Croatia, 2000

Year after year, we gather

under this universal roof to join our minds and

resources in order to make the world a safer and more

prosperous place or, at least, one a little less

burdened with all the troubles we have been trying to

resolve for decades but have so far not succeeded in

eradicating. Never before have we assembled in such

numbers and extent in the span of just a few weeks

first the religious leaders, then the Parliamentarians,

then the heads of State and Government and, finally,

the representatives to the General Assembly at its fifty-

fifth session. Let us hope that this unprecedented

congregation will not remain just a tribute to the dawn

of the twenty-first century, but will emerge as a

foundation for a better United Nations and a better

world it has to serve.

When our heads of State met at the Millennium

Summit earlier this month, they unanimously agreed on

the importance of the United Nations for our common

future. To say that the United Nations is the only

Organization that brings together all the countries of

the world would be stating the obvious, but we must

never underestimate the simple fact that this is the only

global Organization with universal membership and

comprehensive scope that indeed belongs to all of

us to all the peoples of the world. This is where the

ultimate strength of the United Nations lies.

Unfortunately, we have too often failed to recognize

this.

Some haunting facts should not be forgotten: the

fact that 1 billion people in this world of ours live on

less than $1 a day; the fact that 1 billion people do not

have access to clean water; the fact that the last time

the number of Security Council members was

expanded was nearly four decades ago, at a time when

the overall United Nations membership was almost half

of its current size.

The United Nations must amount to more than a

resolution or a decision, a plenary meeting or informal

consultations. We all have to work together, to spare no

effort to make the Organization more proficient, more

effective and fully at the disposal of all its Member

States. That is why Croatia welcomes the millennium

report of the Secretary-General and shares his views on

the need for action to adapt the functioning of the

Organization to the challenges of the new century.

There is a growing need and plenty of room for

improvement along the lines of efficiency,

transparency, equality and good governance. There is

no room for excuses or for delaying reforms any

further. The time for reform is now.

Croatia has been an active Member of the

Organization since its international recognition as a

sovereign State in the early 1990s. At that time, in spite

of all our activities, Croatia was primarily the object of

numerous peacekeeping operations and endless debates

within the Security Council. Today, Croatia is a major

generator of peace and stability in South-East Europe,

an active promoter and facilitator of democracy in the

region, a reliable partner and a member of numerous

regional organizations and initiatives. We have not

forgotten the difficult years when Croatia was on the

receiving end of United Nations activities. Today, we

stand ready to put our expertise gained in peacekeeping

and other fields to the service of peace and democracy.

The experience of the homeland war, as well as

the lessons learned during peacekeeping operations in

Croatia, have served us well in Croatia's active

engagement in the United Nations peacekeeping

mission in Sierra Leone. We are ready to expand our

role in peacekeeping and to actively participate in its

conceptual development. Croatia welcomes and will

carefully study the recently published report of the

Secretary-General on the reform of peace operations

and the recommendations proposed.

Unfortunately, the number of incidents with tragic

consequences involving members of peace missions all

over the world is constantly increasing. Just few days

ago, three members of the Office of the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in

Atambua in West Timor were brutally killed. One of

them was Pero äimundûa, a citizen of Croatia. I would

like to use this opportunity to pay tribute to him

personally and to all peacekeepers whose tireless

efforts cost them their lives in performing their noble

tasks in the line of duty.

Croatia is currently a member of the Economic

and Social Council, the central body of the United

Nations. The increasing development of the Council as

a forum for policy dialogue, together with its follow-up

dimension of the major world conferences, adds

important value to its work and puts a heavy workload

on its members.

Croatia's international responsibilities start with

those towards the region of South-East Europe. At the

January elections, citizens of Croatia demonstrated

their strong commitment to democratic values, respect

for human and minority rights, the rule of law and

economic reforms. They opted for broad changes that

will bring them into the mainstream of the European

integration processes.

The new Croatian Government is well aware of

all the responsibilities it has undertaken and all the

opportunities that are arising. We firmly believe that

Croatia's leading role as a contributor to peace and

security in the region of South-East Europe will

considerably contribute to turning this part of Europe

into an area of peace and prosperity.

