I would like to congratulate
Mr. John Ashe on his election and wish him every
success. Let me also pay tribute to Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon and thank him for his tireless efforts
and leadership in promoting the ideals and principles
enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
The ideal and principle to which we should aspire
is creating a world in which everyone can live free from
fear, free from want and in dignity. The United Nations
has achieved many extraordinary successes in the past,
but we also have to acknowledge some disappointing
and frustrating setbacks and failures. I believe that now
more than ever, the United Nations must play a major
role in international relations. We live at a time when
the balance of global power is changing in a rapid and
dramatic way. Thus far in history, this kind of global
change has never ended without a global conflict. We
established the United Nations precisely in order to
prevent such a conflict in future.
Less than 20 years ago, we witnessed events that
shocked our human conscience: genocide in Rwanda,
followed by genocide in Srebrenica and Darfur. We
should have learned lasting lessons from those horrific
events. We vowed never to let that happen again. We
collectively endorsed the responsibility to protect
human beings from mass atrocities and gross and
systematic violations of human rights, and yet we have
failed again.
We are faced with another human tragedy unfolding
before our eyes in Syria. After more than two years of
brutal violence against civilians, including women and
children, we still have not found a political solution
within the framework of the United Nations. Not only
is the unconscionable use of chemical weapons in Syria
considered a war crime, it is an assault against our
common humanity.
Sovereignty as responsibility implies that States
are responsible for the well-being of their citizens. It
does not give them a licence to kill their own citizens.
If States manifestly fail to protect their populations,
the international community has a duty to react. When
faced with mass atrocities, indifference is not, and
cannot represent, an option. The report of the United
Nations inspectors was clear, credible and impartial.
The United States-Russian agreement on the framework
for the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons must
be implemented without delay. Syria’s accession to the
Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,
Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons
and on Their Destruction is a positive step. Syria
should comply immediately and fully, or face the
consequences.
It is important that diplomacy prevailed and
referred the issue back to the United Nations and the
Security Council. The Security Council should live up
to its responsibility and use all appropriate measures
to comprehensively address the situation in Syria.
Reaching a political settlement remains the only
viable and lasting solution to the crisis and to ensuring
stability in the region. We support the timely convening
of the “Geneva II” conference.
The Security Council has the primary responsibility
to maintain international peace and security under
the Charter of the United Nations. It exercises that
responsibility on behalf of all of us. It has an obligation
to deliver and to fulfil the mandate entrusted to it by
the international community. In this period of tensions
and challenges, the responsibility of the major Member
States is especially great. In recent years we have
witnessed too many divisions in the Council, which have
impeded its ability to act in a timely manner. Decisive
progress in Security Council reform is required to
improve the Council’s efficiency, transparency and
accountability. As part of that effort, the permanent
members should consider refraining from the use of the
veto in situations of genocide, crimes against humanity
and serious violations of international humanitarian
law.
We call upon the Security Council to refer the
situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.
The International Criminal Court is an essential pillar
in the system of international justice and a powerful
tool to ensure accountability and to fight against
impunity for the most serious crimes. It deserves our
full support.
We must focus more closely on addressing the
root causes of conflicts and expand our work on
prevention. In particular, we must improve our ability
to read the warning signs and trigger early action. The
consequences of inaction far outweigh any risks that
might arise from timely prevention and response, in
terms both of money and — more important — human
suffering and lives.
That was a lesson learned in our neighbouring
region, the Western Balkans. Enhancing mutual trust
through open political dialogue is a prerequisite for
peaceful coexistence and long-term stability there.
Slovenia and Croatia have therefore launched the Brdo
process as a forum for high-level dialogue intended
to strengthen relations and reconciliation among the
countries of the region.
The past century was a very dark chapter in
Europe and in human history. In August 2014, we will
commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the
outbreak of the First World War. It brought about mass
destruction of human life and new methods of warfare
that were subsequently condemned by the civilized
world. It was followed by the Second World War, and
the century ended with a decade of intra-State conflicts
and genocides that caused untold human suffering.
Let us use our conscience and humanity as the
weapon of choice, for everyone deserves to live in
dignity and peace, feeling safe, with access to food and
drinking water and with a decent job and adequate pay
for it. Yet something so obvious seems to be very far
from reality. It is our task to bring reality closer to our
dreams.
Today’s world leaders have a unique opportunity,
possibility and responsibility to influence our
common future for many decades to come. That is
why it is important not to lose focus on the successful
implementation of the Millennium Development Goals
by 2015 and to agree on the post-2015 agenda. Let us
transform our vision of saving future generations from
the scourge of war into reality. We have no time to
spare. We have no right to fail.