Albania, 1997

Let me first join all the

distinguished personalities who have spoken before me

from this rostrum in congratulating Mr. Udovenko on his

election as President of the General Assembly for the

current session and wishing him all possible success in this

lofty post. I would also like to convey my high appreciation

to his predecessor, Mr. Razali Ismail, for the excellent

leadership he provided during his tenure of the previous

General Assembly presidency.

May I take this opportunity to warmly congratulate the

Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, on his election to the

highest post of our global Organization. We are confident

that his long experience as an international civil servant

and his correct assessment and proper action in

implementing the United Nations reform are guarantees of

the successful crowning of our efforts to have a stronger

and more efficient Organization.

Before I deal with the more general questions

concerning our common work and efforts in the

Organization, I would like to dwell briefly on the

dramatic events and developments that occurred in my

country, in particular during the first half of the current

year, which were also of concern to the United Nations.

The Assembly is already aware of what happened in

my country, during which total chaos and anarchy reigned

for months. That was perhaps the biggest crisis in our

modern history. Albania has a peculiar history of chronic

isolation, of almost total estrangement from the rest of the

world, of great potential, human and natural wealth, while

being, at the same time, underdeveloped and poor. Our

difficulties of growth are directly linked to the legacies of

former rules and half a century of communism, of non-

existent, non-functioning or malfunctioning democratic

institutions, both during and after the collapse of

communism and its structures, as well as with our

mentality. They are linked to flaws and shortcomings in

different fields, to clear tendencies to forsake freedom, to

partisan intolerance, to lack of inter-party constructive

cooperation, to mismanagement and corruption, to

autocratic behaviour and decisions — not rare phenomena

in our part of the world.

It was the great complexity of these and other

developments, coupled with the collapse of the get-rich-

quick pyramid investment schemes, which led to broad

popular frustration, disillusionment and general unrest and

brought the whole country to the state of unprecedented

chaos and anarchy I mentioned a moment ago.

In these circumstances, the international community

reacted promptly, displaying a remarkable sense of

responsibility, unity and solidarity amongst its members

and with my people and country, one of the Members of

this Organization. The involvement of the Organization

for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the

European Union, the United Nations Security Council’s

benediction, and the well-balanced, all-out efforts and

contribution of important neighbours and friends helped

us to prevent further aggravation and to alleviate and

gradually overcome the crisis.

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We would like to take this opportunity to commend in

the warmest possible terms the very serious commitment of

the OSCE; its Chairman-in-Office, Minister Petersen, and

his Personal Representative, former Austrian Chancellor,

Mr. Vranitzky; the United Nations and its Security Council

for their prompt response to this emergency situation

through their relevant decisions, resolutions and concrete

actions. Let me also thank most warmly all the troop-

contributing States — France, Greece, Turkey, Spain,

Romania, Denmark, Portugal, Austria, Belgium and

Slovenia — which, under the excellent leadership and

command of Italy, made the entire effort of the

Multinational Protection Force a full success in the

implementation of its mandate. Last but not least, I would

wish to express my deep appreciation and thanks to the

European Union and all the other international and regional

organizations, the United States of America, as well as to

other individual States, for the continuous support and

assistance they have given and are giving my country. My

people are indebted to them and to all here.

This highly appreciated assistance helped us start a

process of reconciliation and gradual restoration of political

stability in the country. It is also a reflection of historical

lessons learned in today’s efforts to establish a peaceful,

democratic and united Europe, without walls and fully free,

in which the integration processes should be comprehensive

enough not to exclude any country, even the weakest, as

Pope John Paul II said. This is the only road to ensuring

that the universal principles which this global Organization

and others stand for are permanently upheld and defended.

The successful holding of elections in Albania on 29

June, which were considered by the international

community as adequate and acceptable, can and must be the

foundation for a stable democratic system. They showed the

strong desire of my people for a democratic future for

Albania. The coalition Government which emerged from

these elections is fully determined to work with a new

philosophy based on cooperation and coexistence, on

sharing and, at the same time, assuming responsibilities, by

the majority and the minority alike. The guiding yardstick

will be making maximum use of internal capacities as the

best way to ensure continuation of the spirit of

understanding, the process of reconciliation, constructive

cooperation, economic recovery and the overall return of

normalcy to the country in the shortest possible time. This

is the spirit we have decided to be guided by, as personified

brilliantly by the Albanian famous worldwide, Mother

Teresa.