In February, the Croatian Government adopted a

programme that, as its primary goals, stresses

democratic values, respect for human and minority

rights, the return of refugees and displaced persons,

good-neighbourly relations and integration into the

European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty

Organization. The new Government is determined to

fulfil all Croatia's ongoing international commitments

and to assume new ones, if the need arises.

The elections in Croatia at the beginning of this

year resulted in important changes. They provided for

an increased level of human rights protection and

media freedom, as well as the acceleration of the return

process. Important legislative revisions in the field of

the return of refugees have opened the door for the

unimpeded return of all Croatian citizens, regardless of

their ethnicity and without condition of reciprocity. All

the citizens of Croatia stand equal before the law in

terms of the reconstruction of their houses and all other

return-related rights. The Government of Croatia will

do its best to fully implement those laws.

Croatia is mindful of the fact that the return of

refugees represents a necessary prerequisite for lasting

stability in the region. In order to accelerate the process

of return, the Croatian Government, in cooperation

with UNHCR, has prepared a special return project for

16,500 persons, tailored to their needs. The necessary

arrangements for the return of refugees to both Croatia

and Bosnia and Herzegovina are to be made through

central institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in line

with the new Croatian policy towards that country.

Additionally, to speed up the process of two-way return

with Republika Srpska, the former Prime Minister of

the Republika Srpska and I have signed a joint

declaration on the facilitation of the return of refugees.

Through this document, we have committed ourselves

to enabling the return of 2,000 people from each side,

as well as to exchanging information and adjusting

procedures in that regard. I can proudly say that real

progress in the return process has been achieved.

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At the same time, I have to stress that the number

of returns to Croatia by far exceeds the number of

returns of Croats to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Additional efforts have to be invested to speed up the

return process of Croats and all others to Bosnia and

Herzegovina. All the refugees have the right to return,

but they also have a right to stay in the areas where

they presently reside. For all those Bosnian Croats who

wish to stay in Croatia, we have to provide appropriate

help in finding new housing facilities.

The success of the return of refugees does not

depend solely on political and legal parameters. It has

to be accompanied by the development of the State

economy and the local economy. The return process

must be sustained by job opportunities, small- and

medium-size enterprises, strengthening of the social

fabric and adequate schools and health institutions, as

well as better living conditions generally. Otherwise,

we shall just turn returnees into economic migrants and

they will be on the road once again.

Not a small part of legislative changes relates to

the protection of human and minority rights in Croatia.

The Croatian Government is of the opinion that the

necessary preconditions have been met for excluding

Croatia from the omnibus resolutions on the situation

of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the

Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia, which have been adopted by both the

General Assembly and the Commission on Human

Rights, and for the exclusion of Croatia from the

mandate of the Special Rapporteur derived from the

Commission's resolution.

Important recognition of the progress Croatia has

made in respecting fundamental values of democracy,

human rights and rule of law came recently from the

Council of Europe. The Monitoring Committee of its

Parliamentary Assembly concluded last Friday that

Croatia has honoured its obligations and most of its

commitments undertaken at the time of its accession to

the Council of Europe in 1996. Consequently, we

expect that the monitoring procedure will be formally

closed at the plenary session of the Parliamentary

Assembly, at the end of this month.

For the Croatian Government, cooperation with

the International Tribunal in The Hague remains

primarily a legal issue, not a political one. The

Croatian State Parliament adopted the Declaration on

Cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal

for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in April,

unambiguously affirming its support for the Tribunal,

and this important document remains a framework for

Croatia's policy towards the ICTY. It is our firm

position that the guilt for the crimes committed must be

individualized: no nation can be held collectively

responsible for the crimes committed by war criminals

claiming to act in its name. In order to improve the

quality of cooperation with the ICTY, the Government

Council for cooperation with the ICTY has been

constituted and close working relations with the

Tribunal established.

Promotion of good relations with its neighbours

is Croatia's high-priority goal. In its programme, the

Croatian Government clearly stipulated that its

relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina are based on

good-neighbourliness, equality and transparency.

Croatia will continue to cooperate with Bosnia and

Herzegovina and the international community in the

implementation of the Dayton Agreement, which

remains the foundation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's

self-sustainability and the guarantee of the preservation

of the national interests of its three constituent peoples.

