ADDRESS
by
H. E. Mr. LÁSZLÓ KOVÁCS
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
of the
REPUBLIC OF HUNGARYUNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
FIFTY-SECOND SESSION
GENERAL DEBATE
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 1, 1997
Mr. President,I am very pleased to see the Foreign Minister of neighbouring Ukraine assume the prestigious post of President of this fifty-second session of the General Assembly. In fulfilling your challenging tasks, Mr. President, you may rest assured of the support and cooperation of the delegation of Hungary.
Our tribute and thanks are also due to your predecessor, Ambassador Ismail Razali of Malaysia, who served us with distinction and innovative spirit.
Mr. President,
In the post Cold-War era, international organizations are undergoing a profound adaptation process. Here, in the United Nations, we are only at the beginning of a bumpy road. Whether the UN can find its place in the new international political environment of the 21st century depends on our foresight, realism and determination. If our decisions are underpinned by a strongly shared joint commitment to tackle the global agenda, we can make the United Nations relevant for the next millennium.
The reform proposals presented by Secretary-General Kofi Annan are guided by the urgency of the task, sober realism and healthy idealism, as well as personal commitment to change. We welcome the intention of the Secretary-General to proceed to the early implementation of concrete organizational measures within his own areas of competence.
The package of proposals which require action by the Member States themselves truly captures those areas of UN activities where agreements are necessary at this stage. The suggestions to ensure the desired coherence of UN efforts in development cooperation, to bolster its institutional capacity to combat international crime, drug trafficking and terrorism, or to integrate human rights concerns into all principal UN activities and programmes deserve our full support and need swift and concrete action. Let me add the voice of my delegation to all those who called for the approval of the package as a whole at this session, which will have to be followed by practical steps in order to translate it into meaningful action.
Mr. President,
In its foreign policy Hungary continues to serve international peace and stability, with special regard to its own region. The tragic events in former Yugoslavia, the crises and convulsions on the territory of the former Soviet Union and elsewhere, the emergence of aggressive nationalism as well as populism in Central and Eastern Europe as an appealing "remedy" for political problems, economic difficulties and social tensions are vivid reminders of the critical, sometimes lethal nature of these challenges. They underscore the importance for the international community to act with appropriate means and in a timely manner.
Hungary supports the efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and of other multilateral regional organizations to help prevent new conflicts, to initiate, where needed, peace-keeping and peace-building activities, to solidify the rule of law and to promote cooperation in the OSCE area. My country is seeking to consolidate genuine good-neighbourly relations with all the countries of its region, especially with countries bordering it, and to launch regional initiatives and enhance regional cooperation to better respond to the new challenges threatening regional stability. It is in this spirit that we have been active in the creation of and sought to expand various forms of regional cooperation such as the Central European Initiative, the Central European Free Trade Agreement and the South-East European Cooperative Initiative involving a large number of countries in the region, or moved ahead with trilateral, more tailor-made cooperative schemes with a number of our immediate neighbours. Regional and cross-border cooperation is a valuable asset for regional stability and security and has to be utilized to the full extent of its potential.
As we look forward, upon the invitation we received from the NATO Summit in Madrid, to the winding up of the accession talks with the Alliance and in the expectation of the commencement of negotiations on our entry into the European Union next January, we wish to develop further such regional activities of dialogue and wide-ranging cooperation in order to prevent the emergence of new dividing lines and to assist all the countries of the region in their drive to join the mainstream European developments. We are also confident that Hungary, through the structures of Euro-Atlantic integration, will become an even more active partner and supporter of the United Nations.
Mr. President,
The post-Cold War era has brought to the forefront urgent questions. These include issues related to the future operation of the United Nations conflict-management capacity. The debate unfolding on these problems has political, legal and, quite often, emotional dimensions as well. We welcome the proposals of the Secretary-General geared towards enhancing the rapid reaction capabilities of the UN.
It is in this context that in recent years Hungary has increased its participation in UN mandated peace-keeping operations in a variety of ways, including both infrastructural and logistical support and the deployment of military and police personnel, an example of which is the Hungarian contribution to IFOR and SFOR and the considerable increase in the number of Hungarian peace-keepers serving in UNFICYP. We are pleased that the performance and professional skill of my compatriots engaged in various such operations all across the globe are considered positively.
