Romania, 1993

There can be no doubt that today "transition" is

the key word that defines the process that my country, along

with others, is undergoing. The inclusion in the agenda of

the General Assembly of an item on countries in transition

exemplifies the Assembly’s capacity to respond swiftly to

the concerns of its members.

Last year, my predecessor stressed to the General

Assembly the importance of Romanian society’s capacity to

learn. Since then, my country has continued to learn that

democracy, the rule of law, political pluralism, a market

economy, and respect for human rights and fundamental

freedoms are necessary conditions for individual potential

and aspirations to be fulfilled.

We have also learned that the transition will last longer

than expected, that the challenges it presents are greater than

we imagined and that its social costs are heavier than we

first estimated. However, these bitter lessons do not in any

way dissuade us from our irreversible choice: democracy

and a market economy.

As the Assembly may know, during 1992 free and fair

local, general and presidential elections took place in

Romania. The first stage of restructuring the political life

and strengthening the rule of law has thus been completed.

Clearly, the political process is still undergoing changes.

Eleven parties are now represented in Parliament. Moreover,

a special provision of our electoral law guarantees a seat in

the legislature for each national minority, even if their

political organizations did not obtain the required minimum

of votes. At the same time, there is a slow but steady trend

towards a clearer shaping of political diversity into stronger

and better defined political forces.

As for economic restructuring, in March 1993 the

Government formed after the general elections presented its

strategy for economic and social reform to the Romanian

Forty-eighth session - 28 September l993 21

Parliament. The central idea of this strategy is that the

transition to a market economy should be as fast as possible.

While focusing on privatization and structural changes, at

both the macro-economic and micro-economic levels, the

Government also pays particular attention to their social

costs.

This year we have taken some decisive steps. On 1

May the Government ended all subsidies for the production

of consumer goods and as of 1 July the value added tax

became the sole fiscal instrument.

We already note a growing interest on the part of some

major Western companies in investing in and cooperating

with viable Romanian companies. This augurs well for the

stimulation of economic activity.

However, our economy still faces some major

difficulties, inherent in the transition period. At the same

time, unfavourable external circumstances have during the

last three years triggered a dramatic fall in the output of

important economic sectors. They include the reduction in

economic cooperation with neighbouring countries and the

adverse effects of the successive United Nations embargoes

imposed on Iraq, Libya and the Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia, all strictly observed by Romania.

Our experience over recent years has shown that

internal efforts can be decisively catalyzed by foreign

assistance, both financial and managerial. Therefore, we

believe that international assistance in the next few years

could speed up our reform process and boost industrial

production, while improving the Romanian economy’s

integration into the world economy.

To sum up, we can state at this juncture that the

essential lesson we have drawn from this period of transition

is that - in spite of undeniable difficulties - there is no

turning back. We shall respect and follow the irreversible

choice of the Romanian people to join the family of

democratic nations.

In our view, democracy and the new role of the United

Nations are not only complementary, but mutually

strengthening. In this respect, I should like to quote

President Woodrow Wilson in his Address to the United

States Congress on 2 April 1917, as follows:

(spoke in English)

"A steadfast concert for peace can never be maintained

except by a partnership of democratic nations. No

autocratic Government could be trusted to keep faith

within it or observe its covenant. It must be a league

of honour, a partnership of opinions".

(spoke in French)

These ideas are still valid, and constitute precisely the

objective we must strive for, devoting all our efforts to

strengthening and giving new substance to the role of the

United Nations. While remaining loyal to its basic

principles and goals, the Organization must naturally adapt

to the new political climate. Deeply and sincerely

committed to the spirit of the United Nations Charter,

Romania intends to support fully the ideas and

recommendations contained in the Secretary-General’s report

"An Agenda for Peace". In so doing, my country regards

the United Nations, as described in the report of the

Secretary-General on the work of the United Nations,

"as the instrument of the body of Member States,

and ... as more than the sum of its parts." (A/48/1,

para. 512)

Mindful that implementing the lofty ideals of the United

Nations requires adequate resources, we are ready to support

fully every effort to make better use of resources, with the

contributing nations having stricter control. Firm measures

are needed. Accountability must become the watchword

both for the Organization’s daily work and for its future

projects.

Enlargement and diversification of programmes for

economic and social development and for protection of the

environment are imperative. It is, however, important to

make sure that money allocated to these programmes is not

wasted on piles of paper and unnecessary travels around the

world.

Peace-keeping operations, which have undergone such

an impressive expansion in recent years, have similar

requirements. Increased attention should be given to the

ratio of costs to benefits and control of the use of resources.

The new political climate, which has brought an

enhanced role for the Security Council, has made possible a

more effective use of the United Nations potential for

controlling and resolving conflicts.

