Moldova, 1992

Allow

me first to convey to you, Mr. President, the heartfelt congratulations of the

Republic of Moldova on your election and to wish you every success in

performing your important duties.

I should also like to take this opportunity to express once again my

gratitude and my country's gratitude to the participants in this forum. It

was thanks to their support that the Republic of Moldova, more than six months

ago, became a member of the great family of the United Nations and is now

able, in that new capacity, to add its efforts to those of other States in

promoting the noble values and ideals of the Charter of the United Nations.

I believe that this lofty rostrum of the United Nations General Assembly

is the best place to analyse, even if briefly, the processes and

transformations we are witnessing today and to discuss our common problems.

Beyond doubt, our civilization is undergoing profound and dynamic

changes, and for that reason it is acquiring a new quality, a different

content. The collapse of communism, the end of the cold war and the fall of

the Soviet empire, followed by the appearance of many new independent States,

whose peoples cherish freedom and democracy, are all changes of great

importance for the future of mankind.

At the same time, we are witnessing a constant deterioration of some

global problems, such as the appearance of new regional conflicts which

threaten the internal stability of those States and which also affect

international security. It is clear that those problems and the solutions to

them require the concerted efforts of the entire international community.

Accordingly, the United Nations, the most representative international body,

has an essential role to play as a universal centre for our collective action.

Regarding the revitalization of the United Nations and its restructuring

to reflect recent events, I believe that as the guarantor of international

peace and stability, the United Nations should expand its efforts for peace by

improving its peace-keeping machinery, by stepping up its activities in the

field of preventive diplomacy and by working out new, more effective machinery

to coordinate actions aimed at enhancing respect for the norms of

international law and ensuring the security and interests of small States such

as my own country.

I am convinced that today, more than ever before the United Nations is

capable of resolving the problems confronting the world community. It is

through such action that the great principles of the Charter which during

the time of the cold war remained merely ideals can be effectively

implemented and respected.

The United Nations, which in earlier days was a forum for ideological

polemics, is now becoming a body for international cooperation, a highly

authoritative body inspired by a profound constructive spirit. We are fully

convinced that the admission of new States to the United Nations family means

a mutual responsibility for them and for the United Nations.

The events that led to the incorporation of the Baltic countries

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania following the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact are well

known. Following that treaty, which had been imposed by force and has since

been declared null and void by the parliament of the former USSR, the

territory of my country was annexed and subjected to forced assimilation aimed

at making us forget our Latin origins and become part of "the Soviet people".

The proclamation of our Republic's independence and sovereignty and its

admission to membership in this world Organization opened the way to our

freedom with due regard, of course, for the strict observance of the norms

and principles of law accepted in international practice. It is in that

context that I wish to state that our goal is to advance towards a model of

social organization in our Republic which will match the high standards

developed by mankind in the socio-economic, juridical, political, spiritual

and other fields.

The year 1991 marked the beginning of the existence of independent States

with different socio-political and economic systems in the territory of the

former USSR. Each of them is seeking ways and means to build a State based on

law and the institutions and machinery appropriate for a market economy.

We believe that the international community's support should be conceived

and adapted to suit the actual conditions existing in each newly independent

country. For that reason, with a view to supporting the specific reforms for

the transitional period, the efforts of the United Nations and of its

specialized agencies will achieve positive results only if they are

coordinated with the socio-economic programmes devised and promoted by those

countries. The recent admission of the Republic of Moldova to the

International Monetary Fund and the World Bank guarantees the success of the

reforms and also gives substantial support to our young State, which is firmly

committed to a process of democratic development.

However, the conflict unleashed in the eastern parts of Moldova is a major

obstacle to the promotion of our economic reforms and to the democracy to

which we are committed.

The pro-communist imperialistic forces constituted by the representatives

of the old "nomenklatura" the military-industrial complex and the higher

echelons of the former Soviet army have unleashed a full-fledged war against

the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova in order to separate its

districts situated on the left bank of the Dniester.

At the same time the creation of guards' units, which also include

mercenaries from other States, and the involvement in the conflict of the

Fourteenth Army, which is under the jurisdiction of the Government of the

Russian Federation, are flagrant violations of the Constitution of the

Republic of Moldova and of the norms of international law, constituting open

aggression against our young State.

We believe that this conflict can be resolved at the regional level, but

there must also be active participation by the United Nations.

I should also like to take this opportunity to thank Secretary-General

Boutros Boutros-Ghali for his efforts to end the conflict. Following his

initiative, a United Nations mission paid two visits to my country in the last

three months to investigate the situation.

