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Mr.
President, Mr.
Secretary-General, Heads
of State and Government, Ministers, Delegates, I
have the honor of speaking this year on behalf of the European Union, which
France is presiding until the end of December.
In this capacity, Mr. President, it is a
great pleasure for me to congratulate you on your election.
It symbolizes the respect that the international community has both for
your country and for you.
I would also like to thank your predecessor,
Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, for his skill in guiding the proceedings of the 54th
session of the General Assembly, Mr. Sam Nujoma and Ms. Tarja Halonen for their
action, at your side, Mr. President, as co-presidents of the Millennium Summit.
I would like to commend the Secretary-General of the Organization, Mr.
Kofi Annan. His international
action, his independence and his vision have made a decisive contribution to
asserting the key role that the UN plays and must continue to play.
The European Union wishes to assure him of its support for his work as
well as for the Organization and its representatives. (Millennium
Summit) The
Millennium Summit, the unprecedented gathering of heads of State and Government,
has allowed us to address the main challenges facing the world community and the
role of the United Nations in the 21st century which will begin on
January 1, 2001. The Union notes with great satisfaction that the Summit has resulted in a political document which sets forth a road map for the Organization for the years to come. These guidelines are based on ideas outlined in the report of the Secretary-General. It is now up to the General Assembly to implement them. The Union will contribute actively to this. (The
European Union, the UN and Peacekeeping) Mr.
President, Peacekeeping,
strengthening international security and defending human rights are the central
principles underpinning the European Union’s foreign policy. Recent crises on Europe’s very doorstep have convinced us
that we cannot not remain idle when these fundamental principles are being
violated. In this regard, the
European Union approves of the priority given to peacekeeping during last week's
meetings. Mr. Brahimi's report offers an in-depth analysis on this subject..
It presents useful recommendations for the mandates of peacekeeping
operations, operational planning in New York and deployment.
It presents a unique opportunity to strengthen the UN's capacity for
peace operations. The European
Union will actively participate in the examination of these recommendations. The
European Union has decided to equip itself to be a major political actor and to
play its full role on the international stage.
To this end, and within a very short time-frame, it has undertaken
decisive measures. New
decision-making, action-oriented political and military bodies have been set up:
a political and security committee, a military committee, an EU military staff,
a situation center and a committee for civilian crisis management.
These bodies will enable the EU to intervene quickly and credibly in the
management of international crises. The
European Union has also announced its intention to establish by 2003 a force of
60,000 troops for international missions involving the whole range of
conflict-prevention and crisis-management operations, with the requisite air and
naval support for deployment in a theater of conflict within 60 days for a
period of at least one year. This
autumn shall see the first concrete example of this policy during a conference
for the commitment of capability at which each Member State shall pledge its
contribution to this joint endeavor. The Union has also set ambitious and
realistic targets for developing collective capabilities.
In addition to its military resources, it will develop civilian
intervention capabilities, including a corps of civilian police, whose
contribution to peacekeeping is invaluable.
In this connection the Member States have set themselves the goal of
being able, by 2003, to provide up to 5,000 police officers, 1,000 of whom will
be deployment-ready within 30 days. These
decisions now enable the European Union to complement its already sizable
economic and humanitarian programs with the full range of resources required for
crisis management. Of course,
these activities are designed in full respect of the principles of the UN
Charter. Now more than ever, it is vital to establish working ties
with the UN. In order to initiate
this cooperation, the EU troika shall discuss this issue for the first time with
the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
On behalf of the EU, I hereby invite Mr. Kofi Annan to go to Brussels for
a working meeting with the organs of the Union. (Regional
Matters)
(
Middle East) Mr.
