Albania, 2003

At the outset, allow

me to congratulate you, Sir, on your election as

President of the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth

session. I am fully convinced that, under your

leadership, the proceedings of this session will be

crowned with success.

It is only right that, in addressing the present

audience, my first thought should go to Mr. Sergio

Vieira de Mello, the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights and Special

Representative of the Secretary-General to Iraq. From

this rostrum, I wish to pay homage to his activity and

contribution and to express profound sadness over the

loss of his and other human lives in the cruel terrorist

attack on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad.

This session is convening at the end of a year full

of challenges and achievements for the international

community, and certainly for the United Nations. We

believe that the United Nations has identified the

maintenance of peace, security and international stability

and the protection of human rights as the fundamental

objectives of its activity. This is best reflected in the

Millennium Declaration, which outlines the common

vision for building a better world without conflict or

poverty. We share the opinion of Secretary-General

Kofi Annan that the major changes that occurred across

the world following the events of 11 September 2003,

the phenomenon of international terrorism and the wars

in Afghanistan and Iraq have emphasized the need to

address the major challenges of our times from a new

perspective and, in this context, to further improve the

performance of the United Nations structures.

In this spirit, Albania did not hesitate to join the

United States-led coalition against international terrorism.

Albania has signed 12 international conventions and

protocols in the war against terrorism. It is working

closely with its neighbours, other countries at large and

international bodies with a view to eradicating the

potential sources of various forms of terrorism.

We underscore the need for vigilance,

coordination and reaction in the face of the threats

currently posed by weapons of mass destruction. These

weapons be they chemical, biological or nuclear

are even more dangerous in the hands of terrorists. At

the same time, we are actively participating in the

peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well

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as in Bosnia and Georgia, as a demonstration of our

will and commitment to the war on terror and to efforts

to secure peace and security. We consider that deep-

rooted democratic changes are important for both

Afghanistan and Iraq. It is our conviction that the

ability to live in freedom, despite the difficulties of

transition, marks a point of no return on the journey

away from dictatorship and from the terror that

threatens others as well.

Albanian politics and society have adopted a

unified approach towards Euro-Atlantic integration,

which is one of our major priorities. Consistent with

our vital interests, the integration process has all

popular support. We regard this not merely as a

mechanical affiliation to the European Union and the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but as

adherence to the standards and values of freedom,

democracy and the free market. Given the brief period

since the onset of these changes and the negative heritage

of the past, we must recognize that Albania has made

important and substantial achievements on the road of

democracy, but this is no reason for complacency.

We are aware that it will take far greater effort to

move the initiated reforms forward, especially in the

realm of the judiciary, the economy and the fight

against crime and corruption, the latter having afflicted

post-communist societies in general. We are already in

the process of negotiation on the Stabilization and

Association Agreement with the European Union. The

Thessaloniki summit once again confirmed the open-

door policy to be pursued towards Albania and the

other four countries of the Western Balkans.

Significant positive steps have also been taken

concerning the NATO membership process, specifically

following the Prague summit. The commitment of

Albania, Croatia and Macedonia under the Adriatic 3

Charter will bring them closer to membership

standards. We maintain that our convergence towards

the standards of NATO and the European Union today

and our full-fledged membership tomorrow will benefit

the countries of our region, just as it will benefit

Europe itself and overall peace and security.

Albania considers regional cooperation to be a

prerequisite and encouragement for Euro-Atlantic

integration. We believe that the pursuit of dialogue, as

well as enhanced cooperation and understanding

among the Balkan countries, deeply reflect the

aspirations of our citizens and impart a fresh impulse to

the integrating processes. The Balkans, which not long

ago were known as a source of conflicts and crises,

now reveal a different picture that has changed in a

positive way, with a significantly moderated political

climate prevailing in the area. The region of former

nationalistic clashes has turned into an area in which

the culture of dialogue and good understanding is

putting down roots. Although the supporters of the

divisive and tragic past are still active in politics,

overall the new political class in the Balkans is looking

forward to the future and cooperation.

Albania and the Albanians are playing an active

role in building and strengthening this new spirit. We

want and are working to ensure that we establish

friendly relations of cooperation with all the countries

in the region, so that we can move ahead towards our

common European future. The investment our countries

are making in a Euro-Atlantic future is one of the

principal guarantees that the region will free itself from

the bitter past and join the democratic flow of our times.

Albania and the Balkans attach special

importance to the enhancement of stability and the

reinforcement of democracy in the areas formerly

known as hotbeds. We appreciate the democratic and

integrating developments in Kosovo, which do credit to

the contribution of the United Nations Interim

Administration Mission in Kosovo and the former

Special Representative of the Secretary-General,

Mr. Steiner. We support the new mission under the

leadership of Mr. Holkeri and admire the performance

of society and institutions in Kosovo towards building

a democratic model of coexistence among its citizens.

Stability in Kosovo is very important for stability

in the region. That is why we have consistently

bolstered the reforms and the achievements made with

regard to the establishment and strengthening of the

democratic institutions there. We have denounced acts

of violence and have encouraged every initiative that

helps to ensure respect for the norms of a democratic

society, enforce the rule of law, promote a sustained

and developed market economy, build democratic

institutions, maintain inter-ethnic harmony and

facilitate the return of displaced persons.

Albania has urged and supported the efforts to

start a dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade on

mutually beneficial technical issues. We claim that the

pursuit of dialogue is the best way to address problems

and to create the necessary trust. Albania is of the

opinion that the future of Kosovo, and hence its final

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status, is an issue that ought to be decided at a later

stage, which should not be postponed indefinitely.

It is already widely recognized that this status

will be determined through the will of the citizens of

Kosovo in cooperation with the international

community. Compliance with the required standards

and determination of status are closely related and

interdependent issues. The standards ensure the normal

functioning of the local institutions, while the status

brings about stability, peace and development in

Kosovo and the region.

The positive developments in Macedonia also

give rise to hope for the achievement of lasting

stability. We maintain, however, that the integral

implementation of the Ohrid Agreement without delay

is of crucial importance to the future of Macedonia.

Albania denounces the extremists on all sides and

abides by the spirit of tolerance and inter-ethnic

coexistence.

The Republic of Albania supports the plans and

initiatives aimed at providing a comprehensive and

lasting solution to the situation in the Middle East. In

that context, we consider the road map to be the way

towards the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian

conflict. Before reaching that settlement, however,

violence and terrorist acts should be renounced forever.

Dialogue and the spirit of agreement should be

promoted until an enforceable final solution is found.

We believe that peace in the Middle East is an

important pillar for peace and security the world over.

The settlement of the Palestinian issue is essential for

the resolution of the crisis in the Middle East and a

core element for success in the fight against terrorism.

The Albanian State values and believes in an

even greater role of the United Nations in the

strengthening of peace, security and economic and

social development throughout the world. Albania

supports reform to make the United Nations an ever

stronger organization, capable of coping with the

challenges of the present and providing timely

solutions to issues of concern to all its Members. In

that respect, we welcome the objectives the Secretary-

General has set for the reform of the Organization as a

whole and for its specific organs, including the General

Assembly and the Security Council.

In conclusion, allow me to reaffirm Albania's

commitment to fulfilling its obligations stemming from

the decisions to be taken during the present session of

the General Assembly of the United Nations.