Ireland, 1996

Allow me, Sir, to offer you my

warm congratulations on your election as President of the

fifty-first session of the General Assembly. I am very

confident that, with your skill and experience, you will

provide the leadership and direction we require to ensure a

successful outcome to the work of the forthcoming session.

You have the assurance of our full support.

I have the honour to address this Assembly on behalf

of the European Union.

Last year we gathered here on the fiftieth anniversary

of the United Nations. The speeches we heard then

reflected a dual message: a conviction that the United

Nations remained more than ever indispensable in a world

of increasing interdependence among nations; and concern

that the Organization adapt and renew itself to serve the

needs of a new century. There was a clear call that the

non-payment of dues owed to the United Nations — this

poison in the system — should cease.

The Declaration on the Occasion of the Fiftieth

Anniversary of the United Nations rightly anticipated

“a sharp increase in the level of expectations of the

United Nations” (resolution 50/6).

It called for the occasion to be seized

“to redirect it to greater service to humankind,

especially to those who are suffering and are deeply

deprived”.

We have no need at the outset of the fifty-first

session to seek a new agenda. Cooperation through the

United Nations continues to offer the world the

irreplaceable means necessary for advancing peace,

economic and social progress, human rights, democracy

and caring humanitarian action. To retain the

Organization’s effectiveness, we need, together with

adequate resources, a continuing modernization of the

structures and working methods of the institutions of the

United Nations. What we must do now is sharpen the

focus on common priorities to achieve this and get on

with the decisions to give them effect.

Globalization is one of the defining characteristics of

our age. With it has come the realization that our peace

and prosperity cannot be assured by States, or even

regions, acting in isolation. The European Union itself

embodies the principles of cooperation, interdependence,

human rights and democracy. The spirit of cooperation is

also the starting point for the contribution that the Union

is making at the global level, where the enormous

benefits that can be achieved by working together

constitute the greatest, and potentially the most rewarding,

challenge that faces mankind today.

The very interdependence of our peoples, nations

and regions that leads us to assemble here as the United

Nations should serve to underscore the unique role and

potential of this Organization, the sole such universal

body of global outreach. Has it done so? Have we

strengthened the potential of the United Nations, or yet

sufficiently exerted the energy and imagination necessary

to use the opportunities it offers us?

We were able last year to reflect with justifiable

pride on 50 years of substantial success by the United

Nations. Our celebration was tempered, however, by a

sobering awareness that the level of conflict, economic

disparities and humanitarian crisis in our world was

increasing, not diminishing. We had witnessed a series of

open and bloody intra-State conflicts and the resurgence

of old antagonisms in many regions of the world,

resulting in death and injury to millions of innocent

civilians, many of them women and children; an increase

in the already high number of refugees; gross and flagrant

violations of human rights on a massive scale; and the

widespread incidence of hunger, disease and

homelessness. At the same time, threats to the

7

environment and the scourges of drugs and terrorism were

among a new range of risks and challenges that required

concerted international action.

The urgency and complexity of these and other

problems facing the United Nations at a time of great

political, economic and technological change led us to a

common call for a United Nations revitalized and more

effective in dealing with these new needs. Some progress

has been made in the past year in rationalizing United

Nations activities in the economic and social fields and in

enhancing efficiency and better management. This deserves

to be recognized. But we are still far from the overall

results needed. Serious new efforts are required from

Member States and the Organization. The multilateral

approach which the United Nations embodies is under

threat if we cannot respond to the challenges before us. We

need a renewed commitment to collective action, with

strong vision and leadership sustained by the political will

of each Member State. The European Union renews again

today its commitment to the United Nations. We are

determined to equip it for the tasks of a new century.

Recent experience has taught us that we need a more

encompassing strategy for conflict prevention and crisis

management. This strategy has to address both the causes

and the consequences of conflict. The Agenda for Peace

was a well-considered and timely initiative of the

Secretary-General which points the way forward.

Substantial lessons from the United Nations experience of

peacekeeping have indeed been learned. They should be

applied in developing this new strategy.