Croatia's policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina rests

on full respect for the independence and sovereignty of

that country.

Croatia sees this as the only way to a prosperous

future for the Croatian people in Bosnia and

Herzegovina, the care for whom remains our

constitutional obligation. Croatia will continue to

support Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it

foresees doing this in a transparent way, in accordance

with the Dayton Agreement and with a clear Euro-

Atlantic orientation.

Transparent financing of the Croatian component

of the Federation Army through the Standing

Committee on Military Matters is only one of the steps

aimed at enhancing the central institutions and concrete

proof of the new Croatian policy towards Croats in

Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The relations between Croatia and Serbia cannot

be regarded outside the framework of the international

isolation of the Milosevi? regime. Croatia is not

questioning at all the need to continue the

normalization process with the Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia, but its dynamics and substance will depend

on the democratization of Serbia, which remains one of

the necessary conditions for international and

4

economic stability in the region. Croatia hopes that the

forthcoming elections in the Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia will be conducted in a democratic way that

reflects the true will of the people and that they will

result in democratic changes. Bearing in mind the fact

that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in

Europe has been denied an opportunity to monitor the

elections means that the elections could lose their

international credibility. Still, Croatia wants to believe

that Serbia will find a way to end the present situation

and join the mainstream of the political and economic

integration process in the region and Europe as a

whole.

Croatia supports democratic developments in the

Yugoslav Republic of Montenegro. An open,

democratic, multi-ethnic, stable and economically

viable Montenegro is in the interest of Croatia and of

the region at large. In the course of this year a number

of meetings have been held between the Croatian and

Montenegrin officials at various levels, including the

highest level. Two border crossings between Croatia

and Montenegro are operating without impediment, and

further steps for enhanced cooperation, especially

economic ones, are under way. Croatia will continue to

support the process of democratization that has already

began in Montenegro and help in its opening towards

Europe, firmly in line with the efforts of the

international community.

Croatia remains seriously concerned about the

present situation in Kosovo and continued violence,

whose victims are both Albanians and the Serbs. We

hope that efforts of the United Nations Interim

Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) forces

and civilian administration will be successful in

bringing peace and stability to the region, as well as

facilitating preconditions for the return of refugees.

One issue, however, stands out in regard to the

stability and lasting security of the whole region. It is

the question of succession of States created after the

dissolution of the former Socialist Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia.

An important aspect of the succession problem is

the question of membership of the Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia in the United Nations and other

international organizations. The four successor States

are of the opinion that this must be resolved in line

with the already existing Security Council and General

Assembly resolutions. That means that the Federal

Republic of Yugoslavia cannot automatically continue

the membership of the former State in the United

Nations, and therefore, that it should do what other

successor States have done apply for membership as

the fifth successor. Moreover, the four successor States

are of the opinion that the current practice in the

United Nations should reflect the above-mentioned

resolutions and be more consistent in that regard.

Therefore, we call for immediate implementation of

those resolutions and emphasize once again the

importance of resolving the question of succession,

despite the rejection by the present Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia regime.

There are still a small number of United Nations

military observers within the international borders of

Croatia. Their performance in Prevlaka, the

southernmost part of my country, has considerably

contributed to the lasting solution to this problem,

which is definitely one of security, not one of a

territorial nature. Since 1992, Croatia has accepted the

United Nations mandate on Prevlaka, with the last six-

month extension on 15 July this year. The steady

normalization of relations between Croatia and the

democratic Government of Montenegro has

considerably improved the situation on the ground and

should serve as a bedrock for a lasting solution for

Prevlaka. In approaching the Prevlaka issue one has to

respect existing international borders, as well as

legitimate security concerns, land ownership rights and

the need for economic cooperation and development in

the region.

The stability of South-East Europe is an

inseparable part of the overall European stability

architecture. Being at the same time a Central

European, Mediterranean, Danubian and South-East

European country, Croatia plays an active role in

several regional initiatives that serve as a foundation

for stabilization, cooperation and development in our

part of the world. Let me mention in this regard the

Central European Initiative, one of the oldest regional

initiatives, and the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative, the

newest.