22 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

Romania is determined to contribute to the best of its

ability to United Nations peace-keeping operations, and to

this end has already started a special programme to increase

its capacity to respond adequately to the requirements of the

Organization or of other institutions. A first battalion of

professional military personnel is already being trained for

such operations; we estimate that it could become

operational at the beginning of next spring.

Given the need to enhance the capacity of the United

Nations in this dynamic exercise of its functions, the support

and cooperation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

and the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe

are all the more needed and welcomed. In this regard, the

contributions of other regional agreements and organizations,

and particularly the praiseworthy work carried out by the

North Atlantic Cooperation Council, are of great importance.

At the same time, in order to preserve the prestige and

credibility of peacekeeping operations and to ensure the

confidence of the international community, such operations

must strictly observe the principles and premises which have

contributed to their success thus far. Therefore, we must be

cautious in granting any unilateral authority that some

countries might be tempted to assume in areas where they

have special interests. This applies especially when there are

doubts about the impartiality of forces involved, or when the

necessary consent of the host country may be prejudiced by

any kind of pressure.

Wisdom and caution are all the more necessary in this

respect, since we recognize the United Nations

peace-keeping operations as an important dimension of a

future new world order.

Human beings and their creative potential must always

remain the central focus of all our endeavours. We welcome

the encouraging results of the World Conference on Human

Rights, and we hope that these conclusions, including those

concerning the creation of a post of High Commissioner for

Human Rights, will be implemented as soon as possible.

We also hope that the World Summit on Social

Development, to be held in 1995, will be even more

successful.

I am very pleased to reaffirm that respect for the human

person has become a generally accepted norm in our strategy

for social development. Romania is now a party to almost

all the major international agreements on human rights and

is engaged with all openness in the relevant international

procedures.

International commitments to uphold human rights and

the rule of law are closely linked to national legislation

through a constitutional clause that enshrines the primacy of

international regulations over domestic law. The admission

of Romania as a member of the Council of Europe, as was

recommended earlier today by an overwhelming majority in

the Council’s parliamentary assembly, will complete this

picture. In short, international standards and norms are at

the same time our standards and norms.

Certainly, progress, particularly in the field of human

rights, is not just a matter of drafting and passing new laws

and regulations: it is also a matter of their implementation

in a social environment. No less important is the economic

aspect. Standards of living and quality of life have a

considerable impact on human rights. That is why we are

striving to make social protection a basic dimension of our

reform programme.

The protection of the rights of people belonging to

ethnic minorities is an integral part of the protection of

human rights. In Romania there are 14 national and ethnic

minorities registered as such through their political parties or

organizations. All together they represent about 10 per cent

of the population. Since 1989 we have been making steady

efforts to institute measures to protect the rights of persons

belonging to national minorities.

The establishment this year of the National Council of

Minorities broadened the institutional framework, enabling

each and every national minority in Romania to take part in

the decision-making process regarding the protection of their

ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity. It is true

that we have not responded completely to all their demands

and aspirations. The explanation for this lies, not in a lack

of will, but in the difficulties confronting the entire

population.

Yet we would underline that the excessive use of

minority-related issues is harmful to the interests of

minorities themselves, those of the majority of the

population, and those of the international community as a

whole. Unfortunately, such tendencies, expressing

aggressive nationalism as well as xenophobia, racism and

anti-Semitism, are still significant destabilizing factors and

a threat to international peace and security in Eastern and

Central Europe as elsewhere. Caution is therefore needed in

dealing with these phenomena, as well as with the so-called

new concept of the right to self-determination, in order to

prevent any debasement of its legal content.

Forty-eighth session - 28 September l993 23

The Romanian delegation would like to avail itself of

this opportunity to reaffirm its great satisfaction over the

Israeli-Palestinian declaration of principles on Palestinian

self-rule in Gaza and Jericho, signed on 13 September 1993

in Washington, D.C. In the view of the Romanian

Government, their mutual recognition and the declaration of

principles represent a triumph of the reason and political will

of both the Israeli Government and the Palestine Liberation

Organization, thus opening up new possibilities for peaceful

coexistence and collaboration, not only between their two

peoples, but among all the peoples in the region. The lion’s

share of the credit certainly goes to the two parties directly

involved, but we cannot overlook the contribution of the

international community, of the United States Government,

and of the Governments of other countries. In this

connection, I am very pleased to recall the constant efforts

deployed by my country for peace and understanding

between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

With regard to the conflict in the eastern region of the

Republic of Moldova, the conclusions expressed last year by

the Romanian delegation are, unfortunately, still valid in

large part. No progress whatsoever has been made towards

the political solution of the conflict. Moreover, we are

witnessing a strange situation in which the commander-in-

chief of the 14th Russian army - a foreign army on the

national soil of an independent country without the consent

of that United Nations Member - was recently "elected" as

a member of the so-called local parliament.