To secure peace, the root causes of conflict have to be

tackled. Too often the United Nations is called upon to

react to the appalling aftermath of conflict. Prevention is a

far better strategy. Improved early warning through more

effective and internationally coordinated efforts which also

take account of economic and social factors can do much

to improve the quality of the response. There needs to be

an increased emphasis on preventive diplomacy and on a

more informed, better-planned and rapid response to crises,

including improved procedures for consultation with

troop-contributing countries. Existing mechanisms for

mediation, conciliation and good offices could be more

vigorously and imaginatively exploited. Post-conflict

rehabilitation has to be more comprehensive and

coordinated to address the wider issues of humanitarian

assistance, economic and social reconstruction and respect

for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Even with an improved approach to early warning

and conflict prevention, peacekeeping operations will still

be necessary. The experience of some recent difficult

operations should not detract from the record of successes

in United Nations peacekeeping. The support of the

European Union for the peacekeeping role of the United

Nations is undiminished. The member States of the

Union, my own included, have consistently provided

resources and personnel to United Nations peacekeeping.

The Union today provides the majority of personnel for

current operations and contributes some 37 per cent of the

United Nations peacekeeping budget. This has involved

sacrifices, including at times the ultimate sacrifice. On

behalf of the European Union, I pay tribute to the

memory of United Nations peacekeepers who have laid

down their lives in the cause of peace and to the over

25,000 peacekeepers currently serving in 17 United

Nations peacekeeping operations.

Too often, the United Nations has been called upon

to intervene in conflict situations without a clear mandate,

adequate resources or the consistent political support

required to have any prospect of success. Too often, the

United Nations has been confined to policing indefinitely

a fragile and hostile peace between parties that, even after

decades, show no real inclination to assume responsibility

for securing a resolution of the conflict. This wastes

much-needed United Nations resources. But more

seriously, it undermines confidence in the United Nations.

If we apply our energies to developing new strategies for

conflict prevention and crisis management, we will have

done much to strengthen the capacity of the United

Nations in this core area. The European Union, for its

part, will work to strengthen and reinforce this vital role

of the Organization.

The United Nations cannot be expected to stand

alone in conflict prevention and the maintenance of world

peace. The European Union welcomes the trend towards

closer cooperation and mutual support between the United

Nations and regional organizations. In Europe, the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

(OSCE) has been designated as a regional arrangement

under Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter. The

United Nations and the OSCE are already cooperating

closely and coordinating their efforts. Within the OSCE

area, the European Union is working with all the OSCE

participating States to develop further the concept of

mutually reinforcing institutions so as to enhance

European security and stability. The Union encourages

and supports the similar efforts being made in other

regions. It is important that the United Nations benefit

8

from, and build on, these initiatives. The meetings of

regional organizations that the Secretary-General has

convened in recent years are an important innovation in this

regard. Since its inception, the United Nations has played

a central role in the longer-term strategies for conflict

prevention, in particular in the fields of disarmament and

arms control, human rights and equitable economic and

social development.

The European Union attaches the highest priority to

progress in the fields of arms control and disarmament. If

we mean to invest in peace, then we must all become

advocates of disarmament. Today was a particularly good

day for disarmament and for the United Nations. It was my

privilege this morning to join with other colleagues in the

European Union in signing, on behalf of our respective

States, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The

European Union would urge all States to sign and ratify this

important Treaty.

We must respond to the clear wish of all our peoples

to live in a world in which the threats posed by nuclear

weapons and weapons of mass destruction can be reduced

and ultimately removed. We have made a start with

Conventions banning chemical and biological weapons. The

next step is the start of negotiations for a cut-off treaty.

The European Union will also give priority at this

session to measures to deal with the menace of the

indiscriminate use of anti-personnel landmines. Today, there

are over 110 million landmines in our earth, mostly in

developing countries. They kill, indiscriminately, 26,000

people every year, mostly civilians, many of them women

and children. Anti-personnel landmines have disabled a

quarter of a million people.

