Bulgaria, 1998

Allow me, on behalf of

the Bulgarian delegation, to congratulate Mr. Opertti on his

election to the presidency of the fifty-third session of the

General Assembly and to wish him every success in

guiding this important session to tangible results.

I would like also to express our appreciation to

Mr. Udovenko for the proficiency and insight with which

he presided over the fifty-second session.

The Republic of Bulgaria, as an associated country,

has aligned itself with the statement on behalf of the

European Union, delivered by Mr. Wolfgang Schüssel,

Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Foreign Affairs of

Austria.

While the search for new approaches and responses

to the processes of globalization confronts humanity with

new challenges, existing cases of conflict, unrest and

underdevelopment bear the mark of the divisions and

confrontations of past decades. The question we have to

address now is whether the next millennium will be one

of continued unrest and confrontation or one of peace and

prosperity for all United Nations Member States, big or

small.

Globalization and interdependence are bringing

profound changes to the world we live in. An increasing

number of issues, such as the economic and financial

crisis, organized crime, terrorism and regional conflicts,

cannot be effectively resolved by individual countries.

Therefore, international cooperation is more necessary

than ever.

Today we are combining our efforts against the new

global threat, terrorism. But we must not forget that

terrorism appears mainly in unstable regions or weak

countries, and from there spreads to the rest of the world.

That is why the problems of such unstable countries can

neither remain their own responsibility, nor even

problems of their regions. The problems seem to be much

more global. The question today is how to combat the

criminal world, how to manage crisis and regional

conflicts, how to feed and shelter refugees. Tomorrow the

question will be how to guarantee democratic stability

through long-term engagements. The other approach is

only to react to the consequences, thus adding new

problems. Such an approach does not solve the problem,

but becomes part of it; moreover the problem is

multiplied through its negative influence on neighbouring

countries.

We also believe that economic security is an

essential part of the framework in which our efforts to

make a better world are made. We are convinced that

security can be guaranteed not by “hot money”, but only

through real, long-term investments, which are crucial for

a successful economic restructuring.

27

Bulgaria has managed to gain some knowledge and

experience in handling the problems of the reform process.

In the past year and a half the Government has managed to

achieve: first, economic stability as a basis for moving

forward with structural reform and sustainable economic

growth; secondly, modernization of the public

administration; and, thirdly, efficient enforcement of the

rule of law in civil society.

Resolute steps have been taken, in compliance with

the Government programme “Bulgaria — 2001”, to

translate into practice the new foreign policy priorities. At

its core are the integration of Bulgaria into the European

and transatlantic political, economic and defence structures,

and the creation of a climate of confidence, stability and

cooperation in South-Eastern Europe.

We are now engaged in active diplomatic efforts

aimed at promoting the principles of democracy and

stability in the region of South-Eastern Europe in order to

contribute to the peaceful settlement of conflicts. I would

also like to stress that my country has already achieved

significant progress in another important area, combating

organized crime and corruption and promoting regional

cooperation in this field.

Let me now address the complex situation in the

Balkans. I would like to note the progress made in the

implementation of the Dayton Agreement. We consider that

the extended presence of the Stabilization Force (SFOR)

would contribute to the consolidation of peace and stability

in this region.

Bulgaria is particularly concerned about the continuing

tension in Kosovo. The crisis has reached a point where

there is no more room for general statements and palliative

solutions. The conflict in Kosovo has resulted in

thousands of civilian casualties. There is a serious threat of

deepening the crisis and a substantial risk of spillover to

other parts of South-Eastern Europe. We are convinced that

the only credible instrument for solving the problem is

negotiations between the parties involved, which have to

examine in a responsible manner all proposals for a

peaceful settlement. We support Security Council resolution

1199 (1998) adopted yesterday.

It is worth pointing out that as early as last February

Bulgaria proposed that the countries generating stability in

the region should unite their efforts in search of a peaceful

solution to this problem. The joint declarations of the

Foreign Ministers of countries of South-Eastern Europe,

adopted on the initiative of Bulgaria, reflect the will of

these countries to make their contribution to the efforts of

the Contact Group. They also illustrate the new spirit in

relations between the States in the region and their

responsible approach to security and stability. For the first

time in many years our countries managed to put aside

their differences so as to elaborate and express a common

position on a problem of immediate concern. This

approach sets the groundwork for the establishment of a

politico-diplomatic mechanism for crisis management and

prevention.

In our view, those States which would like to

contribute to stability and security in the region have to

take into consideration the interests and positions of the

countries situated there. A common understanding has

been expressed that any measures aimed at settling the

problems of the region, sanctions included, should take

into account the political and economic stability of South-

Eastern Europe. They should not infringe upon the

interests of the countries involved. Therefore, we believe

that efficient measures should be of a political, and not of

an economic, character.

28

An issue of special relevance for Bulgaria and also, I

believe, for other countries of the region, is the negative

impact on the national economy of the strict implementation

of the economic sanctions imposed until recently by the

Security Council on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. As

is well known, Bulgaria strictly abided by the Council?s

decisions, suffering as a result economic losses which have

almost been equal to Bulgaria?s foreign debt for three years.

