Romania, 1998

It

gives me particular pleasure to congratulate Mr. Opertti

most warmly on his election as President of the General

Assembly at its fifty-third session. Please allow me also to

join those who have expressed their appreciation for the

work done by the former President, Mr. Hennadiy

Udovenko, during the past session.

Since this is the first time that I am taking the floor in

this Assembly, I would like to express to Secretary-General

Kofi Annan our highest consideration and support for his

activity, especially for his efforts in promoting reform of

and a new image for the United Nations.

Romania believes that the role of the United Nations

in contemporary international life remains essential, given

that, in the face of the new challenges to international

security, we can react in a coherent and efficient manner

only under the guidance of a unique system of values, such

as that of the generally accepted principles of the United

Nations Charter, whose validity remains indisputable.

My country desires to participate actively in the

process of redefining the role of the United Nations and of

modernizing its functioning, and it supports the reform of

the Organization as a whole.

The beneficial role of United Nations preventive

diplomacy, demonstrated these past years, as well as the

new approaches regarding humanitarian aid, peacekeeping

and post-conflict reconstruction, are eloquent examples of

the usefulness of joint, coordinated action at the global

level. Romania is actively involved in promoting these

concepts and trends and is participating, to the extent of its

capacity, in peacekeeping and peace-building operations.

The participation of Romanian soldiers in United Nations

peacekeeping missions in Bosnia, Angola, Kuwait, Somalia

or Rwanda represents our contribution to the

implementation of these concepts.

The political will of Romania to act as a factor of

stability on the international level was proved once more

yesterday when we signed a memorandum of

understanding with the United Nations regarding stand-by

arrangements. This event, furthermore, supplements the

recent accession of Romania to the Multinational United

Nations Standby Forces High-Readiness Brigade

(SHIRBRIG). The experience acquired in peacekeeping

operations has highlighted the need to consolidate United

Nations rapid reaction capacity.

Romania is profoundly concerned about the conflict

situations on the agenda of the Security Council and

would like to take this opportunity to advocate, once

more, dialogue among the parties concerned, in order to

facilitate solutions negotiated by those directly involved

in the conflict.

It is essential not to lose the momentum for dialogue

likely to lead to peace, because there is always a right

moment for peace, just as there is also sometimes,

unfortunately, a time which can lead to conflict. For

example, in our view the Middle East today is facing a

unique chance for peace. If the parties involved do not

take advantage of this opportunity, the crisis might

continue indefinitely. Let us do our utmost to avoid an

unfortunate “too late” situation. We were on the verge of

acting too late in Bosnia, in Northern Ireland, and we still

run this risk in Kosovo.

The evolution of the crisis in Kosovo remains

extremely worrying. Romania continues to stand for the

peaceful settlement of this conflict, and we support the

efforts of the international community in this direction,

including those of the Contact Group, the North Atlantic

Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union, the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

(OSCE) and the Council of Europe. Beyond all doubt, the

countries in the region must be constantly consulted

regarding measures that are to be taken for the settlement

of the conflict.

The Balkans and, in a broader sense, South-Eastern

Europe have, inter alia, an image problem. The inventory

of local disputes gets more attention than the inventory of

real success stories. We forget that a number of these

countries have managed to make the transition from

dictatorships and centralized economies to democracies

and market economies. It is a difficult process but one

courageously undertaken by these countries. It is true that

it is always up to them to improve their political

image — not by falsifying it, but on the contrary by

rendering it more exact. There is the need for a certain

regional pride, for a legitimate aspiration to show the

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world not only the spectre of intraregional conflicts, but

also a promising economic and cultural potential that

deserves every consideration and encouragement.

Romania is particularly concerned about the still

unresolved conflict situation in the eastern region of the

Republic of Moldova. We believe that there are serious

reasons for concern about the lack of progress in solving

the two major problems of this region — namely, the

withdrawal of foreign troops from the territory of the

Republic of Moldova, and the negotiation of the political

status of the eastern region of the Republic of Moldova. We

support the need for the resumption of negotiations on the

status of this region and the urgent implementation of the

1994 agreement on the withdrawal of the 14th Russian

Army from the territory of the Republic of Moldova.

We believe that the United Nations Security Council

will continue to play a crucial role in the maintenance of

international peace and security. We support the reform of

the Council and want to have the discussions continued on

equitable representation in the Council and an increase in

its membership, with a view to finding generally acceptable

solutions. Our approach is also aimed at obtaining an

additional non-permanent seat for the Group of Eastern

European States.

In the context of increasingly diverse challenges to

international security and the prevalence of non-military

risks, the role of the United Nations in other fields —

economic, social and legal — is becoming more important

than ever. The economic and social dimensions of United

Nations activities offer even more opportunities for a

coherent and efficient management of dialogue and

cooperation on global economic and social issues.

The high-level dialogue which recently took place in

New York on the economic and social impact of

globalization re-emphasized the need for a coordinated

approach to economic interdependence and other

dimensions of international security. An effective response

to the present challenges requires the participation of all

States, as well as international financial and commercial

institutions, in order to reach a new global financial

balance.

In a world of growing interdependence, the assistance

provided by the United Nations system is a good example

of the coordinated way in which we can address the various

problems confronting us. Romania is developing effective

cooperation with the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children?s Fund

(UNICEF) and other funds and programmes within the

new United Nations development assistance framework.

The Romanian Government would like to benefit more

from United Nations assistance in priority fields in

support of domestic reforms.