It is an incredible and obscene irony that at a time

when the United Nations, with the active support of the

European Union and other States, is continuing its vital

work of mine clearance, further millions of anti-personnel

landmines are still deployed annually. The European Union

has endorsed the appeal made by the Security Council to all

States to contribute to the Voluntary Trust Fund for

Assistance in Mine Clearance. We call upon all Member

States of the United Nations to join with the European

Union, in a spirit of common humanity, to put an end to

indiscriminate killing and maiming by anti-personnel

landmines.

Conventional arms control, at both a global and

regional level, also requires our attention. We now have the

opportunity to overcome the mistrust and insecurity that

previously predominated in arms-control negotiations and

to create a climate of transparency and cooperation

leading to arms reduction. This process is under way in

Europe. We would hope to see it develop in other regions

of the world.

Failure to respect human rights and fundamental

freedoms is a major cause of conflict today. Many

intra-State conflicts arise from the denial of basic human

rights to minorities and in some cases to whole

populations. The democratic right of all citizens to

participate freely and openly in the governance of their

societies continues to be under threat or denied. The battle

for the economic and social emancipation and

empowerment of women has begun. This is an issue of

special importance for the European Union.

The United Nations has since its inception been in

the vanguard in the promotion and defence of human

rights and democratic freedoms. Its record is indeed a

proud one. The European Union will continue its support,

both material and political, for the vital ongoing work of

the United Nations in this area. The Union believes it is

essential to secure adequate financing from the regular

budget for the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights and the Centre for

Human Rights. The European Union fully supports the

Declaration and Plan of Action adopted by the recent

World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation

of Children. This is a timely initiative in tackling this

appalling abuse, which affects all regions in the world.

Despite decades of effort and resources, the poverty

gap has widened, not narrowed. For many of the least-

developed nations, their development is regressing rather

than advancing. The time is long overdue to mount a new

global offensive against poverty, a major cause of

instability and conflict. We will give major priority to the

war against poverty and the United Nations New Agenda

for the Development of Africa in the 1990s initiative.

A more vigorous effort is needed to carry through

major programmes for the economic and social

advancement of women, as are more emphasis and action

on the gender perspective across the whole spectrum of

development.

The European Union recognizes the central role

which the United Nations system, through its specialized

agencies and programmes, has played and will continue

to play in the humanitarian, economic and social fields.

We need to reform and revitalize the United Nations

9

system in this area to ensure a real and lasting impact on

sustainable development.

Our aim is reform, not the retrenchment of resources.

The discussions on “An Agenda for Development” have

begun this process. A sense of urgency is required to give

impetus to our work during this session of the General

Assembly and to build upon recent progress. The European

Union will pay particular attention to the follow-up to

resolution 50/227 concerning the revitalization of the

system.

Effective follow-up to the conclusions of the

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) substantive

session on humanitarian assistance will be vital to achieve

a stronger and more coordinated strategy within the United

Nations system to deliver effective programmes where they

are most needed. We must also see progress in coordinating

the outcome of recent United Nations conferences,

including the Habitat II Conference in June.

The European Union welcomes the renewed emphasis

of ECOSOC on the global threat posed by narcotic drugs.

The Union is giving high priority to measures which will

improve the coordination of efforts to fight this threat,

which undermines the very fabric of all our societies.

The success of the United Nations Conference on

Trade and Development (UNCTAD) conference in Midrand

is welcome in that it underlines that reform and progress in

renewing the system are possible.

The forthcoming special session on Agenda 21 and the

follow-up to the Rio Conference will allow us to give fresh

impetus to action on development and environmental issues

and renewed support to the work of the Commission on

Sustainable Development.

The European Union invites all Member States to join

in a new global partnership for development. It is in the

common interest of the peoples we represent to forge a

global alliance against poverty, hunger, disease, ignorance

and deprivation. This is a key challenge for the United

Nations and its Member States.

Our endeavour to revitalize and reform the United

Nations system is taking place against the backdrop of a

serious financial crisis. This continuing crisis undermines

the necessary climate of partnership and the capacity to

implement current programmes in many areas. It distracts

efforts and attention from the real tasks of the moment.