In our opinion, the withdrawal of foreign troops is the

key to the solution of the conflict in the Transdniestr area.

We note with full satisfaction that a similar viewpoint is

shared by the international community. A resolute

affirmation of this position at the current session of the

General Assembly would be instrumental in upholding the

independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of

Moldova. The recent positive developments on the

withdrawal of the Russian troops from the Baltic countries,

an item which is to be debated at the current session of the

General Assembly, could serve as a useful precedent.

Within the same framework we should like to

acknowledge the efforts of the mission of the Conference on

Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) and to assure it

of our full support for the accomplishment of its tasks. We

favour the resumption of the quadripartite mechanism of

meetings between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the

Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation and

Ukraine.

The Republic of Moldova needs both the understanding

and the support of the international community. A very

promising sign in this respect is the prompt international

reaction to the so-called trial in Tiraspol, where a group of

persons was detained for political reasons by the

self-proclaimed authorities of Transdniestr. Their lives are

still in danger. This trial reveals the political nature of the

conflict in the Republic of Moldova.

Despite the energetic diplomatic efforts made to date,

the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia are far from being

resolved. As a neighbour and friend to all the successor

States, Romania is genuinely interested to see the earliest

possible resumption of normal life in that region. Putting an

end to the sufferings of the people and to the continual life-

threatening risks to the lives of the members of the United

Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) is an immediate

imperative.

Romania reiterates its great appreciation of the constant

efforts deployed by the two Co-Chairmen of the Peace

Conference on Yugoslavia. In this context we should stress

the Romanian Government’s commitment to continuing its

efforts for a peaceful settlement of the Yugoslav conflict and

its support for the peace process co-sponsored by the United

Nations and the European Community.

Convinced that a negotiated peace is the only

acceptable solution to the conflict, Romania will add its

diplomatic efforts to those of other countries in the region.

The success of our joint efforts is vital for the new Europe

we wish to build and for the future stability of the region.

In the context of the Yugoslav crisis, Romania complies

strictly with the sanctions regime imposed by the relevant

Security Council’s resolutions. Despite painful effects on

our economy in the midst of a period of crisis and transition,

we consider these measures a necessary means of supporting

the peace-seeking efforts.

The presence of European Economic Community and

CSCE sanctions assistance missions and of a small Western

European Union fleet that is patrolling the Romanian sector

of the river has tightened the already-existing monitoring

mechanisms. We have also engaged in close coordination

with the other riparian countries.

Notwithstanding these efforts, we have not received

suitable compensation to defray our tremendous economic

losses. We are certainly encouraged by the increasing

awareness on the part of the international community and the

Security Council, in the spirit of Article 50 of the United

24 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

Nations Charter, with respect to the difficulties being

experienced by Romania and other affected countries. We

should like, however, to see this spirit given material form.

The United Nations bodies and international financial

institutions should respond to the needs of our countries

rather than leave us to fend for ourselves in seeking

solutions to the burdensome difficulties we face as a result

of acting as loyal Members of the United Nations.

We welcome the serious debate in various United

Nations bodies on the issue of compensations. The

recommendations adopted by the Committee of the Security

Council established under resolution 724 (1991) express

genuine moral support and solidarity. Unfortunately, we

must accept the fact that moral support is not enough; we

cannot face serious economic needs with nothing more than

fine words. We await strengthened consultative mechanisms

for considering concrete solutions to these problems, and we

hope that the international financial institutions will be more

receptive.

This would bring well-deserved assistance to the

affected countries, while at the same time increasing

confidence in the authority of the United Nations Charter

and its ability to preserve the dedication of countries to the

cause of peace.

We believe that the end of the cold war will result in

new general and specific duties for the members of the

international community. If our common goals as Members

of the United Nations are democracy, peace and security,

then solidarity is an essential means of achieving those

goals. One of the most original contributions the United

Nations could make during the current United Nations

Decade of International Law would be to define the legal

content of the "duty of solidarity" which should be

implemented in consonance with the universally accepted

principles of jus gentium, democracy and human rights. In

our view solidarity should become one of the central

strategic values of the new world order.

Undoubtedly we still live in a time of great challenges

for the world community and the United Nations. Though

it is true that many of the great expectations raised by the

end of the cold war have not yet been fulfilled, we should

not give up hope. The best way to turn hope into reality is

to work together, leaving both unfruitful habits and selfish

considerations behind us. Our joint efforts must, above all,

be an expression of a vital, powerful solidarity and of

confidence in what we can do together for a better

tomorrow.