ADDRESS
by
H. E. Mr. LASZLO KOVACS
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
of the
REPUBLIC OF HUNGARYUNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
FIFTY-FIRST SESSION
GENERAL DEBATE
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 3, 1996
Mr. President,May I, at the outset, extend the congratulations of my delegation to you upon your election as President of the fifty-first session of this Assembly. In your endeavours, based on your rich diplomatic experience, you may count on the assistance and support of the Hungarian delegation.
Let me also pay tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral for his extremely able leadership throughout our historic fiftieth session.
The diversity of challenges facing the community of nations, the difficulties associated with finding proper responses, and the importance of building up supportive national and international constituencies are hardly susceptible to send multilateralism into oblivion. Yet, in this time of change, and despite the forceful tendencies of globalization, interdependence, and integration no single applicable approach is at hand for political leaders. The United Nations - given its unique role and capacities - can be the principal vehicle for the international community to select and address problems requiring universal response.
This organization, however, cannot and should not micro-manage the solution of all the urgent problems of our contemporary world. Times have changed, so must the United Nations. In several instances, the international community may act much more efficiently through regional organizations or specialized agencies. What is essential, though, is that nations forming this organization must stand up with one strong voice when the purposes and principles of the Charter are put to test. Violations of international law, of human rights and fundamental freedoms should be matched with legitimate and adequate responses by the international community, acting through the United Nations.
Mr. President,
The issue of multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation remains a legitimate concern to the United Nations. Last year, we were pleased by the indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. This important step not only constituted a major building block in the complex web of our non-proliferation and disarmament efforts, but served as a catalyst to forge consensus around the future direction and dynamics of this process. As a result of sustained and responsible work in the Conference on Disarmament, it has become possible to finalize the text of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Hungary stood fully behind this compromise text that captures the diversity of views and approaches, while still constituting a coherent and forward-looking document. Opening of the Treaty for signature has indeed been a landmark. Hungary was among the first countries to cosponsor resolution 50/245. I signed the Treaty on the day following opening it for signature. This Treaty is not the end of the process. There is a need for further systematic and progressive efforts towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and the CTBT must be given its due place in that process. In this context, we join those who call for its smooth entry into force, thus allowing the disarmament process to proceed.
Mr. President,
Hungary consistently seeks to contribute to the strengthening of stability and security also by way of its cooperative efforts at both regional and bilateral levels. Building upon our intensified relations with the European Union, we look forward to the early beginning of negotiations on our accession to the EU. We hold the firm view that the enlargement of the North Atlantic Alliance will expand stability and security in Europe and will strengthen trans-Atlantic partnership and solidarity. Hungary, in its bilateral relations with neighbouring countries, is striving to contribute to the establishment of conditions enabling them all to be full partners in joining the institutions of Euro-Atlantic integration. We remain convinced that with an enlarged NATO and an expanded EU, the United Nations will have even more efficient and helpful regional partners.
Mr. President,
The crisis in the Balkans has proven to be a painful and dramatic litmus-test of the resolve of the international community. The United Nations has also had to draw its own conclusions from the tragedy. Today, the mission of UNTAES in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium is making progress on the road to the peaceful reintegration of the region into Croatia, while securing respect for the human rights of all its inhabitants and the rights of national minorities in the region. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the role and determination of IFOR is indispensable to guarantee the implementation of the Dayton Agreements. The cooperation - through IFOR - between NATO, the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe to respond to the different facets of this major challenge is an innovative paradigm for future conflict-resolution and crisis management efforts.
We strongly believe that a solid international presence is required to allow democracy and stability to take firm root in the region. Hungary continues to provide the necessary logistical and transit facilities to IFOR forces and UN peacekeepers, and is contributing to the strength of both IFOR and UNIPTF. The return and reintegration of refugees and displaced persons - including those who found shelter in Hungary - pose a continuing challenge to the international community. Establishment of democracy and the rule of law should be accompanied by reconstruction and rehabilitation, thereby facilitating the conditions of safe and orderly return. Citizens should be assisted by the international community in their efforts to create and activate democratic institutions where good governance and accountability will force war criminals out of the political mainstream. We see the work of the Tribunal in The Hague as an essential component of the Dayton peace process, and cooperation extended to it an important indicator of the willingness of the parties to follow through both their Dayton commitments and their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations.