The European Union has repeatedly stated that all

Member States have an obligation under the Charter to

discharge their arrears and pay their assessed

contributions to the regular and peacekeeping budgets

promptly, in full and without conditions. The States

members of the European Union, which contribute over

35 per cent of the regular and over 37 per cent of the

peacekeeping budgets have consistently honoured this

obligation. They believe that to resolve this crisis, all

States Members of the United Nations must do likewise.

The Union recognizes the need for financial reform

to secure the long-term financial stability of the United

Nations. It has therefore put forward a set of proposals

aimed at achieving comprehensive financial reform,

including adaptation of the scale of assessments to make

it more genuinely reflective of the capacity to pay.

This session should see resolute efforts to negotiate

solutions.

The conflicts and tensions in today’s world are

reflected in the memorandum distributed as part of this

speech, in which the European Union outlines its position

on issues facing the world community. I would like to

draw attention at this point to some critical areas of major

concern to the European Union: the former Yugoslavia,

Cyprus, the Middle East peace process and the Great

Lakes region of Africa.

Europe has not been spared the tragic ethnic conflict

witnessed in other regions. The progress we have made in

bringing an end to the savage war in the former

Yugoslavia has required the combined efforts of the

international community and a variety of international and

regional bodies, including the United Nations, the North

Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union.

However, we still need to address the massive

humanitarian and reconstruction needs left in its wake, as

well as the more difficult and long-term task of rebuilding

trust, security and peace among the peoples of the region

and ensuring full respect for the territorial integrity of the

various sovereign States.

The European Union and its member States remain

committed to full implementation of the provisions of the

peace Agreement for Bosnia and Herzegovina and to

making a very substantial contribution to the concerted

effort being made to assist the parties who have primary

responsibility for this implementation in living up to their

obligations.

10

There are daunting tasks ahead. The immediate focus

is on the follow-up to the elections in Bosnia and

Herzegovina which took place on 14 September 1996 under

the supervision of the Organization for Security and

Cooperation in Europe. On this occasion, I would

acknowledge in particular the very important contribution

that was made by the Implementation Force and the United

Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the

International Police Task Force, in ensuring that the

elections were conducted peacefully.

The Union fully supports the strategy of the High

Representative, Mr. Carl Bildt, in regard to establishing the

common institutions of the State after the elections. He has

the full assurance of our support for his leading role in the

implementation process. We do not underestimate the

enormity of this task. If we are to succeed in maintaining

peace, it is essential that the international community

closely coordinate its activities and that all parties cooperate

fully in the process. The European Union will work closely

with the United Nations and the international community to

achieve an effective long-term strategy to secure peace and

self-sustaining stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this

context, the Union notes that parties have agreed to hold

further elections in September 1998. An important focus

during the intervening period will be assisting the Office of

the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in

facilitating the return of the many thousands of refugees

and displaced persons who have not yet been able to go

back to their homes. Ultimately, our aim must be a return

by all the former Yugoslav republics to the community of

peaceful and democratic nations.

The basic agreement for Eastern Slavonia must be

implemented in full and the return of refugees and

displaced persons to this region completed. Such persons

must be ensured of full protection for their human rights.

The Union acknowledges the important work of the United

Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia,

Baranja and Western Sirmium, which enjoys our full

support in its efforts.

The Union continues to attach great importance to full

cooperation with the work of the International Criminal

Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. This work reflects the

resolve of the international community to bring to justice

those responsible for war crimes and crimes against

humanity. It is vital to efforts to develop justice, confidence

and democracy in the region that all parties fulfil the

commitments they have made to hand over indicted persons.

The European Union stresses once again that the

current status quo in Cyprus is not acceptable. It reaffirms

its strong support for the efforts of the Secretary-General

of the United Nations aimed at a negotiated and lasting

solution to the Cyprus question which will respect the

sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity

of the country in accordance with the relevant United

Nations resolutions. The European Union welcomes the

appointment of the Special Representative of the

Secretary-General, Mr. Han Sung-Joo. The Presidency of

the European Union has also nominated a Special

Representative on Cyprus.

