Austria, 1999

Mr. President,

first let me congratulate you on your election to your high

office and assure you of the full cooperation and support

of the Austrian delegation. I am convinced that we will

have a successful session of the General Assembly, the

last in this century, under your able guidance.

Austria fully endorses the statement which was so

eloquently delivered by the Foreign Minister of Finland

on behalf of the European Union. I would like to add the

following observations to that very comprehensive

statement.

The United Nations in many ways finds itself at a

crossroads. The Organization has to find its role and

strengthen its relevance in an increasingly turbulent world.

To be sure, we are able to make progress on specific

issues. But is that enough in the face of mounting global

challenges? Much has been said and written in the last

few years about globalization, and I believe we are all

aware of the speed and impact of this very dynamic

process. What we still need is a coherent political

response to this phenomenon. We have to meet the

challenges and make the best possible use of the

opportunities presented to us.

While our everyday work must be focused on

reaching achievable goals within a realistic time, we must

never lose sight of our larger duty to provide human

security in its fullest sense. This means that we have to

provide individuals and communities with security,

dignity and quality of life. We have to protect them

against threats to their safety and well-being, such as

conflict, discrimination, poverty, organized crime,

corruption or repression.

In recent years, a number of initiatives have been

successfully launched, in particular on landmines, small

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arms and child soldiers. Austria is working very actively to

promote the human security agenda, and I would like to

highlight three priority areas: human rights education, the

fight against child pornography and the fight against what

the Secretary-General has aptly termed the uncivil society.

On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the

presence of the United Nations in Vienna next month, we

will organize a high-level meeting on these and other

aspects of human security.

Most threats to human security have a human rights

dimension. This is why a human rights security agenda

must include an overall strategy aimed at the strengthening

of a worldwide human rights culture. Recent events in

Kosovo or East Timor have shown that the most basic

rights cannot be taken for granted. Again and again we will

have to assert the universality and indivisibility of human

rights. We therefore stress the importance of human rights

education, which is essential for the promotion and the

achievement of stable and harmonious relations within

countries and among communities. We must redouble our

efforts in support of the United Nations Decade for Human

Rights Education. Next year’s mid-term evaluation of

progress made in the Decade provides an ideal opportunity.

Institutions and organizations with specialized expertise in

our countries should identify specific ideas for further

action on human rights education activities at national level,

in foreign policy, and in the context of development

cooperation.

Every man and every woman must know his or her

rights in order to become a full and equal member of

society. People must be provided at the national and the

international level with effective remedies for human rights

violations. We therefore welcome the successful conclusion

of negotiations on the Optional Protocol to the Convention

on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against

Women. Its adoption by the General Assembly and its early

entry into force will have great significance for women

around the world.

Human security starts in the smallest entities of our

society. The mutual learning process within families is one

of human beings' most valuable experiences. The family, as

the fundamental unit of society and the natural environment

for the growth and well-being of all of its members, should

be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that

it can fully assume its responsibilities within the

community, because it is within the family, first and

foremost, where children, the most vulnerable group in

society, seek support and protection.

Millions of children are being exploited worldwide.

Their basic human rights are being denied in many ways.

For some time now, and in particular during the Austrian

presidency of the European Union, Vice-Chancellor and

Foreign Minister Schüssel has been trying to focus

attention on one particular aspect: child pornography on

the Internet. Next week, Austria will host an international

conference on combating child pornography on the

Internet. Organized by Austria, the European Commission

and the United States of America, the conference will

bring together high-level officials from Ministries of the

Interior and Justice, the judiciary and the police, experts

from international organizations, non-governmental

organizations and the industry, especially Internet service

providers. The United Nations system will be represented

by experts from the United Nations Children's Fund and

the United Nations Centre for International Crime

Prevention. The main objectives of the conference are to

reinforce cooperation between law enforcement officials

and the judiciary, establish codes of conduct for Internet

service providers and the further development of hotlines

and networks between them. The results of this initiative

will be presented to the United Nations.

The fight against drugs and transnational organized

crime has rightly been accorded priority status in the

work of the United Nations. I am glad that the reform

measures introduced by Secretary-General Kofi Annan

have reaffirmed Vienna's role as the United Nations

centre for fighting uncivil elements in society.