The issue of the functioning and the size of the Security Council has been extensively dealt with at several United Nations fora. Legitimacy and efficiency are both important premises for any pattern of Security Council reform. The general view is that, once the Security Council is enlarged, its size and composition should not be an impediment, but rather an asset for effective decision-making and action, enjoying the widest possible support and cooperation of the membership at large. Agreement on Security Council enlargement is a fundamental pillar of the UN reform process. We have to make sure that with a future Security Council comprising Germany, Japan and countries each from Africa, Asia and Latin-America and the Caribbean as permanent members, and also additional non-permanent members, we preserve and enhance the purpose-oriented character of this important body.
Mr. President,
The financial reform of our Organization is an indispensable prerequisite to ensure its viability and relevance. Payment of assessed contributions is an obligation under the UN Charter. Hungary has made serious efforts to meet all its outstanding financial assessments, and now we belong to the yet small, but hopefully growing group of Member States which pay all their contributions to the regular as well as peace-keeping budgets in full and without conditions.
To solve the financial crisis, we must find a way that is acceptable to Member States and is good for the Organization. The delegation of Hungary stands ready to join in further constructive efforts along the lines of the proposal presented by the European Union with a view to arrive at a comprehensive compromise solution.
Mr. President,
After the demise of the political structures of the Cold War, international protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms can no more be relegated to some distant corners of UN activities. As a legitimate concern of the international community, human rights issues should be given weight in all UN activities and in a well-coordinated manner. Accordingly, this must find its reflection in the provision of adequate fundings.
Today, human rights are violated on a massive scale worldwide and we all must stand up in their defense, while holding violators accountable wherever abuses occur. We are aware that there exist regional, cultural and other specificities in the field of human rights. We believe, however, that these should not stand in the way of consistency in promoting the universal respect of human rights and should not allow complacency to surface in attitudes vis-à-vis human rights violations.
We are pleased with the excellent choice of the Secretary-General to appoint Mrs. Mary Robinson to serve as the next High Commissioner for Human Rights. We will lend her assistance to make the United Nations more effective in responding to human rights challenges, including those stemming from ethnic discrimination. As recent developments have shown, these represent a threat to regional and international stability and security.
Mr. President,
Development and environment are questions of utmost importance for the future, and even survival, of humankind. UN activities in this sphere should lead to the elaboration of a comprehensive program for sustainable development acceptable to all nations. We wish to voice our concern as to the insufficient progress achieved in this domain. We lend our full support to efforts aimed at seeking solutions to the burning questions of underdevelopment and at stopping the processes of degradation of the ecological habitat of our planet.
Armed conflicts continue to take their toll sometimes decades after the cessation of hostilities, due to the presence of anti-personnel land-mines. The plight of tens of thousands of innocent victims has been a growing source of international concern in no small part as a result of effective advocacy by human rights groups and humanitarian organizations. Hungary stands for the total ban of these devices. My Government has supported the Ottawa process from its very inception, it welcomes the success of the Diplomatic Conference held on this issue in Oslo and intends to become one of the first signatories of the new Convention. This is an important milestone in the development of international humanitarian law and in the endeavour to put an end to the immense human suffering caused by the proliferation and indiscriminate use of these weapons. At the same time, in our view, the remarkable achievements of the Oslo Conference do not diminish the role that other fora, including the Conference on Disarmament, can play in promoting the objectives of the new Convention.
Mr. President,
The horrible atrocities and genocidal acts committed during recent conflicts have speeded up negotiations on establishing an international criminal jurisdiction on war crimes and crimes against humanity. By establishing the ad hoc Tribunals on former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the international community reaffirmed an important principle: all those having committed war crimes or crimes against humanity are to be held personally responsible and accountable. It is our legitimate expectation that all persons indicted by the Tribunals will be brought to justice and, conversely, failing to cooperate fully with the Tribunals will not remain without consequences.
The experience emanating from the functioning of these two ad hoc Tribunals paved the way for the wider acceptance of the idea of an International Criminal Court, thus creating a firm legal basis at the universal level for the establishment of individual criminal responsibility with regard to war crimes and crimes against humanity. We are committed to pursuing vigorously the negotiations at this session to enable the finalization of the Statute of the Court at the diplomatic conference to be held next year.
Mr. President,
At this session, we have to focus our efforts on preparing the ground for practical steps to make the United Nations a viable and dynamic body. We must maintain the momentum for change if we want to ensure a decent future for the human experiment.
Thank you, Mr. President.