The Middle East peace process, based on the

principles already accepted by all parties under the

Madrid and Oslo frameworks, is the only path to security

and peace for Israel, the Palestinians and the neighbouring

States. The Florence European Council of June 1996

reaffirmed the approach of the European Union. It further

stated that peace in the Middle East was a fundamental

interest of the European Union. The Union is therefore

concentrating its efforts on encouraging all parties to

re-engage themselves in this process and to respect and

implement fully all the agreements already reached.

We wish to make an active contribution to promote

this process in both the political and economic fields and

to build upon the important work which has been done

over the years by the United Nations in the interests of a

just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East.

We would invite all Member States to do their

utmost to nurture this process and give encouragement to

all parties to move forward.

The Union is deeply concerned that the current lack

of progress in negotiations should not undermine the

prospects for peace. The progress already achieved should

be advanced by further agreement on concrete issues. We

hope that the recent meeting between the Israeli Prime

Minister and the Palestinian President will have positive

results for the peace process. We call upon the Israeli

Government not to pursue the extension of settlements.

Continued expansion of settlements does more than any

other issue to erode Palestinian confidence in the peace

process. It undermines the ability of both the Palestinian

Authority and society at large to deter extremists and

trouble-makers. As the largest donor, the Union remains

committed to providing assistance to the Palestinian

people and urges all parties concerned to contribute to the

economic revival of the West Bank and Gaza. This

endeavour will hopefully be rendered more effective by

the recent relaxation of the border closures, and we hope

that this encouraging trend will continue.

It is important that all tracks of the peace process

move forward. We favour an early resumption of

negotiations between Syria and Israel, and have reaffirmed

our support for the independence, territorial integrity and

sovereignty of Lebanon and for early negotiations involving

that country.

The creation of the Middle East peace process has

been a historic breakthrough in the long-standing search to

bring to the peoples of the region the lasting and just peace

which they clearly want and, indeed, they deserve. The

European Union will intensify its efforts to ensure its

success.

The European Union shares the heightened concern of

the international community at the grave threat to peace and

stability in the Great Lakes region posed by the current

situation in Burundi. The United Nations and the European

Union are already involved in an international effort to cope

with the aftermath of the Rwanda tragedy — the major

humanitarian crisis, the serious refugee problem, and the

ongoing process of regional reconstruction. But at the same

time the area is again facing the prospect of bloody civil

war and genocide, in Burundi. We cannot allow this to

happen. The European Union strongly supports the efforts

of the United Nations and the Organization of African

Unity to restore dialogue and democracy in Burundi. It

acknowledges in particular the pivotal role being played in

this endeavour by former President Nyerere, supported by

other regional leaders. Their efforts are assisted by the

special envoys of the European Union and the United

Nations, and other parties.

The international community, through Security Council

resolution 1072 (1996), has sent a clear message to the

parties involved that there must be an end to all violence

and an early beginning of unconditional and all-inclusive

national dialogue in Burundi. This is the only constructive

path to a solution which is lasting and based on a

negotiated, democratic and institutional consensus which

ensures security for all. The European Union remains

willing to support the necessary recovery process in

Burundi once the path of dialogue is embarked upon by all

parties with the resolve necessary to ensure a solution. It

therefore calls on all parties to forsake violence and to

engage in this process of dialogue.

The European Union continues to be the major donor

to the humanitarian and reconstruction needs of the region.

It welcomes the progress in rehabilitation in Rwanda, to

which it contributes substantially, and it pays tribute to

the work of the United Nations in various sectors in

Rwanda.

The return of refugees and national reconciliation in

Rwanda will remain a priority for the Union. We will

also continue to support the International Criminal

Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for

Genocide and Other Serious Violations of International

Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of Rwanda

and Rwandan Citizens Responsible for Genocide and

Other Such Violations Committed in the Territory of

Neighbouring States between 1 January and 31 December

1994, to underscore our belief that the international

community must pursue and bring to justice those who

have perpetrated gross crimes against humanity.