Austria is particularly worried by reports about the

situation in Afghanistan, where the areas under poppy

cultivation area apparently doubled in 1998. We are

therefore appealing to all partners to enhance their efforts

in assisting the United Nations International Drug Control

Programme (UNDCP) to combat the cultivation and

production of drugs in that region and elsewhere. As a

practical contribution to this effort, Austria will sponsor

a UNDCP training seminar for Central Asian drug

authorities this autumn. Austria strongly believes that drug

control is, above all, in the interests of our children and

future generations.

In April 2000, the first United Nations conference in

the new millennium, the Tenth United Nations Congress

on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of

Offenders, will take place in Vienna. The key issues

contained in the preliminary draft of the Vienna

Declaration on Crime and Justice: Meeting the Challenges

of the Twenty-First Century (E/1999/30-E/CN.15/1999/12,

para. 3), whose final forum will be adopted at the

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Congress, address the most burning questions in

international crime prevention: trafficking in human beings,

smuggling migrants and illicit transfers of firearms.

In this context, I can say with satisfaction that the

Austrian initiative to elaborate an international legal

instrument against the smuggling of migrants, which

Austria presented to the General Assembly two years ago,

has gathered a great deal of support among United Nations

Member States. Currently, intensive negotiations within the

framework of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of

a Convention against Organized Transnational Crime are

being held and will hopefully be concluded next year with

the adoption of a universal protocol against the smuggling

of migrants.

The last of the series of world Conferences in the

1990s showed that an innovative yet pragmatic approach

can work. This was the Third United Nations Conference

on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,

UNISPACE III, which took place in Vienna in July this

year. The Conference focused on the question of how to

ensure that space technology will benefit humanity in the

twenty-first century and that it is used effectively to

promote security in all its forms for the benefit of all

countries. It has provided developing countries with

opportunities to define their needs for space applications for

development purposes and to identify ways and possibilities

for them to participate in international programmes which

develop these applications. UNISPACE III was both a

novel and a successful type of Conference in bringing

together industry and academia, and young people, as equal

partners and incorporating their insights into the final

documents.

In the twenty-first century, the United Nations and the

international community will be judged by their capacity to

prevent armed conflict. At a time when the world's

problems appear to be growing and the resources to tackle

those problems seem to be shrinking, we must be more

strategic than ever in devising new ways to approach these

challenges.

Again and again we have had to face the fact that the

international community is not in the position to bridge the

gap between early warning and early action. In future,

efficient mechanisms will have to be implemented by

international organizations in order to act at an early stage.

In our response to looming refugee crises, much faster

action is needed to avoid human catastrophes like the ones

we have witnessed in Kosovo and East Timor.

As part of its development cooperation concept,

Austria is currently working on a comprehensive strategy

for conflict prevention which combines all available

measures, from facilitation and mediation to a targeted

use of the instruments of development cooperation.

Austria is actively involved in the Arusha peace process

for Burundi and is offering a broad range of seminars and

training programmes on preventive diplomacy, in

particular with its partners in Africa. Austria's

development cooperation aims to promote both

sustainable development and sustainable peace.

Austria has always lent its active support to United

Nations efforts to maintain international peace and

security. Since 1960, it has been one of the major

contributors to United Nations peacekeeping missions. At

the moment, more than 1,500 Austrian troops, civilian

police, military observers and civilian experts are serving

in United Nations peacekeeping, and other United Nations

mandated operations, and in missions in which regional

organizations are participating — from Kosovo to East

Timor, and from Western Sahara to Tajikistan. We will

continue to do our utmost to assist the United Nations in

its efforts to enhance stability in many areas of tension

around the world.

If we are to cope with all these challenges, we

clearly have to reinforce the rule of law in international

relations. A large part of the legal basis already exists.

What is needed to make it work is our common political

will to monitor and to ensure its application. This can

only happen in the framework of the United Nations, in

particular through the Security Council.

In view of the United Nations primary responsibility

for the maintenance of peace and security, it is crucial

that the United Nations prove its ability to act quickly and

decisively in conflict situations. The decisive action taken

during the Gulf war in 1990-1991 raised international

hopes and expectations for the future.

