Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of

I extend to Mr. Freitas do Amaral my warm congratulations on his election as President of this jubilee fiftieth session of the General Assembly. At the same time I wish to express appreciation to his predecessor, Mr. Amara Essy, for his very successful work. On 3 October 1995, in a cowardly terrorist act, an attempt was made on the life of the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov. This assassination attempt was a deliberate political act intended to destabilize my country. It was carried out, not insignificantly, at a time when the centuries-old dream of the Macedonian people for their own State and for an equal role in the international community had come true. Furthermore, it happened at the very time when the resolution of the situation in the Balkans was in sight and when all of our neighbours and the world had come to accept the fact that the Republic of Macedonia was a reality, and a factor of peace and stability. The attempt to assassinate President Gligorov is an attack against the independent and peace-loving position of Macedonia. It is directed against life in peace and against the well-being of all our citizens. This terrorist act has been strongly condemned and decisively rejected by all of my countrymen, as well as by the international community. The efforts of the United Nations against terrorism — a criminal phenomenon — must continue with a strong determination to wipe this scourge out completely. We should all fight unabatedly against the forces of darkness and the power-hungry demagogues who are the main source and generator of criminal terrorist activities. The attempt to assassinate my President on 3 October 1995 shall not, under any circumstances, divert us in our pursuit of democracy, reforms, and the development of good-neighbourly relations with all of our neighbours, in brief, our efforts to transform our country into a modern European State. I wish to take this opportunity to express to the President of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General and all delegations in this body our sincere gratitude for their sympathy and solidarity and for their wishes for the speedy recovery of my President. As our Organization approaches the next 50 years, as we approach the twenty-first century, it is timely to acknowledge and pay tribute to the great achievements of the United Nations in bringing about a better and safer world and to stress the need to work together to improve our Organization and prepare for the challenges of the future. Throughout the past 50 years, the United Nations has been the right place in which to build better understanding among nations, the right place in which to address some of the basic problems and needs of humanity and the right place in which to coordinate actions towards a brighter future for mankind. The United Nations assisted in achieving peace in many regions of the world; it succeeded in preventing many conflicts; it helped in decolonization; it delivered humanitarian assistance; it succeeded in minimizing the nuclear threat and in building bridges over many gulfs between countries all over the world. In the past few years, very important decisions have been adopted at many United Nations conferences, such 14 as the Earth Summit in Rio, the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in New York and the discussions on land-mines at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. We must work to implement the decisions made at these conferences. We must work on finalizing the comprehensive nuclear test-ban treaty, and on furthering the disarmament process. At the same time, we must also begin working towards finding solutions to, and preventing, the new problems and challenges that we are facing in this ever-changing world. Rapid technological progress brings new hope for a better future but also puts dangerous power into the hands of some of the worst enemies of our civilization. We have to design new mechanisms that will enable us to face these new challenges and enable the United Nations to achieve new successes in the next 50 years. On the basis of the experience of the past 50 years, we will have to examine the functioning of the United Nations system as a whole, to restructure some of its parts, and to assign new tasks to some of the others for the purpose of achieving the efficiency of the Organization as a whole. The United Nations must have as its vision a world that is more stable, politically and economically. The recent agreement between Israel and Palestine gives hope for lasting peace in the Middle East. We strongly support the Secretary-General’s Agenda for Development and hope that, at this session, we will carry out this most important undertaking successfully. Economic development is necessary for political and social stability. For many countries access to markets and the question of finances for development are of essential importance. We must also ensure that the United Nations shall continue to be financially viable. Each Member of the United Nations, however large or small, has an obligation to do its share. We must also discuss the possible improvement of the work of the Security Council. To this end, my delegation fully supports the inclusion of Germany and Japan as permanent members of the Security Council. At this session of the General Assembly, I can assure the President of the General Assembly that he will have the full support of the Macedonian delegation in bringing to a successful conclusion the many important issues we have on the agenda. I would like to take this opportunity to thank this General Assembly for giving us the important duty of presiding over the Second Committee. We attach particular significance to the economic issues that will be discussed there. The Republic of Macedonia, despite difficult conditions, achieved its independence peacefully, without the use of force and with respect for all international norms. In a region so burdened by tragic wars, a region with violations of human rights, with a high degree of instability, we have pursued the path of our independence with a strong commitment to resolve all of our problems and conflicts peacefully, through dialogue, with good will, with readiness for cooperation with all of our neighbours and with all international organizations. We are determined to contribute, within the framework of our capabilities, to the overcoming of all of the divisions and conflicts in the Balkans inherited from the past and to pursue the integration of our country into Europe as soon as possible, with respect for all of the European norms and standards of