Tajikistan

Speaking from this high rostrum of the United Nations, I would like first of all to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to the high office of the presidency of the General Assembly. I am convinced that, having received such a high honour, you will be successful in your conduct of this forum that is so important in the life of the world community. Reflecting on the past, we can state with satisfaction that the United Nations, by traversing the difficult road of overcoming political and ideological confrontation, has saved humanity from a new global catastrophe. Today we can say with confidence that the United Nations is a universally recognized instrument of peace and construction. We commend the United Nations peace-keeping and humanitarian efforts in Tajikistan. I consider it my duty to convey the sincere thanks of the Tajik people to the United Nations, the donor countries, the international organizations - in short, to everyone who is doing everything possible to help our State in these hard times. There is no need to describe in detail all the hardship that has befallen our long-suffering motherland. The wounds of the civil war, that serious illness of our society, cannot be healed either by surgical intervention or by compulsory treatment. They are healed only when the victim himself becomes aware of his affliction and makes the most effective use of all possible means necessary for recovery. To the credit of the people of my country, it should be said that they were able to put an end to bloodshed, lawlessness and terror and start a constructive life. Experiencing a severe lack of time and an extremely heavy burden of political, social and economic problems, we were able to consolidate a tendency towards the stabilization of the situation in our country. Today we can state with confidence that the situation differs radically from that prevailing at the beginning of last year. 1 Recognizing its responsibility for the destiny of the country, the Government of Tajikistan firmly declared its commitment to values common to all humanity and its resolve to start building a democratic and secular State based on the rule of law. In order to realize these intentions we have launched the constitutional process in our country. In the course of drafting the Constitution we were guided by the experience of countries with established democratic traditions and advice given by highly qualified experts of the United Nations and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). We sought to take into consideration the high standards set up in the basic documents of the Helsinki process so that the new Constitution would ensure to the fullest extent possible the protection of inalienable human rights. We intend to conduct a referendum so the whole population can decide on the adoption of the new Constitution, the results of which will reinforce hope for achieving further progress in the development of society and the State. The proposed draft Constitution will provide a legal basis for subsequent democratic transformations and reforms. It will undoubtedly accelerate them and make them irreversible. Furthermore, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, elected by the whole population, will enforce the Constitution and guarantee the State’s unity and integrity. In our domestic policy the principal issues for our country’s political leaders have become the questions of our nation’s spiritual revival, of the halting of senseless confrontation and of the creation of a social basis for mutual understanding and forgiveness. The solution of these problems will help achieve maximum progress towards national reconciliation. Let me describe briefly to the Assembly our view of the problem. Addressing the General Assembly at its forty- eighth session, I stated that political dialogue was the only possible way of untying the internal Tajik knot and achieving national reconciliation and that it was one of our highest priorities. A careful study of the state of society, and of public opinion in particular, gave us the idea of entering into dialogue with those who have never concealed their desire to seize power by force. In doing so we used all possible means, including regional and international mechanisms. Only the good will demonstrated by the leaders of Tajikistan made it possible to start and to develop the negotiating process. The importance of the initiatives put forward by the Secretary-General, the decisions of the Security Council and the assistance of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in accelerating the national reconciliation process should be particularly emphasized. We deeply appreciate the unwavering attention of the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali to all the problems of Tajikistan, and we take this opportunity to express to him our sincere gratitude. We appreciate no less deeply the activities of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Tajikistan, Mr. Ramiro Piriz-Ballon, of the United Nations Observers in Tajikistan and of the CSCE mission. All of them have made a valuable contribution to the elaboration of the negotiating mechanisms. I would like to note with satisfaction the hopeful results of the political consultations between us and the Tajik opposition, with the mediation of Mr. Ramiro Piriz-Ballon, which took place in Tehran in the second half of September 1994. The parties signed the Agreement on a cease-fire and stopping hostile actions, and we consider this to be an important step towards the achievement of national reconciliation, peace and stability in Tajikistan. The Security Council and the international community noted with satisfaction the signing of that document. From this rostrum I would like to express the hope that the question of dispatching United Nations military observers to Tajikistan will be resolved without delay. I express our gratitude to the Governments and the peoples of the Russian Federation, the United States of America, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and other concerned parties and countries for their assistance in the promotion of the inter-Tajik dialogue. However, I must state with regret that there have been recurrent outbreaks of violence, initiated by the unmotivated escalation of the armed opposition and manifested in acts of terror, taking of hostages and other subversive actions. We consider these actions a deviation from political methods of resolving contentious questions and reconciling existing contradictions. We also see them as showing disregard of the international community’s appeal to the Tajik parties to show restraint and countenance no action that might impede the process of negotiations. 