President, The
European Union hails the considerable efforts and determination shown by the
President of the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Prime Minister during the
latest negotiations with a view to reaching a final agreement between the
Israeli and Palestinian peoples. It
is particularly pleased at the renewed vigor with which the most sensitive
issues have been addressed at this time. It
commends President Clinton and the Secretary of State for their unflagging
efforts to facilitate these negotiations. The
circumstances favorable to reconciling positions continue to exist. We urge the parties to seize this historic opportunity, to
show courage in the decisive choices, to take fully into account the human
realities and recognized rights of all, and thereby to achieve a final
agreement. The
European Union welcomes Israel’s withdrawal from the zone it occupied in
southern Lebanon. It welcomes the
redeployment of UNIFIL as well as the presence of a joint security force sent to
the area by the Lebanese government. It
calls on all parties to shoulder their responsibilities in order to quell any
tension. All this notwithstanding,
the European Union feels that only a comprehensive settlement encompassing every
track of the peace process, including the Israeli-Syrian track, is likely to
guarantee lasting stability in the region.
It shall continue to support the efforts of the parties to this end and
contribute to the implementation of any agreements that may be reached.
(
Europe) The
situation in the Western Balkans remains a subject of very great concern for the
entire international community. The
ten years of conflict which have ravaged the region have led to severe human
suffering and politically unstable, and therefore dangerous, situations.
But beyond the accumulated hardships and lagging economic and social
development of many of these countries, all the peoples and nearly all the
leaders of the region have realized that it
does have a future and that future is called Europe.
Today, all Europeans now share the belief that these countries are bound
one day to join the European Union. This
is why the European Council has reiterated, in this connection, that its goal is
to firmly attach the countries of the
region to Europe. This means the
greatest possible integration into the political, economic and social current of
Europe through the stabilization and association process, political dialogue,
trade liberalization, bringing their laws into line with those of the EU and
cooperation in justice and home affairs. The
assistance that the EU has provided to the countries of the region over the last
ten years- nearly 8 billion euros - is considerable.
The EU will continue to sustain this stabilization and association
process by giving the Western Balkan countries massive technical, economic and
financial assistance as well as by granting them asymmetrical trade advantages
in farming and industry very soon, which shall pave the way for the creation of
a free trade zone with the European Union.
At the same time, in the context of elections concerning almost the
entire region, it shall encourage them to develop regional cooperation and to
continue to make determined efforts for political, economic and social reform in
order to consolidate democracy and human rights, to build the rule of law and
lay the groundwork for sustainable development.
In this context the European Union has reaffirmed its determination to
continue to be the driving force in the Stability Pact which represents a new
vision of cooperation between the countries of the region and the international
community. The
summit that the European Union and the Western Balkan countries have decided, on
the basis of a French proposal, to hold this autumn in Croatia will signal our
common resolve to overcome the divisions of the past. The
FRY will not be able to participate in this conference. The nature of its
present regime does not allow it. But
the Serbs know that they have their place in the European family and that the EU
is looking forward to the day when the FRY is in a position to participate fully
in the stabilization and association process and recover its rightful place in
Europe. The elections on September
24 could be decisive in this respect. In
Kosovo the international community, acting on the basis of Security Council
Resolution 1244, has delivered praiseworthy results.
Thanks must be given to all those who
have made this possible in spite of enormous difficulties, especially the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General, the staff of the UN and the
soldiers of KFOR, the many international organizations present on the ground and
the NGOs. The first democratic
elections for municipal authorities in Kosovo, to be held in a few weeks' time,
constitute a major step in the implementation of Resolution 1244.
I forcefully reiterate that the international community will not allow
unacceptable acts of violence, whatever their motivations, to cause the
democratic electoral process underway to fail.
We will not let extremists from whichever faction sabotage the work
accomplished over the past year under the aegis of the United Nations.
(
Cyprus) The
European Union considers that the status quo in Cyprus is unacceptable and
supports the efforts of the Secretary-General to reach a negotiated,
comprehensive, fair and lasting settlement consistent with the relevant Security
Council resolutions. It reiterates its commitment to stability and prosperity
throughout the Mediterranean region. With
talks beginning right here under the auspices of the Secretary-General, it
invites the parties concerned to enter into substantive talks.
(
Africa) Mr.
