It is a privilege and an
honour for me to address this forum and to share the
views of the Republic of Macedonia regarding issues
of utmost importance for the current session of the
General Assembly. However, allow me first of all to
avail myself of this opportunity to congratulate my
fellow countryman, Mr. Srgjan Kerim, on his election
as President of General Assembly at its sixty-second
session. His nomination to this prestigious position is
yet another proof of the full dedication of the Republic
of Macedonia to the promotion of the aims of this
unique global Organization.
I would also like to congratulate the previous
General Assembly President, Sheikha Haya Rashed
Al Khalifa, for her successful presidency of the
Assembly at its sixty-first session. Allow me as well to
take this opportunity to congratulate the Secretary-
General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, on the energetic start of his
mandate and his dedication in this time of great
importance for our Organization.
The issue of climate change was rightly proposed
by the President of the General Assembly as a topic to
be discussed during this general debate. The alleviation
of the impact of global warming and climate change,
which has become one of the greatest challenges for
individual countries, but also for the entire
international community, calls for the undertaking of
coordinated and serious measures. It is our obligation
to preserve our planet for the generations to come.
Therefore, one of our imperatives would be to provide
clear political support in responding to the negative
impact of global warming, while not impeding
economic growth and the reduction of poverty. In this
context, apart from recognizing the central role of the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change, we should also promote consultations within
the United Nations environmental institutions.
People around the world expect the United
Nations to improve its performance and continue to
deliver. For many, this Organization remains a symbol
of hope and of support in times of need, but also a
helping hand in times of crisis. The world has changed,
and so have the challenges. The United Nations must
also continue to change in order to be ready to respond.
The 2005 World Summit Outcome created a solid
basis for all necessary reforms. A lot has been
achieved perhaps not as much as was expected, but
the progress made so far is visible. We must continue
working on the reforms of the main bodies, in the
interest of transparency and effectiveness.
The Republic of Macedonia strongly supports the
current management reform directed towards achieving
efficiency and accountability in the United Nations
system. The new bodies are already a reality and fully
operational. What we expect in particular is the Human
Rights Council to strengthen its role in the global
promotion and protection of human rights. Driven by
our strong will to contribute to the work of this highly
important body, we have put forward our application
for membership for the period from 2009 to 2012.
The report of the United Nations High-level
Panel on System-wide Coherence offered a number of
valuable recommendations for the reform of United
Nations operational activities. I hope that the
discussions during the current session will help to
create a consensus on measures to strengthen United
Nations capacities in the areas of development,
humanitarian assistance and environment.
The issue of disarmament, arms control and
non-proliferation must remain high on our agenda. We
must therefore attach further importance to these
issues, which are relevant for the achievement of
global peace, security and development.
Terrorism continues to threaten our world. The
fight against terrorism is yet another area in which we
must stand united. The United Nations Global Counter-
Terrorism Strategy and its Plan of Action, adopted last
year, provide an excellent framework for our individual
and joint actions. We must promote their
implementation at the national and regional level and
seek to achieve visible results.
At the 2005 World Summit, we reaffirmed our
commitment to global partnership for development as
stated in the Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey
Consensus and the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation. We fully agree that every country
bears the responsibility for its own development, which
depends mainly on national policies and strategies. We
also agree that global actions are necessary as a
support to national efforts.
Some regions need more shared responsibility
than others in order to achieve the projected targets.
Africa, where the situation remains alarming, requires
special attention. With this in mind, we endorse the call
for renewed commitment to the implementation of the
Millennium Development Goals, and we await the
forthcoming High-level Dialogue on Financing for
Development, which is expected to bring specific
results.
United Nations involvement in Africa, including
in the Sudan, remains of exceptional importance. The
situation in Darfur is extremely critical and alarming.
Member States must reunite once again and provide
support to United Nations activities in order to respond
to the challenges on the ground.
The Middle East situation continues to be an
issue of utmost concern. People in the Middle East
deserve to live free from fear and threats. The Republic
of Macedonia supports the efforts of the Quartet and
the Road Map. A renewed peace process is also of
utmost urgency. The situation in Lebanon also remains
high on the international agenda. Recently, the
Republic of Macedonia joined the United Nations
forces in that area by sending military officers to the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
Since the very beginning, the Republic of
Macedonia has been part of the international anti-
terrorist coalition in Iraq and Afghanistan. The
Republic of Macedonia fully supports the unity of Iraq.
We also support the recent Security Council resolution
1770 (2007) regarding an extended role for the
Organization in Iraq. Building peace and democracy in
those two countries remains a key challenge both for
the international community and for the Iraqis and
Afghans themselves.
The Republic of Macedonia continues on its path
towards a functional multi-ethnic democracy. There are
many challenges on that path that we should tackle and
obligations that we must fulfil. We are committed to
comprehensive reforms in all segments of Macedonian
society in order to obtain a date for the beginning of
pre-accession negotiations for membership in the
European Union in 2008. At the same time, bearing in
mind the successful reforms that we have been
implementing for years, we are deeply convinced that
it would be realistic to obtain an invitation for
membership of the Republic of Macedonia in the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at the next
summit of that organization, scheduled for April 2008
in Bucharest.
The region of South-East Europe has come a long
way in the past decade. We are all striving towards the
common goal of European and Euro-Atlantic
integration, which is a strong driving force in terms of
reforms and final stabilization of the region. The
Republic of Macedonia remains firmly committed to
good-neighbourly relations and regional cooperation,
and we believe that dialogue is of key importance for
all outstanding issues in the interest of everyone in the
region.
We continue to support the efforts of the
international community regarding the resolution of the
status of Kosovo. At this stage, the Republic of
Macedonia hopes that the next round of negotiations
and consultations led by the Troika will bring the
positions of both parties closer. We also endorse the
position that a resolution of the Kosovo issue should be
formulated within a reasonable time frame, in the best
interest of stability in the region and the region’s Euro-
Atlantic perspective.
In that context, I would like to underline in
particular that we do not agree with the recently
mentioned idea of partition of Kosovo according to
ethnic lines, since that might have serious negative
implications for the entire region. The issue of the
technical demarcation of our northern border with
Kosovo according to a predefined procedure and
agenda remains a top priority for the Republic of
Macedonia.
Allow me to assure the Assembly that we will
spare no efforts translating our words into actions, so
that people around the world may be convinced of our
commitment to respecting and implementing the
principles and values enshrined in the United Nations
Charter.
Finally with or without any points of order
the name of my country is the Republic of Macedonia
and will be the Republic of Macedonia.