2 Despite those actions, the political leaders of Tajikistan took a series of practical steps to strengthen confidence-building measures. At its twentieth session the Parliament of Tajikistan decided to postpone the referendum and the elections. The aim of this initiative of the members of Parliament was to involve the widest possible spectrum of political forces in the constitutional process, to give everyone wishing to return home an opportunity to do so and to let all our compatriots who had the bad fortune to be outside the country take part in the elections. We are using this extra time to make proper preparations for addressing organizational questions concerning the invitation of observers from the United Nations, the CSCE, other international organizations and interested countries to the elections. We reaffirm our principled position to solve existing contentious questions by means of dialogue. We are convinced that the opposition’s reliance on force and the commensurate reaction to it may cause unpredictable consequences leading to the undermining of the stabilization process and of the positive decisions reached during negotiations. At the same time I consider it necessary to draw the Assembly’s attention to another very important aspect of this problem. It seems that the irreconcilable wing of the opposition is cultivating plans of expanding the geographical scope of the inter-Tajik conflict by instituting the use of mercenaries in the armed confrontation. This creates conditions for the internationalization of the conflict, which may in turn threaten to spread the confrontation throughout Central Asia. It is easy to imagine what serious consequences this may have. Speaking from this rostrum, I must draw the Assembly’s attention to our anxiety over the current situation in the neighbouring Islamic State of Afghanistan. The world cannot remain indifferent to the situation in that country, where internecine war came to dominate social relations. The Afghan conflict has brought forth a dangerous phenomenon: the emergence of anarchic geographical units that can become a base for international terrorism and unpunished trafficking in weapons and drugs. The situation on the Tajik-Afghan border keeps a vast region in tension. Central Asia’s fragile backbone of political balance may not withstand the high pressure, and the destructive processes taking place in Afghanistan right now may lead to a regional cataclysm. We urge that the Afghan problem be given the world Community’s most serious consideration. Furthermore, we are convinced that the alleviation of tension in Afghanistan will significantly and positively influence the solution of the inter-Tajik conflict. We have no doubt that the people of Afghanistan will ultimately achieve reconciliation and restore peace to their country. We sincerely wish the people of Afghanistan success in achieving these goals as soon as possible. In current circumstances, with many hotbeds of tension caused by the cold war still existing, the peace-keeping efforts of the world community have a particularly important role. It is evident that there are certain rules limiting the use of United Nations peace-keeping forces, which reduces the effectiveness of measures taken by the Organization in this regard. I would once again like to draw the attention of the Security Council and the Assembly squarely to the question of giving to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) joint peace-keeping forces in Tajikistan the status of a United Nations operation. The CIS countries are helping Tajikistan with the protection of its southern borders, which are at the same time the borders of the Commonwealth. In this regard we recognize the special and leading role of Russia, which has been and remains the guarantor of stability and security for all Central Asian States. We do not believe the presence of the CIS peace-keeping forces in our country contradicts the decisions of the Security Council or the initiatives of the Secretary-General aimed at achieving peace in Tajikistan. Moreover, from our point of view, these forces are the decisive factor in deterrence and in overcoming a state of crisis on the Tajik-Afghan border. Taking a wider view of this problem, one might even see the outlines of a new concept of security for the whole of Central Asia. We still hope the Security Council will find it opportune to reconsider our initiative to call a special meeting of the Council to consider the situation in and around Tajikistan, as well as the question of giving the CIS joint peace-keeping forces the status of a United Nations peace-keeping force. The tragedies of the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Somalia and the hot spots in the CIS all give evidence of the fact that the danger of nuclear catastrophe has been replaced by civil conflicts caused by international, religious or ethnic differences and that their recurrence is becoming the primary problem for the world community. I should like to say a few words on the question of the proposed reform of the Organization. On the whole 3 we support the idea of expanding the Security Council. Such a step, on the one hand, would reflect the global changes taking place in today’s world and, on the other hand, would give an opportunity to achieve a more balanced representation in the Council. The emerging consensus on the need to enlarge the number of seats in the Security Council will probably improve the efficiency of this central body of the United Nations. In other words, the Council will enhance its potential, acquire more dynamism, increase the variety of decisions it takes and generate a wider spectrum of ideas. The world is diverse and is thus unique. Its diversity, however, does not preclude the process of integration. A praiseworthy example is Europe. A better future for mankind is apparently based on these kinds of processes. Tajikistan as a member of the world community sees the future of its development in the integration processes on various levels, in cooperation with neighbouring and distant countries, regions and international organizations. The activities of the CSCE have proved to us the efficiency of such cooperation. Its informal approach to the accelerated integration of Tajikistan