President, The
EU is equally determined in its support for the efforts being made to prevent
and settle conflicts in Africa, in close cooperation with the United Nations,
the Organization of African Unity and other sub-regional organizations in
accordance with the objectives
agreed at the Africa-Europe Summit, held in Cairo last April under the
Portuguese presidency of the European Union. It
shall lend its backing to the measures taken jointly by the OAU and the United
Nations to implement the peace settlement between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
In supporting the deployment of international observers, the EU is also
willing to lend its support to the establishment and drawing of borders, to
demining and to the assistance to refugees and displaced persons.
It is endeavoring to provide assistance to the war-stricken populations
of both countries whose immense suffering has been compounded by drought. The
European Union is deeply concerned by the developments in the Democratic
Republic of Congo. It calls on all
parties to the Lusaka Agreement to implement their commitments, including those
made in Kampala. This will allow
for progress on the military and political provisions, all of which are under
threat due to the continued fighting and the deadlock in preparing for a
national dialogue. It also urges
them to abide by the Security Council resolutions, in particular Resolution
1304, which calls for an orderly withdrawal of foreign forces from Congolese
territory as well as for the cooperation of all parties in the deployment of
MONUC by lifting the restrictions on the freedom of movement of MONUC personnel
and by ensuring their security. The
illegal exploitation of the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of
Congo, a violation of the country’s sovereignty, is also unacceptable.
The European Union therefore commends the establishment by the
Secretary-General of the United Nations on August 15 of a group of experts in
charge of analyzing the ties between the illegal exploitation of these riches
and the continuation of the conflict. We
are pleased to note that awareness has been raised about the illicit trade in
diamonds and other minerals which is directly fueling conflicts.
This is particularly the case with the illicit trade in diamonds in
Angola, whereby UNITA has been funding its war effort.
We wish to underscore the importance of complying with the Security
Council resolutions on this matter. We welcome the decision to place this
important question on the General Assembly's agenda.
The discussion should be based on the Kimberley process.
It should reflect the work of the preparatory conference co-chaired by
the United Kingdom and Russia. It
should, lastly, examine the proposal made at Miyazaki to establish a standing
group of independent experts to formulate ways of preventing illicit trade. The
European Union would like to recall its support for Resolution 1306 on Sierra
Leone, which has tightened existing arms sanctions and established an embargo on
raw diamonds illegally exported from Sierra Leone. The European Union calls on
all the parties to the conflict to comply with the principles and objectives of
the Lomé Agreement, and be fully involved in the re-establishment of peace and
stability and compliance with human rights in Sierra Leone. The
EU and its Member States will continue to contribute to African capacity and
means of action in the field of conflict prevention and resolution, in
particular through support for the OAU and sub-regional organizations and
initiatives.
(
Myanmar/Burma) The
European Union is deeply concerned at the situation in Myanmar.
It asks the Myanmar authorities to immediately restore Ms. Aung San Suu
Kyi's freedom of speech, movement and communication with the outside. It is urgent for dialogue to begin between the Myanmar
authorities and the democratic opposition, including the National League for
Democracy, and national minorities. The
Union supports the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Burma, Mr. Razali,
in his efforts to find a solution.
(
East Timor) Mr.
President, The
European Union expresses its solidarity with the people of East Timor and
commends the work done by UNTAET in close cooperation with the political
authorities of East Timor. It is in
favor of accelerating reconstruction assistance in order to guarantee a
successful transition and avoid any delay in the timetable leading to
independence. We are extremely
concerned by the instability caused by the militias, in both East and West
Timor. The new outbreaks of violence by them have taken the lives of two UN
peacekeepers and more recently three HCR personnel.
The European Union calls on the Indonesian authorities to adopt effective
measures to control the militias without delay.
(
India/Pakistan) The
European Union calls for the termination of terrorist activity in Kashmir, the
implementation of confidence- and security-building measures and strict respect
for the line of control in order to restore a peaceful local climate and enable
the dialogue between Pakistan and India to resume in the spirit of the Lahore
Declaration. The EU shall be
looking closely for such signs from the parties involved and encourage those
initiatives likely to resolve all the disputes between the two countries. It
is important for the specific measures laid down in Security Council Resolution
1172 to be implemented and for Pakistan and India to subscribe to the
international non-proliferation regime and sign the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty.
