Hungary, 2004

I would like to take this

opportunity to extend to you, Sir, our sincere

congratulations on your election as President of the

General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. You may

safely count on my delegation’s full support in the

discharge of your important responsibilities.

Hungary is firmly committed to effective

multilateralism as a key tool of its foreign policy. Well-

functioning international organizations and institutions

having broad political support in the international

community can and should, indeed, play a significant

role in addressing the challenges of our globalized

world.

We are looking forward with eager expectation to

the outcome of the work of the High-Level Panel on

Threats, Challenges and Change, set up by the

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Secretary-General, to be finalized later this year.

Addressing the complex and difficult tasks that we are

facing today needs not only strong political will on the

part of all of us, but also an improved and adapted

multilateral framework of cooperation.

Only a system of international institutions whose

activities and form of operation are renewed and

adjusted to the realities of our contemporary world can

be effective as an instrument in addressing successfully

the threats and challenges.

Hungary remains strongly committed to making

the United Nations more effective. To this end, the

United Nations, including the Security Council, must

adapt to the changing circumstances of the political

landscape.

New and emerging threats, including

international terrorism, the danger of the proliferation

of weapons of mass destruction and their means of

delivery, transnational organized crime and failing

States are all grave menaces. The role played by

Member States in prevention and early warning should

therefore be stronger than ever. These challenges are

global or regional in nature and, in our view, the

response to them must be at the same level. Without

such enhanced cooperation among the members of the

international community, all efforts are doomed to be

fruitless.

Heinous acts of terrorism such as those that

caused immense human suffering in New York,

Washington, D.C., Bali, Istanbul, Madrid and, recently,

the Russian Federation, should be considered brutal

attacks against the values of democracies. By putting

innocent lives at risk, they also seek to undermine the

openness and tolerance of our societies.

Along with our partners in the European Union,

Hungary strongly condemns all forms of terrorism. In

this regard, we fully support the important work of the

Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee. We

hope that its reinvigorated activity, including planned

visits by the Committee to Member States, will

contribute to the enhancement of our capabilities in

combating terrorism. It is of the utmost importance to

provide assistance in strengthening the preparedness of

those countries that are eager to tackle the menace

originating from their territory.

Substantial work has been undertaken on freezing

funds and financial resources to prevent the financing

of terrorism. The United Nations has to continue to be

a key player in that fight. To achieve real and tangible

results in that regard, we have to ensure full

implementation of the relevant Security Council

resolutions and the accession of the largest possible

number of States to international conventions and

protocols to combat terrorism. Hungary has done its

part to that end.

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

and their means of delivery continues to be a clear and

present threat to international peace and security. New

discoveries of large-scale nuclear-weapon programmes,

networks of illicit trafficking in nuclear material and

technology and the ill-conceived policies of denial and

deceit about the purpose and nature of such

programmes remain a most serious concern to the

international community. There is a growing

recognition, shared by Hungary, that those programmes

also represent the most serious risks of proliferation.

The danger of nuclear, biological and chemical

weapons falling into the hands of rogue States, terrorist

groups or, for that matter, any other non-State actors

that menace our world, gives rise to new, major

security challenges. In that regard, we must act

together in a decisive manner, both regionally and

globally.

In that respect, Hungary strongly supports the

implementation of Security Council resolution 1540

(2004), which calls on all States to establish effective

national export controls. We urge full implementation

of that resolution and are prepared to assist others in

doing so.

In our fast-changing world security environment,

the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons (NPT) is and should remain the cornerstone

of the universal non-proliferation regime. Along with

our European Union partners, we are committed to

safeguarding the Treaty’s authority and integrity. In

that context, we are looking forward to the Seventh

Review Conference of the NPT next year.

We should continue our efforts in the field of

conflict prevention and post-conflict crisis

management. For millions of people in conflict areas,

those efforts mean hope for peace and a better, more

secure future.

We are confident that the joint efforts of the Iraqi

people and the international community will lead to a

democratic and prosperous Iraq living in peace with

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itself and its neighbours. Hungary strongly condemns

the terrorist acts and the kidnappings aimed at

undermining the political and reconstruction process in

that much-suffering country. The contribution of the

United Nations is essential for success. Our

Organization has already proven to be effective in

advancing the political process when it seemed to have

come to a standstill.

Hungary continues to contribute, along with

coalition forces, to the stabilization and the

improvement of security conditions in Iraq. We deem it

important that relevant international organizations and

institutions increase their joint efforts towards that end,

including through the training of Iraqi security

personnel.

At this moment, our priorities in Iraq must be to

assist preparations for the national elections and the

drafting of a new constitution. Security Council

resolution 1546 (2004) provides a key role for the

United Nations in the political transition process. Its

ample experience in establishing democratic

institutions, the rule of law, the promotion of respect

for human rights and fundamental freedoms and

electoral assistance can and should be utilized.

Hungary views the potentially successful

realization of the presidential and the subsequent

parliamentary elections in Afghanistan as important

steps towards the normalization of the political

situation in that country. We welcome the fact that

despite unsatisfactory security conditions, progress is

being made on preparations for the presidential

elections to be held in October this year.

Hungary is deeply concerned about the continued

violence in the Middle East, where substantial progress

is yet to be achieved. We remain convinced that full

and unconditional implementation of the road map

offers the best chance for the parties directly involved

to live side by side in peace and security. We urge all

involved, including the Quartet, to redouble their

efforts to that end.

The situation in the Balkans continues to remain

at the centre of our attention. Overall developments in

the region and the efforts of the international

community have resulted in a calm but fragile political

environment. In that respect, Hungary is committed to

maintaining its presence in the international missions,

in the service of peace and stability, in that region

which is so close to us.

In that connection, we are following with serious

concern the deterioration of the human rights situation

in our immediate neighbourhood — in Serbia and

Montenegro. It is particularly alarming that the number

of incidents perpetrated against the non-Serb

population, including the Hungarian community, is on

the rise. Hungary once again calls upon the Serbian

authorities to take the necessary measures to stop and

to prevent those violent acts, as well as to identify,

prosecute and punish the perpetrators of serious crimes

of physical abuse, as well as psychological threats and

intimidation. We are looking forward to the results of

the international monitoring currently under way.

International protection of human rights and

fundamental freedoms is at the core of the foreign

policy of Hungary. It is not only an expression of

support for the universal values we feel so close to our

hearts. It is also an essential prerequisite for preserving

human dignity and enhancing liberty in our

contemporary world. Freedom of the individual and

full respect for the rights of human beings are matters

well above the authority of any given State.

In today’s world, we could hardly find a country

where everyone speaks the same language or shares the

same culture, beliefs and traditions. The presence of

different national, ethnic, linguistic and religious

groups within the borders of a country is not only an

asset but also a source of social and cultural

enrichment. It is our firm belief that the United

Nations, as the most comprehensive multilateral

organization, has a major role to play in the promotion

of respect for, and the observance of, human rights,

including the rights of national minorities.

Against that background, the international

community should continue to examine all possible

ways to promote and establish an early-warning

mechanism or a monitoring body dealing with

minority-related situations. That should include the

options of nominating a Special Rapporteur on

minorities and elaborating a legally binding universal

document to address shortcomings.

Next year, with a major event, will be particularly

important for the United Nations. In the course of

addressing the burning issues on our agenda, we have

to take a long, hard look at our tasks, including the

review of the implementation of the Millennium

Declaration, adopted by heads of State and

Government in 2000. In our view, the review exercise

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requires careful preparation, vision, political

determination and the courage to act. Hungary is ready

and willing to take part in this process.