reform of the Security Council. As far as expanding the membership of the Council is concerned, our position has not changed. We continue to advocate expanding the Council in both categories, permanent and non-permanent, and the inclusion of Germany and Japan, among others, in the category of permanent members. On the subject of United Nations reform, I should like to add that organizational and structural measures must go hand in hand with efforts to establish financial stability for the Organization if they are to be effective. Domestically the historic transition that has taken place in Hungary over the last decade has been a complex 20 and difficult experience for the country?s population. After living through this arduous period and in the light of the promising developments in the country, our country today needs to be reassured about its future. Our people wish to see moral and social renewal in the country and to benefit from it. Externally, the new Hungarian Government continues to base its policy on the same principles that its predecessors followed starting in 1990, when a democratic regime was established in Hungary. It is inspired by the national interests of the country and the values that it shares with its partners on both sides of the Atlantic. It intends to remain a factor for stability and security in the Central European region. Along with its future allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and in the European Union, it stands ready to contribute to the endeavours of the community of nations to ensure respect for international obligations and, where necessary, to take effective measures to resist actions that are in defiance of its legitimate will. Our efforts, which are aimed at having Hungary join the Euro-Atlantic consolidating structures, are motivated by our desire for security and economic prosperity, as well as by the emotional desire to see a historic reunion with the rest of Europe after a long, imposed separation. These aspirations are fully in keeping with the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Not only do they not conflict with them, but they complement and enrich in a very positive way our present activities in the world Organization. They will serve to strengthen our specific participation in various United Nations activities. Obviously, becoming a member of these consolidating structures will not change Hungary?s place on the world map. It will not be transported to some other planet. It will remain an integral part of our world, sharing with other nations great and small, rich and poor, the bright as well as the gloomier aspects of globalization. Problems such as international crime and terrorism, the proliferation of weapons, drug-trafficking and questions associated with migration or environmental pollution — all these phenomena affect my country as they do others, and call for national, regional and international action. They may jeopardize the institutional structures of democracy and paralyse social and economic stability in a particular country and beyond its borders. The resurgence that we have seen in acts of terrorism should also bolster the international community?s determination to establish international cooperation on the largest possible scale so as to combat this evil by the most efficient means. The centre of these operations should be the United Nations, which will give these endeavours coherence and real universality. Hungary attaches great importance to developing and expanding regional and subregional cooperation with its neighbours. It has a vital interest in seeing stability and democracy flourish among its neighbours. It considers the various forms of regional and subregional cooperation to be invaluable and indispensable tools for achieving these objectives. It is ready to participate actively in this regard. It should be noted that one of the driving forces for the implementation by the countries of the region of positive measures for socio-economic progress is precisely their shared wish to join the structures of Euro-Atlantic integration. Hungary has often spoken out in favour of these aspirations and will continue to support them. In this regard, we feel that respect for the rule of law and institutional guarantees of the full enjoyment of human rights, including those of national minorities, are not simply key prerequisites to membership of these integration structures. They are also an indispensable and vital factor for the establishment of social peace within countries themselves. In speaking of the eastern part of our continent, I would emphasize that, on the one hand, it is impossible to transform the region, with its turbulent history of age- old coexistence between various ethnic communities, into a zone of tranquillity and prosperity, and inconceivable to consider healing the deep wounds inflicted by aggressive nationalism without taking into account the legitimate aspirations of national minorities and their desire to remain intact as communities and keepers of a specific national heritage, in accordance with the standards adopted by the competent international organizations and the practice of the democratic States. On the other hand, we resolutely oppose the policy of “ethnic cleansing”, forced separation and the creation of new kinds of ethnic or religious segregation in Europe at the dawn of a new century. Hungary is deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation in Kosovo. It shares the view that, without a determined international commitment, this conflict is likely to spread, with unfathomable consequences for the region and Europe as a whole. We therefore support the efforts aimed at stopping this conflict as quickly as possible by peaceful and political means. We believe that Security Council resolution 1199 (1998) can serve to pave the way for this. Hungary hopes that substantive negotiations between the parties can begin without delay and that they will lead to a lasting settlement granting broad autonomy to Kosovo while preserving the territorial 21 integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In this respect, Hungary stresses the primary responsibility borne by the Yugoslav authorities in the quest for peace and a democratic solution. The Balkans have suffered too much for the international community to permit an escalation of violence, a return to terror and impunity for human rights violations. My country is prepared, to the extent of its abilities, to contribute to the international community?s action to restore long-term stability and the rule of law in the region. We have also followed with special attention the developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our primary objective is the full implementation of the Dayton Agreement. However, we must accept the fact that, following years of bloodshed, savagery and intolerance, the process envisaged in the Agreement could be more precarious and protracted than we believed and that the ethnocentric and exclusionary attitudes there may prove to be more entrenched than we had thought. Having said this, we are participating actively in the international effort to assist that country in getting back on its feet and to ensure that the terrible years of aggression and horrendous war never return. This year, we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although the commemoration of the birth of that fundamental document is a fine occasion for festivities, it is also important that new measures be taken to implement the universal standards embodied in the Declaration so that the United Nations may, in all places and at all times, not only offer a ray of hope, but be an effective instrument in the service establishment of United Nations machinery for the international protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms is one of the international community?s great achievements, emanating directly from the Universal Declaration. In this context, we welcome the existence of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the establishment, after much hard work, of the International Criminal Court. Grave and large-scale human rights abuses continue to be committed throughout the world. We have witnessed assaults on the freedom of individuals and communities, and crude and more subtle discriminatory practices, including those based on national or religious origin. This prompts us to ask the fundamental question as to whether the international community did all it needed to do in good time to prevent these events and used all the means available to it. I am afraid that the answer to these questions is “no”. Linking peace to justice and reconciling political expediency and moral considerations have always been extremely difficult challenges. Nevertheless, if peace is to last and take firm root, it must be sustained and bolstered by democracy, the rule of law and a responsible and transparent system of government. That is why we support the introduction of the human rights dimension into all United Nations spheres of activity, including peacekeeping operations. That is why we insist that those accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the various conflicts, from the Great Lakes to the former Yugoslavia, must be brought to justice. The measures taken in this regard deserve the support of all the Members of our Organization. We cannot allow our attention to be distracted from the grave ongoing situations in many regions of our world, where political upheaval, financial crisis and natural disaster render human existence extremely precarious and arduous. The United Nations cannot turn its back on these pressing problems. We welcome the attention rightly accorded to Africa by the Organization and to the search for solutions to its difficulties. Our world is shrinking every day. Therefore, a heightened awareness of worldwide concerns and human solidarity is vital. For what is at stake today is the future of our civilization and the quality of life of future generations on Earth. We must not miss the opportunity offered by the end of the century to decide how to improve the lot of the human race. The United Nations is the best place to tackle, without delay, the crucial questions facing mankind.