Hungary, 2002

Let me at the outset

extend to His Excellency Mr. Jan Kavan, former

Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, our sincere

congratulations upon his election as President of the

fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly. I want

to assure him that he can safely count on the full

support of my delegation in discharging his important

responsibilities.

I would also like to welcome in our midst the

latest new State Member of the United Nations,

Switzerland.

It was only four days ago, when so many of us

here paid tribute at Ground Zero to the memories of the

thousands of victims who lost their lives last year in

the brutal 11 September terrorist attacks. The

remembrance there was heartbreaking, but at the same

time it was a day of resolve as well. There is no doubt

in my mind: this was a time that again brought into

focus our deep commitment to freedom and democracy.

In that regard, I would like to reiterate that the people

and the Government of Hungary continue to maintain

relentlessly their strong solidarity with the United

States.

Our contemporary world has been decisively

transformed since 11 September 2001. The fight

against international terrorism is high on our agenda.

Hungary is strongly committed to the effective efforts

of the community of nations to counter this threat.

Towards that goal, we have consistently acted in

cooperation with our allies and the rest of the

international community.

In that respect, Hungary supports the ongoing

global endeavours of the United Nations aimed against

terrorism. We find it crucial that Member States make

every necessary and possible move to prevent further

terrorist acts and implement national measures under

relevant Security Council resolutions to combat that

phenomenon. Effective cooperation among States is

also indispensable to act resolutely against the menace

of terrorism.

Besides being a reliable partner in the global

coalition, Hungary has taken the necessary domestic

legislative and executive measures to implement the

decisions of the international community. The

Parliament of Hungary this week took the decision to

ratify the International Convention for the Suppression

of the Financing of Terrorism. By this legislative act,

Hungary has become a party to all of the international

instruments adopted by the United Nations against

terrorism. We continue to attach particular importance

to the unimpeded work of the Counter-Terrorism

Committee of the Security Council, with which we

maintain a particularly close relationship.

In the context of the global coalition against

terrorism, Hungary is following developments in

Afghanistan with keen interest. We welcome the

consolidation achieved so far by the Government of

Afghanistan with the assistance of the international

community. We wish to place on record our deep

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appreciation for the excellent work done by the

international forces. in that country. Further efforts to

contain and eliminate terrorist groups in Afghanistan

will remain a top priority. Hungary is committed to

maintaining its support to the Government of

Afghanistan as well as to its people.

Iraqi non-compliance with Security Council

resolutions is a serious concern for all of us. Hungary

regrets that the Iraqi regime refuses to cooperate with

the United Nations and continues to pose a threat to

peace and security in the region and the world at large.

The international community cannot disregard this fact

and has to respond to it in a resolute manner. We will

work closely with our allies and partners to pursue the

full implementation of the relevant Security Council

resolutions, and we will do our share in the efforts to

build a broad coalition of nations in order to prevent

the Iraqi regime from producing and using weapons of

mass destruction.

Having entered the twenty-first century, mankind

continues to face further major global challenges, such

as illicit drug trafficking, money-laundering, corruption

and transnational organized crime. The role of the

United Nations in facing and tackling these phenomena

is of paramount importance. By the same token, global

risks are widened by new types of security threats. In

our view, serious problems of regional stability, of low-

intensity armed conflicts and threats of natural and

man-made catastrophes are increasingly on the rise.

Illegal transfers of nuclear, biological and chemical

materials pose grave threats. Illegal migration and

illicit trafficking in human beings are also rightly

viewed as new forms of security risks. Hungary is more

than prepared to play its role, with all the means at our

disposal, to meet these new challenges through

concerted international efforts, including regional

arrangements.

The year 2002 marked the beginning of a new

review cycle of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons. We expect the annual sessions of the

Preparatory Committee leading up to the 2005 Review

Conference to make a significant contribution to the

further strengthening of all aspects of this legal

instrument by ensuring its full implementation and

promoting its universality.

The early start of negotiations on a fissile

material cut-off treaty stands out as the next logical

step aimed at curbing the proliferation of nuclear

weapons. We cannot but regret that disagreements over

the comprehensive programme of work are preventing

the Conference on Disarmament from starting

substantive work on this issue.

One of the most important new threats to

international peace and stability in the changed security

environment at the beginning of the twenty-first

century is caused by the proliferation of ballistic

missiles capable of delivering weapons of mass

destruction. Hungary is ready to join international

efforts to counter this danger, including new political

and diplomatic initiatives. The system of multilateral

legal norms relating to non-proliferation, disarmament

and arms control fails to include regulations on

responsible international behaviour concerning ballistic

missiles. Out of the several propositions emerged

recently, Hungary lends its utmost support to the

negotiations on an international code of conduct

against the proliferation of ballistic missiles. We

appreciate the vigorous efforts of the States members

of the European Union to move this process forward

and hope for its successful completion in the near

future.

Developments over the past 12 months have

raised more critically than ever the question of how to

address in an efficient way the challenges posed by the

deliberate spread of disease, such as the anthrax

incidents. The reinforcement of national public health

and civilian defence capabilities is crucial, even though

there are only a few countries that, acting alone, can

put meaningful assets in place. International

cooperation in this respect must not be a distant

opportunity; it is in the interest of each and every

country, and of all nations as a whole.

Complementary preventive efforts would be

needed as well to at least diminish the likelihood of

such an occurrence. Among such preventive efforts, the

benchmarking of arms control compliance will

eventually have to find its legitimate place. That is why

we deem important the successful conclusion of the

Fifth Review Conference of States Parties to the

Biological Weapons Convention, to be resumed in

November this year under Hungarian chairmanship.

Hungary remains strongly committed to the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and its

verification regime. In this regard, we concur with the

view that nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation

will also be essential to combat international terrorism.

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Hungary has, from the very beginning, given its

strong support to the establishment of the International

Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC has become the first

major multilateral legal institution of the twenty-first

century. We were proud to become a State party to the

Statute of the ICC and to be among those whose

ratification helped bring about the entry into force of

the Statute this year. We firmly concur with the view

that international law will be strengthened through this

new legal institution.

As a sign of our deep commitment to the Rome

Statute, my Government has decided to nominate a

candidate to the panel of judges of the ICC. I am

confident that the election of a Hungarian judge would

contribute to the genuine realization of the objectives

set out in the Rome Statute.

Human rights are universal values. States

Members of the United Nations are expected to observe

the norms and standards of human rights and

fundamental freedoms, including minority rights,

adopted by the United Nations. By the same token, it

will remain the moral and political responsibility of

States to call upon others to act in accordance with

their voluntarily undertaken obligations. Hungary will

not hesitate to raise its voice when human rights are

violated in any part of the world. International

protection of minority rights remains a major

preoccupation for us. We continue to pursue our efforts

aimed at a functioning universal legal system for the

protection of minorities.

Globalization and interdependence are two major

phenomena shaping the contemporary world, including

the political landscape of the United Nations.

By taking advantage of the opportunities

stemming from these phenomena, all of us could seek a

much better life for the inhabitants of our globe. The

United Nations has the necessary instruments at hand.

A better and more responsible use of these instruments

can contribute to the implementation of the Millennium

Declaration Development Goals, aimed at creating a

more prosperous and sustainable world for generations

to come.

If we have the necessary political will and

determination, we can have a United Nations that

works relentlessly to improve the lives of all. That is,

in the final analysis, what the United Nations was

founded for.