During its chairmanship of the Working

Community of the Danube Region this year, Croatia

will host the traditional Conference of the heads of the

regional Governments as well as the Economic and

Cultural Forum. Alpe Adria is another subregional

initiative in which Croatia plays an active role.

Croatia's role as an active observer in the South-East

5

Europe Cooperation Initiative additionally emphasizes

our intention to contribute to regional security and

stability.

From the very outset, Croatia has actively

engaged in the creation and implementation of the

Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe. This strategic

process represents a comprehensive approach towards

the region in which the concept of stability includes

democratization and human rights, economic

development and security issues. Croatia has presented

several project proposals to all three working tables of

the Stability Pact, the construction of the Adriatic-

Ionian highway being the most important of them. The

construction of this highway, stretching along the

coastline from the Italian to the Greek border, would

mean a significant improvement in road travel between

the countries of the region, and would also bring

economic development to the very part of the region

that most dearly needs it.

I have the satisfaction of informing the Assembly

that at the beginning of this week Croatia hosted the

parliamentary summit of the Stability Pact, which had

complete success in strengthening the important

parliamentary dimensions of the Pact.

The Stability Pact also serves as a mechanism for

facilitating the European Union (EU) and the North

Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership

prospects for all those countries of South-East Europe

that wish to pursue this path. Croatia is one of them.

Full integration into the EU and NATO is the priority

strategic objective of Croatian foreign policy.

In a brief span of six months Croatia's

international position regarding the European Union

has thoroughly changed. It has gone from being a

country with no institutional relations with the

European Union to a country awaiting the start of

negotiations on a stabilization and association

agreement and, consequently, candidacy for EU

membership. Croatia is very pleased with the results of

the joint consultative task force, whose

recommendations helped us to prepare the start of the

negotiations on the stabilization and association

agreement. We are encouraged by the European

Commission high representative's statements that this

generation of agreements will be tailored according to

the present needs and achievements of the stabilization

and association process countries, and that countries'

further progress towards European Union membership

will be assessed on their individual merits.

In late November Croatia will host a summit of

the European Union member States and the

stabilization and association process countries

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia. We

feel privileged to host such a historic meeting, one that

will signify the importance that the European Union

attaches to the region within the framework of the

Union's enlargement process. At the top of the Zagreb

summit's agenda will be the issue of opening EU

prospects to the region and the countries of South-East

Europe. This is firmly in line with the policy of

creating one Europe without walls or curtains of

division. We see the arrival of the EU heads of State or

Government to Zagreb as a tribute to Croatia's

democratic achievements and a harbinger of our status

of country associated with the European Union.

In May Croatia entered the Partnership for Peace.

This provided Croatia with an opportunity to contribute

more actively to the peace and security of the region

and to strengthen its democracy and stability at the

same time. In parallel, Croatia has begun the

substantial reconstruction and modernization of its

armed forces, aiming to meet all NATO requirements

as well as democratic standards.

Croatia continues its active engagement in the

pivotal European organizations, such as the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

(OSCE) and the Council of Europe. It has achieved

significant progress in working together with the OSCE

on the improvement of security in the Danubian region

through the engagement of OSCE civilian police

monitors there, as well as in other fields of

cooperation, such as the improvement of democratic

standards in Croatia.

World peace does not depend solely on peace and

security in Europe. It is with concern that we look at

the ongoing threat of new crises on the African

continent, where tremendous amounts of human

resources and money are feeding the war machines,

instead of serving to fuel development. The cause of

our special concern lies in the fact that many armed

conflicts in Africa erupt encouraged by and with the

participation of neighbouring countries, often using

foreign mercenaries who sometimes come even from

Eastern European countries. Croatia sees the

implementation of the Non-Aligned Movement

6

principles, as well as of the principles of the

Organization of African Unity and other, subregional

organizations, as an important element in the political

developments in that part of the world.

These organizations undertake commendable

efforts in order to establish mechanisms for conflict

prevention, as well as to find the ways to end the

ongoing crises. These efforts include the establishment

of their own peacekeeping forces. In this regard,

Croatia welcomes the determination of the African

countries to solve their problems regionally and with

support from the United Nations.