This year, the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights gives me this

very pleasant opportunity to refer to the human dimension

of our activity. It also provides us all with an opportunity

to reflect more broadly upon the interdependencies which

exist between human rights and peace, development and

democracy.

Romania supports the role played by the United

Nations in asserting the universal nature of human rights

and in consolidating the international system for the

protection of these rights in collaboration with

Governments and civil society.

We also wish to contribute to an active and efficient

United Nations involvement in the fight against terrorism,

organized crime and illicit drug-trafficking. In this

respect, we must take into account the fact that the global

character of these new threats requires a global approach

so that mankind can tackle them in a responsible way.

We cannot afford the luxury of replacing effective action

by endless debate or compassion by contemptuous

judgement.

We should condemn terrorism without speaking of

terrorist peoples or countries. We should condemn

fanaticism without claiming that there are fanatic religions

or denominations. We should encourage dialogue and not

confrontation, solidarity and not segregation. We have to

work for the unity of Europe without instituting various

degrees of “Europeanism”, which could lead to arbitrary

divisions that separate and exclude rather than unite. We

have to encourage the spirit of cooperation and mutual aid

and not the tendency to pass judgement on others. We

should not judge States for the undignified deeds of

certain citizens, nor peoples for the historic accidents

imposed on them by abusive leaders or barbarian

ideologies. We should also refrain from condemning those

who have different views from ours and should not use

the name of democracy to encourage confusion between

public affairs and private, between the values of pomp

and sincerity, between honesty and demagogy. We should

15

not add to the confusion of the world by an ostentatious

relativization of acquired traditions and values.

In this context, Romania reaffirms its attachment to

the concepts of multiculturalism and tolerance of all kinds.

Allow me to recall that an international conference

organized by the community of Sant?Egidio was recently

held in Bucharest on the topic of peoples and religions.

Representatives of all the major religions and

denominations of the world participated in this meeting. As

mentioned in the message of Pope John Paul II, the success

of the meeting testified to Romania?s mission as “an

interface between East and West, offering a genuine

synthesis of cultures and traditions”.

At present, many countries of the world are

undergoing the complex and unique experience of regaining

democracy. That is why there is great interest in good

governance, strengthening democratic institutions and

enlarging the participation of civil society in the exercise of

democracy.

It gives me great pleasure, in my capacity as Acting

Chairman of the Third International Conference of New or

Restored Democracies, to bring to the Assembly?s attention

the fact that the ministerial meeting of the countries

participating in that Conference took place a few days ago

here at United Nations headquarters. On that occasion, a

number of measures were examined concerning the

implementation of the recommendations formulated in the

document adopted last year in Bucharest. In this respect, we

intend to present a draft resolution to the General Assembly

with a view to ensuring the follow-up to this process until

the next Conference.

Romania highly appreciates the framework provided

by the United Nations system, since it allows for the broad

participation of all countries in all fields and enables the

search for common interests that transcend national pride.

Please allow me to raise a few issues relating to

Romania, a country engaged in the broad and difficult

process of economic reform. For us, maintaining an

international environment that is stable, predictable and

stimulating to business and investment is central to

fulfilling our economic reform programme.

Romania?s fundamental option — that of European

reintegration and membership in NATO — is well known.

Our political objectives remain unchanged. Even if the rate

at which these objectives are achieved varies from one

country to another, we have no alternative. As we strive to

replace one system by another, we are encountering all

the difficulties of transition: low standards of living, the

confusion of values, a radical change of mentalities

against the backdrop of social and administrative inertia.

Everything has become a priority. Everything is

compulsory. Everything is urgent. This is why I feel we

need the support and encouragement of the international

community, to the benefit of democratization and

development.

With regard to subregional cooperation, our

experience shows that crisis situations are generally seen

solely from the political, military and sometimes

humanitarian perspectives, but rarely or never from those

of economics or civil society. Certainly, there are well-

targeted subregional projects, such as the Black Sea

Economic Cooperation and those relating to transport

routes linking the Caspian Sea to Western Europe, the

ancient silk route. But we have to recognize that South-

Eastern Europe lacks broad economic integrating projects

that are assisted by the main international institutions.

In the absence of such economic cooperation

projects, our policy is somewhat reactive. We also have

to recognize that, in crisis situations, we still focus on

effects and not on causes; we try to limit the damage and

prevent the spread of the crisis, but do not focus on the

prevention of conflict itself.

In our opinion, we should take better advantage of

the framework provided by the United Nations system in

order to work out development-oriented political

strategies, in particular in the economic field. Similar

developments — leading, on the one hand, to solidarity

and, on the other, to an ever greater diversity of the

problems that confront us — can also be noted in other

regions of the world, not only in the Euro-Atlantic space.

We have followed them attentively and appreciate the

results obtained within the North American Free Trade

Agreement, the Southern Cone Common Market, the

Association of South-East Asian Nations and other

organizations.

Among the priorities established by Romania, it is

worth mentioning the objective of developing and

diversifying our political and economic relations with

countries of other regions, taking into account the

complex and dynamic developments of an ever more

interdependent world under the impact of globalization.

In conclusion, allow me to assure the Assembly of

the commitment of the Romanian delegation to

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contributing effectively to United Nations activities in

various fields towards the successful outcome of the current

session. We believe in the capacity of the United Nations

to tackle the complex problems facing the international

community on the eve of the third millennium.