Experience that can be drawn from the recently held elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina suggests that keeping to the schedule agreed at Dayton was a sound decision. We remain concerned, however, at the ethnically divided voting results. This only highlights the urgency of proceeding without undue delay to the building up of a unique institutional infrastructure for the country, also facilitating the holding of municipal elections in a more stable political environment.
Mr. President,
We are now in a period of reflection as regards the United Nations' conflict-prevention and crisis-management capabilities. In our view, the UN, as it continues to live up to its responsibilities under the Charter, ought to craft its response strategies more carefully. The preventive capacity of the United Nations should be further strengthened. A sound system of early warning, combining the political, military, humanitarian, human rights and economic areas will broaden the base of options and would enhance the chances for success in the early detection of conflict situations. An early international monitoring presence has in itself a major deterring effect. In-depth information on a given situation would catalyze diplomatic efforts and would help trigger a broad consensus on the course of action to be followed.
Specialized agencies and regional organizations, such as OSCE, are of primary importance in defusing the sources of tension through creating appropriate and efficient response mechanisms. The United Nations, while fully discharging its responsibilities under the Charter in the maintenance of international peace and security, can authorize and thus give legitimacy to these endeavours as well as to actions to be taken by ad hoc coalitions of the able and willing. The building up of regional peacekeeping and peace-building capacities as well as the increase of the operational character of some key activities of specialized agencies are among those avenues that have to be more fully explored.
Mr. President,
The reform agenda of the United Nations has been put in motion against the background of these new challenges and opportunities. Despite the considerable progress in identifying the main areas of change within the different negotiating structures, it causes us serious concern that the overall reform process has lost most of its dynamics. While we should not allow that individual consensual elements of the reform process be made hostage to progress in unrelated issues, there seems to be an evident need to reach a political agreement at least on the basic philosophy of the major premises of the reform agenda. Hungary is aware of the difficulties that make real progress so hard to achieve. It stands ready to contribute to reinvigorate the momentum for change and to make genuine UN reform an early reality.
Mr. President,
Promotion of the international protection of human rights is a fundamental component of my Government's foreign policy, and one of the essential tasks conferred upon the United Nations by its founders. Despite the remarkable results achieved in standard-setting and the building up of implementation machinery, there is still much to do in maintaining our determination to act in defense of human rights, wherever abuses may occur. Chronic underfunding, lack of efficient coordination, the sometimes evasive or uncooperative attitude of several governments only underline this urgency, which was finally recognized when human rights have been made one of the program priorities of the UN. In our view, the United Nations, despite the important advances made, such as the establishment of the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights, is still not sufficiently equipped to deal with the latest and gravest of human rights challenges, those emanating from ethnic conflict, civil strife, breakdown of government and the collapse of the rule of law.
The importance of safeguarding and monitoring the observance of the rights of national or ethnic minorities is still too often disregarded and put in the context of political expediencies. Lack of full respect for the rights of minorities, together with the absence of necessary political, legal, institutional and administrative guarantees are among the root causes of many of the conflicts on our agenda.
Today, when we witness the growing importance of human rights operational activities, the timeliness of the concept of preventive peace-building comes to mind. This implies not only an enhanced human rights preventive and monitoring capacity of the United Nations, but also the right combination and use of the assets at our disposal, from early warning to preventive protection. The practice of financing some UN human rights field operations from the peacekeeping budget and a greater coordinating role for the High Commissioner for Human Rights may be two of the avenues which deserve our full attention.
Mr. President,
We wish to underline that the way the UN is going to tackle the crucial global problems mankind is facing will greatly determine the quality of the upcoming next century. Let me refer, in this context, to the importance of some of the problems on the agenda of this session. Sustained efforts to combat international terrorism, transnational crime or illicit drug trafficking are required from all of us in order to preserve the international legal order, the present achievements and further potential of democracy and development. The UN has an important role in coordinating efforts to ensure that those involved in terrorist activities find no safe haven and expect a vigorous response from the international community. Transboundary criminal activity and drug-related money-laundering require the strict application of the law by strong, independent judiciaries. Our task is to make use of the advantages of multilateral cooperation in this field.
The Republic of Hungary stands ready to work in partnership with Member States to promote efficient multilateral action and to translate into deeds the noble ideals set forth in the Charter of the United Nations.