Albania, 1996

Let me begin by expressing my warmest congratulations to

Mr. Razali Ismail on his election to the presidency of the

General Assembly as well as my best wishes for his

success. I am pleased also to take this occasion to convey

my sincere appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Diogo

Freitas do Amaral for the excellent manner in which he

guided the proceedings of the Assembly during the previous

session. We wish also to pay tribute to the Secretary-

General, His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his

invaluable contribution and his tireless efforts in effectively

steering the Organization.

Despite many difficulties and financial problems, the

United Nations is striving to play its irreplaceable role in

the service of peace and security through peacekeeping

operations and the promotion of international cooperation.

The United Nations Blue Helmets have already become

symbols of hope in the major areas of conflict throughout

the world. The Albanian Government sincerely hopes that

a lasting peace will be established in Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Burundi, Liberia,

and everywhere else.

The United Nations is undergoing the most severe

financial crisis in its history. This year alone, the

Organization ran out of money in its regular budget three

times and was therefore forced to borrow funds from its

peacekeeping operations budget. The tasks of today and

the challenges of tomorrow require a general reform of

the entire United Nations system. Albania has actively

participated in the debate on the preparatory process to

reform the Security Council within the framework of the

Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable

Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the

Security Council. Albania is in favour of increasing the

size of the Council by two permanent seats: Germany and

Japan. We also believe that options should be considered

that relate to a broader representation of Member States,

in order to make the Council more efficient and better

able to fulfil its mandate.

Revitalization of the Economic and Social Council

must be part of the reform process. We all firmly believe

that as long as wide economic gaps exist between North

and South, and East and West, several peoples and

countries will face key problems related to their survival,

and risks of tension, conflicts and regional hostility will

prevail. For this reason, reform of the Security Council

will not aid the cause of global peace and stability if it is

not accompanied by an equally effective reform of the

Economic and Social Council.

After a long 50 years of communist rule, Albania has

now been a democracy for five years. During this period of

democratic reform, it has had to face innumerable major

problems, including its communist heritage, with its

associated spirit of class struggle; and its extreme poverty

and strict isolation. The country’s transition was rendered

yet more difficult by the situation in the region, which was

weighted down by the crisis in the former Yugoslavia and

the related application of the sanctions regime for several

years. Nonetheless, Albania has been able to evolve from

a one-party to a multiple-party system; from repression to

the establishment of a State based on the rule of law and on

respect for human rights and minorities; from a highly

centralized and depressed economy to a growing, free-

market economy; and from isolationism to openness to

Euro-Atlantic integration.

Albania’s gross domestic product has increased

annually, from 11 per cent in 1992 to 15 per cent in 1996.

Inflation fell 400 per cent in 1992 and now stands at 7.5

per cent in 1996. Our national currency’s exchange rate has

gained some stability, and our foreign debt has been paid.

Although five years ago the economy was totally

centralized, privatization is now proceeding rapidly in all

the major economic sectors; at present 75 per cent of

overall production comes from the private sector. The

unemployment rate has dropped from 39 per cent in 1992

to 12 per cent in 1996. Within four years, Albania was able

to completely liberalize prices.

Clearly, transforming a centralized economy into a

market economy is difficult and sometimes painful,

especially for certain economic sectors and for certain

segments of the population. I should like to take this

opportunity to again sincerely thank the European Union,

the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the

World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and

Development, the International Monetary Fund and a

number of United Nations specialized agencies for the

valuable assistance they have provided to my country

during this period of transition. We are confident that these

institutions will continue to help Albania.

Over the past four years, Albania’s prestige in the

international arena has increased considerably, giving proof

of its priority Euro-Atlantic orientation. Albania is already

a member of the Council of Europe and an active

participant in the Partnership for Peace, and is working for

its full integration into the North Atlantic Treaty

Organization and the European Union. In this regard

Albania highly appreciates the support of the member

States of the European Union and is convinced that the time

has come to accelerate the process of Albania’s

integration. We also welcome the current progress being

made in solidifying our relations with the United States,

which the Albanians consider to be the champion of

democracy and freedom. We are confident that these

relations, which are of great importance to Albania, will

continue to develop.

Albania’s regional policy is based on a desire to

promote peace and stability in the Balkans. Given the

geo-strategic position of Albania, the deteriorating

situation of those Albanians living in exile in other

Balkan countries, and the prolonged crisis in the former

Yugoslavia, the Albanian Government’s significant

contribution to regional peace and stability demonstrates

its willingness to establish regional cooperation in line

with Euro-Atlantic trends. Determined to continue this

policy and to increase its contribution, Albania hosted the

first Conference of South-Balkans Defence Ministers,

which served as a first step leading to the Conference of

the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, held in Sofia some

months later. As part of this contribution, my country has

just established a peacekeeping unit, now serving in

Zadar, Croatia within the framework of the

Implementation Force (IFOR).

