Albania

Let me first convey, on behalf of the people and the Government of Albania, the most profound sentiments of sympathy, friendship and solidarity to the people of the United States and to President Bush with respect to the human suffering and the material damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. I would like to wish Mr. Jan Eliasson every success in carrying out his important mission. I take this opportunity to assure him of the full cooperation of my country in accomplishing the undertakings ahead of us. Let me also join others in thanking Mr. Jean Ping for the dedication he demonstrated as president of the General Assembly at its previous session and for the efforts he invested in the revitalization of our Organization. Albania aligns itself fully with the statement made at the 9th plenary meeting by Mr. Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, on behalf of the European Union. I am privileged to address the Assembly on behalf of the new Albanian Government, which took office following recent parliamentary elections. I will set out some of my country’s positions on issues of concern to us all and outline my Government’s strategic priorities in the field of foreign policy. The fact that, just a few days ago, a large number of heads of State and Government gathered at the United Nations to assess the progress made in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and to debate the reform of the Organization should be taken as a reaffirmation that multilateralism is a driving force in global policy. That also serves once again to confirm that we are living in a very complex and multidimensional environment that clearly requires comprehensive, global and coherent reactions. The need for enhanced regional and global cooperation has never been more pronounced. Albania therefore supports the outcome of the High-level Plenary Meeting, which reaffirms our faith in the Organization, the importance of the core values and principles of international cooperation, the global partnership for development, concerted actions to strengthen collective security and peace, the fight against terrorism, promoting human rights and the rule of law and the strengthening of the United Nations, in particular its comprehensive reform. Albania believes that, through concrete and speedy action, the sixtieth session of the General Assembly will constitute an important and meaningful step towards the implementation of all the commitments to which I have referred. Albania believes that the United Nations should be further strengthened in order to continue to play a decisive role in the efforts of the international community to create a safer, more stable and prosperous world. We would like to reiterate our appreciation for the efforts of the Secretary-General with regard to reforming the United Nations. Albania shares his view that the United Nations needs to have the legitimacy and flexibility to adapt itself to the circumstances of a changing world. The Security Council clearly has enormous responsibility in that regard. My country fully supports the reform of the Security Council. It should be noted, however, that we view Council reform from the standpoint of improving its working methods and transparency and of adjusting and improving the decision-making system. We firmly believe that Members acting together have the necessary power and capacity to achieve very broad consensus on Council reform. 34 The roles of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Secretary-General must not be underestimated. Their potential has not yet been fully explored. The success of the reform effort can be assured if it is coherent and aimed at the Organization as a whole. Albania is encouraged by the outcome document of the High-level Plenary Meeting with regard to the strengthening of the United Nations. We reaffirm our willingness to work with all delegations to achieve the broadest consensus possible on the most important reform issues. Albania believes that the Peacebuilding Commission will be an essential and efficient tool for developing more coherent, relevant and better funded strategies and for giving timely political attention to a country making the transition from conflict to sustainable development. In that connection, the reform of the United Nations will better enable the Organization to improve the work of the international community and assist countries in the post-conflict phase. We believe that the exchange of views on the establishment of the Human Rights Council will be completed soon. An action-oriented Council with a credible membership will improve the quality of United Nations efforts in the area of human rights. Moreover, we fully support the strengthening of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, including increasing its budget. Albania believes that the initiative to establish a Democracy Fund is an essential component of reform. My country will make every effort to support the Fund. Like other friendly countries, we consider it an effective mechanism to support new democracies, strengthen civil society and establish institutions supporting the rule of law. The numerous tragic events of recent years have confirmed that terrorism, which has taken thousands of innocent lives, is the most urgent threat facing the world today. My country will remain committed to fighting this evil. We support Security Council resolution 1624 (2005), which was adopted during the high-level summit. We also join the solemn appeal to finalize the comprehensive convention against terrorism during the course of this session of the General Assembly. We believe that acts of terrorism carried out with weapons of mass destruction can have unprecedented consequences for humankind. Arms control is a key element of my country’s security policy. In that regard, I should like to point out our ongoing support for the further strengthening of crucial international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments. Albania is therefore fully committed to cooperate on disarmament and non-proliferation issues both in its own region and beyond. To that end, we have put in place robust measures at the national level to prevent the illicit trafficking in arms on our territory. In addition, with regard to implementing commitments on the control of small arms and light weapons, we have amended our national legislation in order to bring it closer to that of the European Union in areas such as licensing, strengthening import and export regimes and enforcement. Part of the Government’s programme in this area has included the destruction of some 200,000 small arms and light weapons that had been in the hands of civilians. Moreover, in cooperation with foreign donors, the Government has drafted a programme to destroy all chemical weapons materials on our territory, thereby contributing to the strengthening of security in the region and beyond. Albania is continuing to demonstrate the growing maturity of its democracy. The year 2005 is an election year in Albania. Last July’s parliamentary elections and orderly transfer of power were tangible developments that had a positive impact on the country’s future political, economic and social development. Albania believes that good governance is a key element in improving the lives of all its citizens. Good governance is also an essential precondition to guaranteeing sustainable economic growth and eradicating poverty. In that regard, we will work tirelessly to strengthen the rule of law, promote transparency in the decision-making process and increase the Government’s sense of responsibility to serve all citizens. With regard to the economy, the new Albanian Government’s priorities in the coming years will be to fight corruption and the factors that encourage it, promote free competition and relentlessly combat monopolies. A set of measures is being contemplated to improve the national education system. Among those measures is the opening of universities to all who want to pursue higher education. 