into the international community and the realization of the mandate of the CSCE Mission to Tajikistan will undoubtedly be among the major factors in the achievement of national reconciliation in our country. To a considerable extent we rely upon CSCE assistance to enhance democratic institutions and create a society founded on the rule of law and on the basis of high standards that will provide universal human rights and freedoms for every citizen. While carrying out active preparation for the upcoming Budapest summit meeting, we hope to put forward at that important forum our view of the problems and to define the areas of cooperation. Undoubtedly for us the question of participation in the Commonwealth of Independent States is vital. Our present position is that independence and sovereignty is not a sword but is rather the shield of a nation that must be strong but not heavy. Independence should not burden human lives but on the contrary should make everybody’s life easier and give all people on Earth the opportunity to be equal. Principles of independence and sovereignty in the current period of history must be flexible and diverse, for the main goal is to ensure that people who used to have deeply rooted historical ties now have an opportunity for a wider realization of their economic and spiritual potential in the interests of future generations. It is precisely in this light that we consider the development of the Commonwealth of Independent States that is trying to find a mutually acceptable form of integration without harming national interests. Despite well-known difficulties the Commonwealth of Independent States pragmatically searches for ways to rationalize all mechanisms of interaction among its members. I am convinced that the leadership and the people of States members of the Commonwealth of Independent States have by now recognized the truth that it is unrealistic to expect that, alone, a country can expect to solve the task of renewing society and of carrying out reforms. We are facing the historical reality of building our future by cooperative and coordinated efforts. In the post-Soviet period, Russia - a permanent member of the Security Council - has assumed a heavy burden and responsibility for peace-keeping on a greater part of the territory of the former Soviet Union. We note with deep satisfaction that these supreme efforts of Russia have started to bring results. The multinational nation of Tajikistan highly appreciates and welcomes the peace-keeping activities of Russia. I should like to note in this context that the ideas of concluding a comprehensive nuclear test-ban treaty, of adopting the decision on the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s open-ended and unconditional extension, of developing regional programmes to strengthen peace and security, and other proposals put forward by Mr. Boris Yeltsin, President of the Russian Federation, in his address to the forty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly and aimed at strengthening international security, all deserve the broadest support. Tajikistan notes with gratitude the initiatives by Uzbekistan to bring about a peaceful solution to the intra- Tajik conflict and to ensure security and stability in the region of Central Asia. We highly appreciate our good-neighbourly relations with the States of Central Asia. We hope that the sphere of their integration efforts will expand in the interests of all countries of the region of Central Asia. They deserve careful study and support. Nowadays it is universally recognized that alongside political questions, problems of social and economic development have assumed the same importance and urgency. The correctness of this statement is confirmed 4 by the conclusions reached at the end of the high-level Economic and Social Council segment, that we support and approve. It is our firm conviction that the main aim of restructuring the United Nations should be to preserve and increase its potential to solve the whole range of development issues. For the Republic of Tajikistan which has found itself in the hard grip of a transitional period aggravated by the consequences of tragic events in recent years, the problem of economic survival has become a critical test. According to the "development indicators" data published by the World Bank, Tajikistan has been included in the group of countries with the lowest level of per capita income. Today Tajikistan badly needs the help of the international community, not only to restore its economy but also to create the conditions for long-term development. Our country, which is a land-locked State, is counting on special attention from the international community in matters of economic and social development, and hopes that its appeal to include Tajikistan in the group of least developed countries will be properly understood and supported by the United Nations community. I assure Members that the highest objective for the leaders of the Republic of Tajikistan is the achievement of values common to all humanity, calmness and peace in our Republic, the creation of a unified, peaceful, developed State of Tajikistan. And I hope that all countries of the world will help us to achieve this noble objective. Eighty years ago the fire of the First World War broke out, and very soon - in a few months - humanity will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. These dates will forever be inscribed in the history of the twentieth century, in the history of the world. Still, the dates themselves are not as important as the lessons which these events have taught us. The bitter experience of the Second World War persuaded the leading Powers of the necessity to create an international organization the aim of which would be the maintenance and enhancement of peace all over the world. The main achievement of the United Nations during the almost 50 years of its existence has been saving humankind from the fire of a new world war, and its development has taken place on the basis of enhancing mutual understanding and cooperation, taking into account the interests of all parties, and the equality of large and small nations in the name of preserving our planet for future generations. Now, at the end of the twentieth century, it gives us great hope that the world community will not only prevent the outbreak of a third world war but will do its best to make sure that the twenty-first century will become a period of creativity and calm on the whole planet.