The Albanian Government continues to believe that

the question of the Balkans requires greater attention by

the international community and by the United Nations in

particular. The bitter history of the region and the

prolonged conflict of recent years have proved clearly that

the threat of war always looms large in countries where

ultra-nationalism and chauvinism hold sway. We all are

aware of the importance of the Dayton Agreement in

resolving the conflict in the Balkans. We have always

stressed the importance of identifying the major cause of

that conflict: Serb ultra-nationalism.

While making a serious effort to assist in the

implementation of the Dayton Agreement, the

Government of the Republic of Albania wishes once

again to draw the attention of the United Nations to the

serious problem of Kosovo. In the 1980s, Kosovo —

more than 90 per cent of whose population consists of

Albanians who have lived on their own territory for

thousands of years — was the first to speak of the danger

that Serb ultra-nationalism posed to the territories of the

former Yugoslavia. National chauvinism; ethnic

intolerance; racial, economic and religious discrimination;

“ethnic cleansing”; and acts of violence and repression

against an entire population — characteristic features of

Serb policy — were demonstrated for the first time in

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Kosovo. In fact, the crisis in the former Yugoslavia began

in Kosovo, though at that time the international community

paid scant attention to what the Albanians were saying. It

was not until the crisis became a bloody conflict in Bosnia

and Herzegovina that proper attention was paid.

The Kosovo issue must be duly examined and treated

in the spirit of the Dayton Agreement. It is now considered

one of the serious international issues that must be resolved,

and it has been the subject of several documents and

decisions of the Organization for Security and Cooperation

in Europe and of the United Nations. However, the situation

in Kosovo is still tense and volatile. The fact that up to

now an armed conflict between the Albanians living in

Kosovo and the Serbs has been avoided — or rather,

resisted — is primarily the result of the peaceful policy

pursued by the legitimate political representatives of the

people of Kosovo, and of the foreign policy of the Albanian

Government.

We believe that Kosovo deserves a status that reflects

the political will of its people as well as the international

instruments relating to the right of peoples to self-

determination. The agreement on education in Kosovo,

recently reached by representatives of Kosovo and

Belgrade, is a promising step towards further efforts fully

to guarantee the Kosovo Albanians basic freedoms and

human and national rights. The Government of the Republic

of Albania believes that through constructive dialogue, in

the presence of a credible international third party, a

solution to this acute problem can be found.

We thank the General Assembly for its consideration

of the situation in Kosovo, particularly through its

resolutions 49/204 of 23 December 1994 and 50/190 of 22

December 1995. We would like to take this opportunity to

appeal once again to the international community to

continue its efforts until this issue is definitively resolved.

Albania’s foreign policy is characterized by efforts to

establish good relations with its neighbours. Albania has

always been in favour of peace, stability, and economic and

cultural cooperation with its neighbouring countries.

Albania and Greece have been able to establish good

relations, which are expanding and strengthening. The

Government of the Republic of Albania and the Albanian

people are grateful to the Government and the people of

Greece for having supported us during our difficult period

of transition. The current positive developments in

Albanian-Greek relations show, to our great pleasure, that

in bilateral relations all problems can be solved

satisfactorily and within a reasonable time-frame if there is

political good will and a serious commitment by both

sides. The friendly relations between our two countries

are concrete testimony of the achievements of both the

Greek and the Albanian Governments. Good relations

between two neighbouring countries such as Albania and

Greece show that the existence of national minorities in

neighbouring countries can serve as a bridge of friendship

and become a connective link between countries. The

recognition and equal treatment of national minorities,

coupled with respect for the independence, sovereignty

and territorial integrity of each State, are essential

elements in such relations.

The Albanian Government has taken steps to show

its interest in establishing mutually beneficial relations

with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Albania was among the first countries to officially

recognize that State, while at the same time assuring it of

our readiness to work with it to establish stronger

relations in all fields, independently of the problems

relating to the situation and the position of those

Albanians living in that State. My country believes that

the normalization and improvement of relations with

Serbia and Montenegro depends on Belgrade taking

certain steps, such as respecting the Dayton Agreement,

taking concrete measures to put an end to the violence

against and the suppression of the rights of the Albanians

in Kosovo, and making a serious commitment to a

peaceful solution to the Kosovo question.

Albania attaches particular importance to its relations

with its western neighbour, Italy. This ancient relationship

has lasted as long as our peoples have lived in the

Mediterranean. In the framework of the European Union,

Italy has been one of the main donors to Albania. We are

very grateful to the Italian Government and people for the

tremendous assistance they have given our country during

this difficult period of transition, and for the spirit of

good will that has always prevailed in our relations. We

believe these things provide a solid basis for further

positive developments in the future.

Before concluding my address before the Assembly,

allow me to assure members, on behalf of the Albanian

Government, of our continued support for the activities of

the United Nations. We will continue to contribute to the

strengthening of the Organization and of its irreplaceable

role in the service of peace, security, progress and

democracy throughout the world. My small country,

Albania, will always be committed to contribute actively

to all the work of the Organization.

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