The situation in the Middle East continues to shift

between the brink of war and the brink of peace. The

peace process between the Israeli and Palestinian sides

must be maintained, and all of us should spare no effort

to extend assistance and support to the accomplishment

of this paramount task. From its own experience,

Croatia is well aware of how important it is to

strengthen the peace process through Security Council

and General Assembly resolutions that are supportive

of it, both in language and in political substance. Thus,

Croatia advocates that forthcoming resolutions on the

Middle East reflect all the aspects of the ongoing peace

process, serving as an important impetus for its

successful completion.

Croatia is a country highly contaminated by

antipersonnel landmines, with about 1 million

landmines scattered over many parts of its territory.

Their presence poses serious obstacle to the economic

development of the country, and even more so to the

return of people to their homes. The mine-clearing

process is under way, but it has to be intensified if real

progress is to be seen anytime soon. Many of the

ongoing activities are performed in cooperation with

donor countries, to which we extend our sincere

gratitude; but maximum efforts have to be made to

eliminate this evil completely and for good. In this

connection, Croatia calls for further international

assistance so as to enable the unimpeded development

of the country at large.

Let me briefly address the issue of the reform of

the Security Council. Croatia holds the view that the

present structure and functioning of the Security

Council does not properly reflect the reality of

international relations in the twenty-first century, or the

need for universal democratization. We support

increasing the number of permanent and non-

permanent seats in the Council, taking into account

equitable geographical distribution as well as

contributions to the United Nations budget. However,

reform must go beyond the sole issue of membership

enlargement. The Council's methods of work should be

made more transparent, in particular regarding informal

consultations, which have proved to be anything but

informal.

The subject of greatest concern is that, with the

advent of globalization, the number of people that are

marginalized and strongly affected by its negative

effects is growing. Therefore, we have to minimize the

negative impacts of globalization and, at the same time,

make its benefits available to all.

The effects of globalization on the international

economy are significant and call for enhanced

cooperation through multilateral institutions. In

addition to the efforts aimed at avoiding

marginalization and at ensuring full integration into the

world economy, the countries with economies in

transition face challenges associated with privatization

and structural and macroeconomic reforms. In the case

of Croatia there is an additional challenge, that of the

post-war recovery. In such circumstances, our pivotal

goal is to consolidate economic recovery and create

conditions for sound and sustainable economic and

social development. Our overall economic programme

and policy measures are designed to support further

economic stability, with stable prices and low inflation,

concurrent economic growth, a faster rate of

employment and more exports.

To attract foreign investments that are so

important for the ongoing process of development, a

new Investment Law has been adopted. Constructive

economic cooperation on bilateral, regional and global

levels remains Croatia's firm goal. Croatia has recently

signed the Protocol of Accession to the World Trade

Organization (WTO) and, within a few months, once

the process of ratification is completed, Croatia will

become a full member of the WTO.

The challenges facing the Organization are

numerous. Answers will have to be found for questions

regarding how to renew the structure and mandates of

the main United Nations bodies, how to ensure better

management and mobilization of new resources, how

to define new forms of partnership, both with the

private sector and with non-governmental

organizations, how to make cooperation more effective

7

and, above all, how to turn the United Nations into a

result-based Organization. Croatia believes in the

potentials of the United Nations and considers that it

will be made truly efficient if we the Member

States accept our responsibilities towards it.

Croatia is ready to work together with all

international actors in searching for the right answers

to the challenges that lie ahead. Stability and prosperity

of the world will become possible only if we never stop

looking for ways to improve them. Croatia will

continue to use its best efforts to preserve the positive

trends in its general achievements and to contribute to

European and world stability.

In conclusion, allow me to congratulate

Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, the Foreign Minister of

Namibia and the President of the fifty-fourth session of

the Assembly, on his dedicated work and on the great

skills with which he performed his demanding job. I

would also like to congratulate Mr. Harri Holkeri,

Foreign Minister of Finland, on his election as

President of the fifty-fifth session and to wish him all

success in his future work.

Finally, I would like to express the hope that this

Millennium Assembly will result in new commitments

that will bring progress in responding to the challenges

of the new century.