Given the continued relevance of that issue internationally,

Bulgaria supports the view that since all provisions of the

Charter are of equal importance, assistance to third States

affected by sanctions has to be taken into consideration

together with the imposition of sanctions. The elaboration

of a concrete United Nations mechanism for this purpose is

therefore of the utmost importance.

It is incumbent upon the United Nations to find ways

and means of alleviating the negative consequences of

sanctions with regard to third States. It is our view that

closer and more direct participation in the whole process by

all third States which could be adversely affected by the

imposition of sanctions is necessary. We are confident that

discussion of this issue at the present session will yield

more concrete results in accordance with the decisions

already adopted and the report of the Secretary-General to

be submitted under resolution 52/162.

We are convinced that lasting stability in South-

Eastern Europe is possible only through multilateral security

cooperation coupled with effective economic,

infrastructural, cultural, information and other integrated

links to other parts of Europe. In this regard, the expansion

of the European and transatlantic organizations to South-

Eastern Europe will create a belt of security in the area and

prevent possible regional crises in the future.

As an integral part of Europe, Bulgaria regards our

accelerated accession to the European Union and full

membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

(NATO) as an expression of our political choice based on

broad public support. These priorities are embedded in the

national security concept approved by the Bulgarian

parliament last April. Since Bulgaria is determined to

promote and enhance the values of democracy, we are

certainly interested in ensuring that these values become

widely accepted throughout South-Eastern Europe.

The Republic of Bulgaria welcomes its inclusion in the

process of enlargement of the European Union, together

with other associated countries of Central and Eastern

Europe and Cyprus. The Bulgarian Government is fully

aware that our accession aspirations are contingent on the

success of the domestic, economic and legislative reforms.

It is against this background that a national strategy for

accession to the European Union, outlining the main

activities of the country from a long-term perspective,

was adopted last March.

The Bulgarian Government has developed a clear-cut

national strategy to meet the criteria for NATO

membership, based on a comprehensive national

programme of preparation which is being constantly

updated and optimized. Bulgaria has the political will and

is undertaking concrete steps to fulfil in regional terms

the objectives of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council

and the enhanced Partnership for Peace. Our positive

attitude is reflected in the ongoing regional political

dialogue and the practical follow-up measures to enhance

regional security and defence cooperation in South-

Eastern Europe.

We consider multilateral confidence and security-

building measures to be an important aspect of political

cooperation in the region. An important example of this

cooperation is the initiative to create a multinational peace

force in South-Eastern Europe. In the course of the

negotiations on this project, Bulgaria proposed hosting the

joint headquarters of the force in the Bulgarian city of

Plovdiv. The establishment of the force will strengthen

the spirit of confidence and cooperation in the region.

Another key aspect of regional cooperation is the

process of good-neighbourly relations, stability, security

and cooperation in South-Eastern Europe initiated at the

Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the

Countries of South-Eastern Europe in Sofia in 1996.

Annual ministerial meetings have been held since then, as

well as a number of specialized expert meetings devoted

to issues of common interest in various fields, including

transport, energy, transborder cooperation, combating

organized crime and drug-trafficking.

Closely linked to the maintenance of international

peace and security is the fight against terrorism and

international crime. We condemn all terrorist acts and

lament the loss of life and the destruction inflicted by

them. The most recent deplorable examples of such acts

were the horrible bomb attacks in some African countries.

We share the view that the threat of terrorism requires a

decisive and joint response by the whole international

community. Bulgaria supports the activities of the United

Nations aimed at setting norms and standards for the fight

against terrorism and international crime through

29

negotiating various legal instruments and creating the

appropriate institutions for this purpose.

We consider that successfully combating terrorism and

organized crime in some countries cannot be achieved

through the efforts of their Governments alone. It requires

the effective involvement of other States, which have the

means and the experience in this field. Bulgaria fully

supports the recent initiative by France and Great Britain to

convene a high-level conference in London this autumn

aimed at depriving terrorists of their support. We note with

appreciation that on 18 July this year, the Diplomatic

Conference in Rome adopted the Statute of the International

Criminal Court. I would like to reiterate my country?s

confidence that the establishment in the foreseeable future

of the International Criminal Court will be an efficient step

towards deterring possible perpetrators from committing

terrorist acts.

The broadening of the human aspect of development

through democracy and participation has been widely

accepted and has become one of the priorities of United

Nations activities. This year we celebrate the fiftieth

anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

and the fifth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and

Programme of Action. The principle of the indivisibility of

universally recognized civil, political, economic, social and

cultural rights continues to be a key element of today?s

system for the promotion and protection of human rights

and freedoms. The designation of 1998 as the International

Year for Human Rights could stimulate a further

restructuring of United Nations human rights activities,

strengthening the staff of and securing adequate financial

resources for the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights. In this respect we would

like to commend the relevant measures taken by the High

Commissioner, Mrs. Mary Robinson, and to reiterate our

support for her efforts to this end.