We do hope and will work to ensure that this

process will bring about the necessary transformation of

the country into a reliable partner that truly shares

common democratic values and qualifies for its gradual

but sure integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures it has

the objective to achieve.

Let me inform the Assembly that our main, urgent

challenge remains the restoration of public order and

security in the country. Therefore, we have devoted

maximum and special attention to it. Lack of public order

and security cannot coexist with the development of the

economy and democratic values. Intensive work is already

under way on the basis of short- and long-term plans.

Special emphasis is being put on and we have

started work towards the reorganization of the army, with

the objective of gradually having a smaller, more efficient

and professional force under strict civilian control, in

conformity with all standards of modern armies, capable

of performing its functions properly and of being a

genuine partner in partnership activities. Various problems

persist in the economic field, where we have witnessed a

quasi-paralysis of life and the deterioration of all micro-

and macroeconomic indices. In cooperation with and the

assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and

the World Bank, we hope we will be able to deal

successfully with the main economic and social priorities.

We have already started work in this direction, for both

the emergency situation and the mid-long-term

perspective.

Albania is determined to go ahead with the

democratization processes in general — the rebuilding,

establishment and proper functioning of democratic

institutions to ensure the true entrenchment of the rule of

law in all its dimensions.

All of these issues were discussed in Rome at the

preparatory meeting for the upcoming ministerial meeting

to be held in that city and the donors conference set to

take place in Brussels next month. We are prepared for

these meetings to begin the implementation of what we

have achieved and will agree upon, in close cooperation

with the relevant organizations.

On behalf of my Government, I should like to pay

tribute to all of the international organizations and

financial institutions, from the United Nations and its

specialized agencies to the European and Euro-Atlantic

bodies as well as individual countries, which have since

the beginning of this process shown unstinting interest

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and commitment in working in their respective areas of

responsibility.

The main objective of my Government’s foreign

policy is directly to contribute to the enhancement of peace,

security and stability in our region and in Europe through

a gradual integration into all relevant Euro-Atlantic

structures.

Albania’s past, present and future are closely linked,

in a variety of ways, with those of our neighbours. Like all

neighbours, we share not only common borders but also,

we hope, common interests and values and a common

future. This requires our full participation in the European

integration processes, in a common Europe united by these

values and not characterized by friction and confrontation.

Relations with neighbouring countries and peace and

stability in the region are of paramount importance for us.

We will continue to work constructively and openly to

solve all the pending problems that involve vital national

interests for Albania and represent a major concern for the

international community. One such question is that of

Kosovo. Inter-linked issues — good relations with

neighbouring countries, peace and stability in the region,

and the situation in Kosovo and its just solution — should

be pursued in a complementary manner, with none of them

opposing, undercutting or jeopardizing the others.

I should like to say a few words about the situation in

Kosovo and how we see its future, because unless this

question is dealt with properly and settled accordingly, this

serious issue could continue to threaten peace and regional

stability. Kosovo has been on the agenda of the

international community, and in particular of the General

Assembly and the Security Council, the Organization for

Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the

European Union, for years now. Unfortunately, the situation

there remains the same, and we are not sure how long the

status quo can be maintained. Police violence and brutality,

massive repression and gross violations of human, political

and national rights — which we strongly condemn —

continue unabated in Kosovo. The Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia has given no real, concrete sign of changing its

attitude, despite three General Assembly resolutions, one

Security Council resolution and scores of OSCE decisions

and statements.

We appeal to this global Organization, to European

organizations and structures, to those who made a major

contribution to ending the war in Bosnia through the

Dayton accords and to all those who have the power and

the political will to continue to exert the necessary

pressure to direct this major pending issue in the Balkans

onto the path of negotiation, with proper international

mediation, with a view to a just, peaceful and democratic

solution acceptable to all. Perhaps a mini Dayton-type

conference aimed at solving all the remaining problems of

the former Yugoslavia, including and focusing on the

Kosovo issue, might do the job by Europeanizing our

region, a process that would have to start with a full-scale

reactivation of Balkan cooperation.

The General Assembly will hopefully be able to

send another message to all those concerned, in particular

the people of Kosovo, that the international community

continues to be deeply concerned and seized of the

matter, that it supports and encourages peaceful

approaches, and that it wants to see positive changes in

the right direction.

My country fully supports all the efforts under way

to ensure the full and unequivocal implementation of all

the Dayton accords. It considers attempts to circumvent

or avoid certain Dayton provisions as dangerous, with

implications that could go beyond its scope. We maintain

that there is no alternative to the full implementation of

Dayton.