(
Korea) Having
advocated direct dialogue between the two Koreas for many years, the EU welcomes
the historic Inter-Korean Summit in Pyongyang from June 13 to June 15 this year.
This is an important step on the road to reconciliation between the
Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, opening
bright prospects for strengthening the stability of the region.
We invite the two countries, members of the UN since 1991, to continue
this process in order to help the Korean people heal the wounds of the past.
(
Haiti) The
European Union recalls that full respect for the constitutional provisions
concerning the elections and electoral legislation currently in force is the
basis of democracy and the rule of law. (Disarmament
and Non-proliferation) Mr.
President, The
threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery
systems is a crucial issue which the European Union, sharing the concern for
international peace and security that ought to inspire the nations represented
here, is resolved to combat relentlessly. To
this end, international cooperation must be stressed along with the development
of multilateral standards for non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament. This
is particularly true of chemical and biological weapons, which have now been
banned. The Union is working
towards the early conclusion of a protocol to strengthen the 1972 Convention on
the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons which shall contain reliable and
effective verification measures. We
are equally determined to ensure nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament,
where so much progress has been made since the signing of the NPT, to which 187
states are now parties. Since
the end of the cold war, effective instruments for ending the arms race and
achieving disarmament have started to see the light of day, with the halt to
testing, the treaty enshrining it, the first two START agreements to reduce the
largest nuclear arsenals and a host of unilateral decisions that follow the same
trend. Consolidating
this mechanism must be our priority. A
start was made with the review conferences of 1995 and 2000; the results which
we welcome must be fully implemented. We
must give full weight to strengthening the safeguards of the International
Atomic Energy Agency through the widespread implementation of the measures
contained in the 1997 model protocol and to remain alert to the issue of NPT
compliance. We must also revive the
momentum of the multilateral negotiations. The
entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the completion of the
operational readiness of the CTBTO and the negotiation at the Disarmament
Conference of the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty are all necessary steps that
are of concern and ought to mobilize all States, be they parties to the NPT or
not. The start of this negotiation
implies urgent negotiations on a working program at the conference on
Disarmament. International
standards in this field can only be effective if they are universal.
Arsenal reductions, which are the prime responsibility of the
nuclear-weapon States, must also be continued.
This will enable us to move closer to our common objectives: the
elimination of nuclear weapons and general, comprehensive disarmament under
strict and effective international control. The
issue of small arms and light weapons is just as sensitive in many regions of
the world. It deserves special attention. The EU will contribute to the
preparation of the International Conference on the Illicit Trafficking of Small
Arms and Light Weapons in all its aspects, which will take place during the
summer of 2001, with the objective of obtaining a positive and enforceable plan
of action to combat the destabilizing accumulation and spread of small arms and
light weapons. At
the same time, the Union shall continue its drive in favor of the implementation
of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and
Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction.
It shall join in the efforts to achieve the total elimination of
anti-personnel mines. (Human
Rights) The
European Union shall continue to support the efforts of the United Nations to
reach the goal set by the Secretary-General to put human rights at the heart of
every aspect of UN work. The
best guarantee of solid progress in this area is each person's awareness of the
importance of human rights and democracy and the emergence of groups who
actively promote them in every country. In
this connection, the European Union welcomes the designation, thanks to the
support of many countries, of the Representative of the Secretary-General for
Human Rights Defenders, Ms. Jilani; we welcome her appointment and assure her of
our full backing as she undertakes her duties. This
year the United Nations has once again demonstrated that it is the main forum of
progress in setting standards for human rights, as witnessed by the adoption of
two optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the
sexual exploitation of children and on children in armed conflicts.
This represents a major step forward in favor of the protection of
children. The European Union
intends to contribute actively to the Special Session of the UNGA for the
follow-up to the World Children's Summit, to be held next year, which will give
the international community yet another opportunity to help this cause move
forward. Another
important task lies ahead: the World Conference Against Racism.