We have begun this fifty-first session with a signal

of hope. The signature at the United Nations today of the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty shows this

Organization in its rightful place — seized of the deepest

concerns of humanity. This is the place which the

founders sought for the United Nations. This is the place

which it is our responsibility to ensure that it firmly holds

for today’s world and for the generations to come.

Lastly, and speaking solely in my capacity as

Foreign Minister of Ireland, I would like to inform the

Assembly of developments in the Northern Ireland

situation over the past year. The search for a lasting peace

and a comprehensive political settlement continues.

Substantial advances have been recorded in the past 12

months, despite serious setbacks and despite the

uncertainty and suspicion which still hamper the

development of true reconciliation between the

communities in Northern Ireland and between the main

traditions which share the island of Ireland.

Negotiations involving the Governments and the

parties began in June and resumed earlier this month. The

stated purpose of these negotiations is to achieve a new

beginning for relationships within Northern Ireland, within

the island of Ireland and between the peoples of these

islands, and to agree new institutions and structures to

take account of the totality of relationships.

The Irish Government continues to base its approach

to the negotiations on the fundamental principles set out

in the 1993 Joint Declaration published with the British

Government. As I indicated last year, A New Framework

for Agreement, published in 1995, represents the shared

12

assessment of the two Governments of a balanced and

honourable accommodation which might be envisaged

across all the key relationships. We shall in negotiations

make the case for a fair accommodation along these lines,

believing as we do in the necessity of radical and ambitious

change on all sides. At the same time, agreement requires

the support of the political representatives in both

communities, and must also command majority popular

support in both parts of Ireland.

We continue to be firmly of the view that wholly

inclusive negotiations, involving the representatives of both

communities in their totality, offer the best prospect of

achieving a durable settlement founded on a recognition of

the rights and aspirations of all. The Irish Republican Army

(IRA), by terminating its cease-fire last February, not only

perpetrated renewed death and destruction and flouted the

wishes of the overwhelming majority of the people in both

Britain and Ireland. It also obliged the two Governments to

cease ministerial dialogue with Sinn Fein, which, because

of the collapse of the cease-fire, is currently not a

participant in the negotiations.

This is a matter of both regret and frustration. Sinn

Fein has a potentially valuable and constructive role to play

in contributing to a stable and far-reaching settlement. But

political dialogue is sustainable and productive only on the

basis of the principles of democracy and non-violence. That

is why there must be an unequivocal restoration of the IRA

cease-fire before Sinn Fein can enter the negotiations,

which would be enhanced by their presence, as they are by

the continuing presence of the loyalist parties.

Likewise, however, all of those truly committed to

finding an accommodation must impartially reject

sectarianism and oppose disorder from whatever source if

they wish to create an atmosphere in which reconciliation

can flourish and agreement take root. The confrontation and

polarization which occurred during the past summer in the

“marching season”, the consequences of which still vibrate,

highlight the absolute necessity of compromise and mutual

understanding.

The instrument for progress is to hand in the Talks

process under way, if we can persuade all the parties to use

the Talks process constructively. That requires the earliest

possible transition to substantive negotiations. The Irish

Government is working with the British Government to

persuade the representatives of the unionist community to

embark on this step without delay, secure in the knowledge

that the process already contains multiple safeguards,

including the guarantee of popular referendum, to ensure

that the interests of their community must be respected in

any agreed outcome.

The continuing support of the international

community is an invaluable asset on which we can draw

in the search for a settlement. Most directly, the

negotiations benefit from the independent chairmanship of

Senator Mitchell of the United States, former Prime

Minister Holkeri of Finland, and General de Chastelain of

Canada, whose skill and authority command the respect

and confidence of all participants. In addition, I would

like to express my Government’s gratitude for the

generosity and support of all of our many friends in this

Assembly, in particular the Governments of the United

States and of our European Union partners.

The wounds of conflict are still deep and unhealed

in Ireland. We can be under no illusion but that the

process of reconciliation and the crafting of an agreement

will be slow and painstaking. But we have continued to

make progress on that journey, and we are committed to

continuing in our quest for peace.