Better implementation of international standards could

be achieved by improving the existing mechanisms and by

open dialogue on most sensitive issues, including those

related to human rights in individual States. Accordingly,

the Bulgarian Government attaches great importance to the

enjoyment of all human rights by Bulgarians living abroad

and considers respect for their rights to be an essential

element for the enhancement of bilateral relations.

Bulgaria supports the ongoing process of reform

pursued consistently by the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan,

and aimed at the streamlining and strengthening of the

Organization and at making it more efficient and responsive

to the new realities. One of the substantial issues of

overall United Nations reform is the question of

representation on and increase in the membership of the

Security Council. Bulgaria reiterates its willingness to

support such an enlargement of the Council, which could

guarantee its effectiveness and enhance its capacity to

maintain international peace and security. In our view the

enlargement should envisage the preservation of the

balance between the permanent and non-permanent

members, as well as among regional groups. As the

membership of the Group of Eastern European States has

doubled in the last decade, an additional non-permanent

seat for this group should be secured. A decision on the

enlargement of the Council and on its working methods

should be supported by the broadest possible consensus,

including all the Council?s permanent members.

Bulgaria attaches great importance to the activities

of the United Nations in the field of sustainable

development and is closely following the United Nations

dialogue and the activities of United Nations bodies and

agencies on the issues of demography, social

development, women and narcotic drugs. The special

session of the General Assembly on narcotic drugs, held

in June of this year, merits particular mention in this

regard. That session reflected the determination of

Member States to combine their efforts in the fight

against drugs, and its results contributed to the common

effort to achieve sustainable development.

As a country with an economy in transition, Bulgaria

cooperates actively with the United Nations system of

specialized agencies and programmes. Our interest is to

develop this cooperation further. We are looking forward

to more streamlined activities thanks to the potential of

the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for

capacity-building and assistance in the development and

execution of joint projects. At the same time, the basic

principles of universality and primary responsibility of

Governments for the process should be preserved. In this

regard the system of resident coordinators and the effort

to make this more operational will play an important role.

Here I would like to express our satisfaction with the

performance of the UNDP office in Sofia.

For Bulgaria, development and economic growth will

be impossible without full participation in world

economic and financial exchanges. In our opinion, the

United Nations and its institutions could be more strongly

involved in the solution of the specific problems of

economic transition and reforms.

Disarmament issues continue to have an important

place in overall efforts to secure a better world for future

generations. We agree with the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi

Annan, that disarmament is at the centre of our mission of

peace and development, and we welcome his decision to re-

establish the Department for Disarmament Affairs. The

Bulgarian Government attaches high priority to international

efforts to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime.

We call for an early entry into force of the Comprehensive

Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) as an important step in

that direction, and support the decision of the Conference

on Disarmament to establish an ad hoc committee to

conduct negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty. In

this context, we were deeply concerned by the nuclear tests

conducted by India and by Pakistan earlier this year.

Bulgaria has associated itself with statements by the

presidency of the European Union calling on India and

Pakistan to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and to sign the CTBT, as well as

to participate in negotiations on a fissile material cut-off

treaty with the aim of maintaining a strong global non-

proliferation regime.

We favour the strengthening of the Convention on the

Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling

of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on

Their Destruction, and believe that further acceleration of

the negotiations and an early conclusion of the protocol to

the Convention is required.

As a State party to the Convention on the Prohibition

of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of

Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, Bulgaria

would like to contribute to enlarging the number of

accessions to the Convention in order to achieve recognition

of the prohibition of chemical weapons as a universal norm

of international law. As a concrete effort to this end,

Bulgaria will host a regional seminar on the issue later this

month.

With regard to conventional arms, anti-personnel

landmines are widely recognized as a pernicious weapon

which indiscriminately kills and maims hundreds of

thousands of people worldwide. Convinced of the need

for a total prohibition of anti-personnel mines, on 29 July

this year the Bulgarian Parliament ratified the Convention

on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and

Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their

Destruction, thus contributing to its early entry into force.

We are also ready to contribute to the efforts of the

international community to reduce conventional weapons,

including small arms, and especially their excessive and

destabilizing accumulation in areas of conflict. We regard

universal participation in the United Nations Register of

Conventional Arms as an important step towards effective

transparency, both on a regional and a global scale.

In the context of the new challenges in the field of

international peace and security, United Nations

peacekeeping operations continue to be an essential

element in the Organization?s activities. My country

appreciates the efforts of the Secretary-General to ensure

wide support for these and to put in place the necessary

arrangements that will enable the United Nations to

deploy peacekeeping forces rapidly and effectively in

areas of conflict. We are convinced that the new

generation of peacekeeping operations should include in

their mandates a proportional combination of political,

military, humanitarian, reconstruction and other relevant

activities. In this regard, we believe that there are still

unused opportunities to strengthen United Nations

cooperation with regional organizations in the field of

preventive diplomacy, crisis management and

peacekeeping.

In conclusion, I would like once again to declare my

country?s readiness to cooperate actively with all other

Member States in the successful implementation of the

lofty goals of the present session of the General

Assembly. We are confident that our discussions on the

important agenda items before us will be translated into

practical measures.