At the European Preparatory Conference, to be held in October under the
auspices of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the European Union will
demonstrate its commitment to combat all expressions of racism, whatever form
they take. The
European Union, all of whose members have abolished the death penalty, calls on
States that have not yet done so to adopt a moratorium as a first step towards
the eventual abolition of this punishment which is contrary to human dignity. (Crime) The
EU shall endeavor to strengthen international cooperation in the fight against
terrorism and shall play an active role in the negotiations to be held to that
end. It earnestly hopes that this
General Assembly will adopt the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime
and its Protocols at the Palermo Conference next December.
Given that such crime, one of whose most hateful manifestations is the
trafficking in human beings, poses an ever-growing threat to our societies, it
is vital for the international community to develop the means to cooperate and
fight against it effectively. (International
Criminal Court) Lastly,
the European Union looks forward to the early establishment of the International
Criminal Court. I would like to
recall that ratification by 42 States is still needed for this. (Sustainable
Development) Mr.
President, The
European Union's contribution to international cooperation is substantial. With
30% of global GDP, it contributes 36% to the United Nations regular budget, 39%
to the peacekeeping budget, 50% to
UN Funds and Programmes, and 54% of the world total of official development
assistance. This
effort is testimony of the EU's commitment to reducing inequalities, in
particular by helping the least developed countries to keep from sliding
further. The preparation of the third United Nations Conference on LDCs, which
the Union will be proud to host in 2001, is extremely important.
This Conference should lead to concrete results. We
attach great importance to the work carried out by the UN Funds and Programmes.
Halving the world's great poverty by 2015 is a major goal of the
international community, which has just been reaffirmed in the Millennium Summit
Declaration. The
progressive integration of developing countries into the world economy, with
special emphasis on the needs of LDCs, requires good governance, the rule of law
and respect for human rights. In addition to the bilateral development
assistance policies of its Member States, the European Union has proven its
commitment to the LDCs since 1975 through the successive Lomé Conventions and
shall continue to do so in the future through the latest Cotonou Agreements,
negotiated recently with the ACP countries. In
the area of financing development, a better mobilisation of national and
international resources is required, as is a better policy coherence and a more
effective cooperation between all development actors: governments, the United
Nations and the Bretton Woods Institutions, other international organizations,
private sector and civil society. (Eradication
of Infectious Diseases) Coordinated
efforts and international partnerships are indispensable for fighting infectious
diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, which pose an extremely
serious problem for development and security in the developing world,
particularly in Africa. We fully
support the action of UNAIDS and its co-sponsoring organizations. (The
Environment) Mr.
President, Environment
should remain a UN agenda priority. In
this regard, the outcome of the first Global Ministerial Environment Forum and
the adoption of the Malmoe Declaration are very encouraging. The
concern for environmental sustainability expressed in the Millennium Report of
the Secretary-General is legitimate. We
support the call to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, so that it may enter into force
by 2002. The success of the Lyons
and Hague meetings will contribute to this. The
implementation and follow-up of UN conferences on environment and development
are extremely important (Follow-up
to United Nations Major Conferences) In
general, improved coherence and coordination of the follow-up processes to
United Nations conferences are essential. The
review and appraisal processes should be made more rational, and the results
should become more visible and target-oriented. (United
Nations Finances) The
EU remains fully committed to putting UN finances on a sound, sustainable and
equitable basis, and therefore looks forward to securing a comprehensive reform
of both the regular and
peacekeeping scales in line with its long-standing position on this matter. The EU reaffirms its attachment to the principle of « capacity
to pay », as the basis of the United Nations Member States' contributions. (Reform)
The EU continues to support the
strengthening and revitalisation of the Organization.
Reform of its principal organs is essential for a more effective United
Nations. The European Union is resolved to contribute to this.
At a time when the UN is asked to meet the
challenges of peace, development and world regulation, I wish to assure it of
the full support of the European Union and its Member States.
Thank you, Mr. President. |
