HUNGARIAN STATEMENT
IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL

Resolution 1244 (1999) on Kosovo

NEW YORK, June 10, 1999

Mr. President,

Hungary associates itself with the statement made by the European Union. As a country bordering on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, having countless ties with it and its peoples, and among them with the sizeable Hungarian minority living there, and, consequently, having felt very keenly the effects of the conflict in its proximity, it also wishes to add how much it welcomes the adoption of the resolution before the Council today, which is a further step towards a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the situation in Kosovo.

Hungary believes that the United Nations has an indispensable role to play in this process. It hopes that the lessons learned from this tragic experience, just as from those in Bosnia, will ultimately help prevent similar conflicts or, once they explode, treat them in a timely and adequate manner.

One of the major yardsticks by which the international community will measure the success of the huge operation that is about to begin is the return of the refugees and displaced persons to their homes in Kosovo. An effective international security and civil presence is a sine qua non condition to help reach that objective. Hungary has been vocal in its firm opposition to aggressive nationalism, ethnocentrism, religious and ethnic intolerance which have led to so much suffering for all the peoples inhabiting former Yugoslavia. One feels devastated at the spectacle of human misery and material destruction and, last but not least, at the psychological trauma that these wars and conflicts have caused. To allow the systematic emptying of vast lands, well-organized campaigns of intimidation and atrocities to stand would have been a shameful betrayal of the ideal of a civilized world at the turn of the century. It would have acquiesced to the use of brutal force in pursuit of sinister political objectives. For us in the region, it would have sent a cancerous message attractive to emulate for some and fraught with unforeseeable consequences for the rest of us. In the end, military action was needed in order to stop this series of infernal events.

Hungary is vitally interested to see peace reestablished and the democratic values of Europe prevail in the region. It is of paramount importance to proceed expeditiously with the elaboration and implementation of a comprehensive approach to the stabilization and development of the whole region affected by this crisis. Hungary wishes to take an active part in translating this endeavour into action just as it intends to play its role in the implementation of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe initiated by the European Union. These undertakings represent an overall political strategy aimed at the resolution of present and potential problems threatening the South-Eastern corner of Europe. It is in this framework and with these purposes in mind that Hungary expresses its strong desire to live side by side with a democratic Federal Republic of Yugoslavia at peace with its ethnic communities, respectful of all human rights, including the rights of national minorities, and thus ready to rejoin the community of nations.

Thank you, Mr. President.