The Albanian Government is strongly committed to

promoting and actively taking part in regional

cooperation, knowing that democratization, market

economy prosperity, good-neighbourly relations and

constructive cooperation are prerequisites for the secure

environment and prosperity that our region deserves, as

well as for the realization of our country’s aspirations to

a gradual but full European integration. Our vision for our

region’s future is a Schengen-type approach. We believe

that regional initiatives such as the Conference on

European Stability, Security and Cooperation in South-

Eastern Europe, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and

initiatives of the Commonwealth of Independent States,

inter alia, are worthy steps that are also contributing to

this end.

Albania is highly appreciative of the efforts, the

assistance and the contribution of the Organization with

respect to conflict resolution in various parts of the globe.

We sincerely wish for peace to be established and reign

in all those parts of the earth that are still being shaken

by internal or other conflicts. We hope that the role and

contribution of the Organization, with its reform

programme fully implemented, will be further enhanced

in this direction. All Member States should do their

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utmost to achieve this common objective. By so doing, the

lead members will be able to provide better guidance

through the United Nations, and all of us will work better

together.

Albania is fully and unreservedly supportive of the

Middle East peace process and of the intensive and ongoing

efforts to bring that process back on track. Mutual

confidence must somehow be restored, as it is the only

alternative to ensuring continued progress in the peace

negotiations. We are confident that the unsparing and

concerted efforts under way will yield the awaited results.

We participated in and followed with great interest the

nineteenth special session of the General Assembly on the

environment and consider it to have made an important

contribution to resolving the environmental problems

affecting the earth. Similarly, Albania considers the special

session on the fight against drugs and related activities, due

to be held next year, as another very significant

contribution to promoting and further strengthening

international cooperation in this highly sensitive field.

The open debate in the Security Council last May on

humanitarian crises and the protection of the civilian

population was another indication that there is great

concern, preparedness and political will to deal with these

conflicts at an early stage, before they develop into real

crises, thus playing a major preventive role. We all look

forward to this. Prevention is the best medicine, because a

problem can become very costly to treat and be hard to

cure.

Albania has tried its best to make a modest

contribution to the activities of the United Nations,

including the significant fact that we are on the list of

countries ready to contribute to United Nations

peacekeeping operations. Our objective in future is to play

an even more active role in this direction, as well as in

operations of an international humanitarian character. One

such objective has already been included in our platform

for the reorganization and restructuring of the army.

We intend to play a more active role in the activities

of main bodies of the Organization, including the Economic

and Social Council, the Commission on Human Rights, the

United Nations International Drug Control Programme, the

Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and

the leading bodies of the International Atomic Energy

Agency, the United Nations Industrial Development

Organization and others. Individual concerns should be

treated as, and should become, the concerns of all. In

addressing individual concerns, participation and

contribution by all members of the community of States,

each within its capacity and making available all possible

resources, even if modest, will make the Organization

more comprehensive and substantive, and its role

genuinely more effective.

The Organization has started a process aimed at

achieving the overall reform of the Organization and its

system in order to make the United Nations and its role

truly more effective and capable of coping with the new

challenges and dynamics of the ever-changing world

reality. To do so, all Members should live up to their

obligations. We also feel the need for greater efforts to

enhance efficiency, which would lead to an enhanced role

for the Organization. Reform should not take place for

reform’s sake. We believe it should be our duty to define

our needs in order to have reforms that are not only

structural. We must ensure that money is saved not as a

one-shot exercise but as a long-lasting process with its

accent on transfers for the economic development of those

who are most in need. We support action in this direction.

We have taken very serious note of the work of the

Secretary-General for United Nations reform in general,

and of his proposals for the reform of the Secretariat. We

appreciate his proposals and believe they represent the

right approach.

The reform of the Security Council is one of the

most sensitive issues and is part of the reform package. It

took our Organization almost the half century of its

existence to come to this point. No one can say for sure

when, if at all, the Security Council will be reformed

again in the future. Therefore, there might still be some

work to be done in this direction, without necessarily

making haste or getting caught up in endless discussions.

With a clear objective, we will be able to show the

maturity necessary to give the Council the right, balanced,

flexible, democratic representation capable of successfully

dealing with the challenges and objective of the next

century: to live in peace and harmony; to live in and

leave to our children a better world.