relations between countries as the only means to avoid repeating the tragic incidents of this region. One of the basic principles of our foreign policy is that of equidistance in our relations with our neighbours, a readiness to establish equally good relations with all of our neighbours, based on mutual respect, the inviolability of borders, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and non-use of force. Recently in this building, under the auspices of the United Nations, through the mediation of Cyrus Vance, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and Matthew Nimetz, Special Envoy of President Clinton, my country, the Republic of Macedonia, reached an accord with the Republic of Greece which regulates many aspects of relations between the two countries, and creates a basis for good- neighbourly cooperation. We believe that this accord will contribute to increased stability in the Balkans and will have a positive influence on the future development of events in the region. We believe this accord is a good illustration of the positive role of the international community, and especially of the United Nations, in pursuing peaceful solutions in relations between States, based on the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The Republic of Macedonia, during its four years of independence, has faced many challenges. The economy of the whole region was deeply disturbed by the war to 15 the north of us. As a result of the United Nations sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro, the usual route to our traditional markets in Europe was cut off. The losses caused to our economy by the sanctions amount to over $4 billion. Since February 1994, we have also been under a unilateral trade embargo from the south. In the same period, we have undertaken a thorough transformation of our economy, turning it into a market-oriented economy, with all of the difficulties and risks that this transition brings. Despite all of this, we have succeeded in maintaining a high level of political, social and economic stability. We have built new democratic institutions with provisions for full protection of human rights and a political system in which all national minorities are recognized and enjoy full participation. We cannot claim that we have solved all of our problems. However, we have built the right mechanisms for solving them. A great deal of attention has been given during this session of the General Assembly to United Nations peace- keeping operations. The enormous efforts of the United Nations in many peace-keeping operations have had varied results. Some of them have been more successful than others. Allow me to say a few words about the United Nations peace-keeping operation in the Republic of Macedonia, the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP). It is a very successful operation and is fully achieving its goals. It has contributed tremendously to peace and stability in the southern Balkans and has built confidence among the people of the Republic of Macedonia in international organizations. This operation proves that preventive deployment is the most effective channel for United Nations peace-keeping efforts. This operation is the best example that results can be achieved even with a small, almost symbolic deployment of United Nations peace-keepers, if it is done at the right time and with a clear mandate. The full support the people of the Republic of Macedonia are giving this operation shows that the right decision was made by the Security Council when this peace-keeping operation was approved. This has been a very successful operation, and we hope it will serve as a model for many future activities of the United Nations; if so, I am confident that the same positive results will be achieved. These days there is new hope that peace in Bosnia can be achieved. This tragic war has resulted in huge numbers of victims, a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe and massive destruction. We hope that the efforts of the international community will result in a solution which will respect the basic principles of the modern world. Bosnia should be preserved as an independent State within its internationally recognized borders. Provision must be made for full respect of human rights, and repetition of atrocities and war crimes must never be allowed. We believe that as soon as peace is achieved it will be necessary to start the process of the reduction of arms in the Balkans, to start the process of a Balkan détente. This year the General Assembly, under item 81 of its agenda, will consider the report of the Secretary- General on the development of good-neighbourly relations among Balkan States, prepared on the basis of resolution 48/84 B, adopted at its forty-eighth session on the proposal of the Macedonian delegation. It is expected that special attention will be paid to measures and preventive activities aimed at the creation of a stable zone of peace and cooperation in the Balkans by the year 2000. The only way to achieve long-term peace and stability in the whole Balkan region is through the full integration of all the Balkan countries into Europe, with full respect for European standards and norms. The independence, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of all Balkan countries must be respected. Problems of national minorities that have been at the root of many conflicts in the Balkans throughout its history should be addressed. All national minorities should be recognized and their basic human rights fully respected. It is our duty to work for peace and the democratic development of the whole Balkan region now, and not to leave burdens of the past to future generations. Just as we must work for the stabilization of the Balkan region as a whole, we must also recognize the uniqueness of each of the countries of the region. The problems are not identical, and therefore the solutions cannot be identical. There are a lot of discussions about the problems of former Yugoslavia. It is very important to understand that there is no such entity as former Yugoslavia”. There are a number of new countries in this area, each with their own set of problems and prospects, and there is no way to find a unified solution for these problems. Each country must be treated individually. The hope and desire for a better world were the foundations for the United Nations 50 years ago. At this session of the General Assembly, it is our duty to lay the groundwork for the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century. We should all work together towards a safer world and to reduce the fears and threats of the future as much as possible.