On 21 July 1992, motivated by a sincere desire to put an end to the

hostilities, the President of my country signed with the President of the

Russian Federation the Agreement on principles for a peaceful settlement of

the armed conflict in those districts of the Republic of Moldova which were

involved. The Agreement had some positive effects: there was a cease-fire,

as well as a disengagement of the armed forces involved in the conflict.

Similarly, because of the presence of peace-keeping forces, human lives have

been spared. Nevertheless, the situation is still tense. The imperialistic

separatist and pro-communist forces do not comply with their obligations to

the letter. They are continuing to consolidate their own positions so that

the dismemberment of the trans-Dniester territories of the Republic of Moldova

has now become a fait accompli.

The constitutionally established juridical and administrative organs of

the Republic of Moldova in that area have been forced to leave their

premises. Parallel with this, organs of the so-called Moldavi Republic of the

Dniester have been set up. In that area, there are frequent violations of

human rights. The Moldovan population, in particular the representatives of

the local authorities as well as veterans, has been the victim of an extensive

campaign of psychological and physical persecution. People who do not support

the separatist policy are dismissed and many displaced persons who have

returned to their homes have found them occupied by mercenaries.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the Agreement, former guards are

included in the peace-keeping forces, and this has led to acts of violence

against civilians. People living in the eastern districts of the Republic

still possess a large quantity of weapons.

For the reasons I have described, I emphasize that there is a need for

the permanent presence of a group of United Nations observers and also of some

human-rights experts in the Republic of Moldova to analyse the situation on

the scene.

From an analysis of the causes and development of the conflict, we can

conclude that one of the factors that have contributed and still contribute to

the destabilization of the situation is the presence of foreign military

forces in our territory. We must state with regret that the Moldovan-Russian

negotiations concerning the withdrawal of the Fourteenth Army on the terms set

for that withdrawal have been hampered by the representatives of the Russian

Federation, who are equivocating about the negotiations and consequently about

the withdrawal of that army of occupation.

Furthermore, assertions to the effect that the Fourteenth Army can act as

a guarantor of peace are not justified. It is an army of occupation, which,

as recent events have shown, is a permanent source of tension and conflict,

and the deployment of so-called peace-keeping forces belies its supposed

status of peace guarantor. The technical reasons that have been adduced are

likewise inexplicable. If the political will exists, the 4,000 or so military

personnel can easily be withdrawn.

For the resolution of this matter, we expect much from the democratic

forces of Russia, which could demonstrate that country's devotion to

democratic values. In the present extremely complex situation it would be

very useful to have the support of the United Nations with a view to securing

guaranteed political cooperation and a demonstration of genuine political will

on the part of those involved, particularly Russia.

We are convinced that the universal prestige of the United Nations and

your support would make possible the unconditional and immediate withdrawal of

the Fourteenth Army and an easing of the conflict before it degenerates into a

conflagration with unforeseeable consequences. Accordingly, I welcome the

fact that one item of the agenda of the current session of the General

Assembly is an amendment, submitted by the Republics of Estonia, Latvia and

Lithuania, on the complete withdrawal of foreign military forces from the

territory of the Baltic States. However, I hope that that problem which, as

I have already pointed out, is of great importance to my country will be

discussed as part of a wider debate which also deals with the withdrawal of

the foreign armed forces now in my country's territory.

The Government and Parliament of the Republic of Moldova are aware of the

fact that orienting domestic legislation towards international standards in

the field of human rights is the only effective means of consolidating the

democratic process. The country I represent has acceded to the main

international instruments on human rights. The supreme legislative forum of

our Republic will soon complete its preparation of the new constitution, and

that will greatly enhance the process of building a State based on law and a

pluralistic democracy.

Peace and cooperation are the two main pillars of the foreign policy of

the Republic of Moldova. Accordingly, security problems in my country are

very important. Geopolitically, Moldova is a meeting-point between eastern

and western Europe. For that reason, we seek to establish friendly,

cooperative relations with all States, without belonging to any military bloc.

I should like to take this opportunity to convey cordial congratulations

to Georgia, to Slovenia, to Croatia and to Bosnia and Herzegovina on becoming

Members of the United Nations.

We are convinced that only human solidarity can promote democracy

throughout the world, put an end to conflicts and stop the violations of

internationally accepted norms of behaviour. The Republic of Moldova is

deeply devoted to the ideals of freedom, democracy and human dignity, which

are the main tenets of its policy.