35 In addition, for the first time in its history, a woman heads Albania’s National Assembly. This is a strong indication of Albania’s serious commitment to gender equality. The new Government is committed to improving the country’s macroeconomic indicators. We are determined to develop social policies that guarantee gradual improvements in people’s living standards, particularly for the most vulnerable. In order to achieve its programme’s goals, the Government will support the expansion and modernization of the financial system, while keeping inflation under control, in an effort to improve the legal framework necessary for economic development. With regard to our close cooperation with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, we are determined to promote sound macroeconomic and investment policies that will guide the country towards sustainable development, encourage the private sector and promote employment. I would also like to assure the Assembly that our Government is fully committed to implementing the Millennium Development Goals. We share the belief that coordinating and harmonizing national and local development strategies, with wide-scale civil society participation, private sector initiative, heightened public awareness and the holding of public debates to identify the most effective ways and means to achieve the Millennium Development Goals will lead to the desired results, including in Albania. The Albanian Government is resolved to combat organized crime, transnational crime, illegal trafficking and terrorism relentlessly by strengthening national legislation and law enforcement structures and by establishing relevant implementation mechanisms and fully committing itself to regional cooperation on a wider scale. That effort will serve to bring us closer to our friendly neighbours as well as to all European countries. This is a common struggle. It should be recalled that my country has had excellent experience in coexistence among different religious communities. We are convinced that strengthening dialogue among cultures, civilizations and religions is an important element in strengthening peaceful coexistence and good-neighbourly relations. It also holds great potential for strengthening cooperation among countries. In that connection, an international forum was held in Tirana in December 2004 under the auspices of the President of Albania and the Director- General of UNESCO. In addition to discussing important issues related to such a dialogue, the gathering also paved the way for further cooperation in that regard. My country has decisively committed itself to the path to Euro-Atlantic integration, with the clear purpose of joining the European Union and NATO. We view Euro-Atlantic integration as our country’s entry into the zone of peace, stability and prosperity established in Western Europe over the course of many years. Joining that family will signal our society’s embrace of such values as economic and political freedom, fundamental human rights and freedoms, the primacy of law, social prosperity and solidarity. It will also reflect that fact that we are making our contribution to that set of values. Albania is preparing for the closure of negotiations of the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union that will lead to its signature. We are convinced that our country has the ability to meet all the requirements of this very rigorous process. Albanian society is firmly committed to carry out reform, which will contribute to our integration into the European Union. We believe that the reform process is, first and foremost, in the interest of the country and of strengthening the economy and improving Albania’s image in the world. We view NATO as a guarantor of security in our region. By increasing cooperation with NATO we are aiming at membership soon. Albania’s participation in NATO peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Afghanistan constitutes a real contribution to both regional and international peace and security. Good-neighbourly relations and cooperation with the countries of our region continue to be top priorities of our foreign policy. Our vision for a region of stability and security, through fruitful bilateral and multilateral cooperation, is sincere and is already quite clear. Our philosophy regarding the development of such relations is based on three basic principles: transparency, tolerance and dialogue. In that context, we have intensified high-level political dialogue with all the countries of the region. We have expanded the framework for legal and institutional cooperation at the bilateral and multilateral levels in many areas of common interest. That dialogue is becoming more 36 constant and sensible due to a spirit of mutual understanding and confidence. Through their growing participation in peacekeeping missions in areas of conflict throughout the world, several countries of the region have been transformed from consumers to worthy contributors to the maintenance of international peace and security. With regard to positive developments and progress in the region, Albania has consistently played a positive, moderating and constructive role vis-à-vis Albania’s neighbouring countries by promoting multi- ethnic coexistence in an atmosphere of harmony and lasting peace. Albanian foreign policy holds that determining the status of Kosovo is an important issue. There is no more time to lose. The status quo will not guarantee lasting peace in the region. We believe that the answer to Kosovo’s status should take into account the will of its people as democratically expressed and not disregard the rights of minorities. In that regard, conditional independence could allow the international community to monitor the development of Kosovo’s institutions and society for a given period and, above all, would provide a guarantee for Serbs and other minorities to live in their own homes in that country. We all believe that Kosovo’s future, as for all the countries in the region, lies in European and Euro- Atlantic integration. We Albanians are confident that, in his forthcoming report, Mr. Kai Aide, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Kosovo, will provide an objective assessment of the standards achieved thus far in Kosovo in connection with the establishment of the institutions for the rule of law and a democratic environment that will open the way for negotiations on Kosovo’s final status. The Contact Group on Kosovo has an important role to play in that process. In short, there have been some preliminary positive results. But there is much work to be done by us all to encourage and sustain the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. There are many issues to discuss. With good will and the determination to achieve peace, we have much cause to optimistic.