But already during the terrible conflicts in the

territory of the former Yugoslavia, particularly in Bosnia

and Herzegovina, it took the Organization much longer to

find a successful crisis solution. It only managed to do so

by applying a sensible subcontracting policy with regional

organizations. The recent tragedies in Kosovo and East

Timor have both brought the United Nations and the

Security Council to the brink of being perceived in

international public opinion as ineffective or unable to act.

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The Security Council, which carries the primary

responsibility for international peace and security, must

maintain its ability to act. It cannot be seen to be driven by

the subjective interest of members rather than by an

objective assessment of real requirements. It goes without

saying that the permanent members bear a particular

responsibility in this regard, which includes financial

obligations. The privileges of permanent membership come

with a heavy obligation: to act whenever necessary. If a

peace operation has to be established, it must not matter

whether the conflict situation is located in an area of little

strategic interest or whether the country in question

maintains unwelcome relations with another entity. Its

mandate and size must be based on the conditions on the

ground, and not depend on anybody’s willingness to finance

it. Should the Security Council be seen to be unable to

fulfil these functions, we will have to heed the call for

reforms, including the role of its permanent members.

On East Timor, the Security Council has finally lived

up to its special responsibilities assigned to it under the

Charter. This proves that the international community must

act decisively when confronted with massive violations of

international humanitarian law and human rights.

Austria welcomes Security Council resolution 1264

(1999) authorizing a multinational force for East Timor

under Chapter VII and the commitment of the Indonesian

Government to cooperate with this force in the

implementation of the mandate. We hope that this initiative

will contribute to bringing about national reconciliation,

lasting peace and respect for the will of the people of East

Timor, expressed so clearly during the consultations on 30

August 1999. Austria underlines the necessity to urgently

provide humanitarian assistance, and will also contribute to

these efforts.

The vote on the future of East Timor must be

respected by all sides. Austria, while underlining its desire

to see a strong, democratic and united Indonesia, looks

forward to recognizing East Timor once the process

towards independence is complete.

Austria sharply condemns the atrocities committed in

recent weeks. Those who planned, authorized or executed

these acts must be held individually and personally

accountable and be brought to justice.

After a long impasse the peace process in the Middle

East is back on track. Austria greatly welcomes the

memorandum signed by Israel and the Palestinians at

Sharm el-Sheikh, which removes the obstacles to the

implementation of the Wye Agreement. Furthermore, we

have taken note with satisfaction that implementation on

the ground has already begun. Here I should especially

like to point to the handing over of territory, the release

of Palestinian prisoners and the beginning of the final

status negotiations. This clear commitment of the parties

should augur well for further speedy progress on the road

to peace. Now it will also be necessary to bring about

new momentum in the Syrian/Lebanese track of the peace

process by relaunching the negotiations between Israel,

Syria and Lebanon. I think that all parties agree that

peace and mutual understanding are the only viable option

for a prosperous future for all nations in the Middle East

region.

The western Balkans, being geographically so close

to Austria, will remain in the foreground of Austrian

foreign policy. The most burning problem is currently the

situation in Kosovo, which merits the joint attention of

the international community. I would like to commend the

work which has already been carried out by the United

Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

(UNMIK) and by KFOR, and the progress realized so far,

in spite of such difficult circumstances. True, in the

implementation of Security Council resolution 1244

(1999), and in our efforts to bring Kosovo back to

normalcy, there are delays and setbacks, in particular the

insecurity, the tensions in Kosovska Mitrovica, and the

exodus of the majority of Kosovo Serbs and other

non-Albanians. Nevertheless, one must not forget the

paramount importance of the Kosovo issue for the

stability of the whole Balkan area, which is why we must

not become discouraged when we meet problems. Rather,

we have to understand them as an incentive to redouble

our efforts. Yesterday’s demilitarization agreement

between KFOR and the UCK is, I would say, a very

encouraging step in the right direction.

In addition to setting up a functioning civil

administration, including police, creating a democratic

political atmosphere respectful of human rights,

repatriating over 1 million refugees, and reconstructing

the infrastructure and the economic life of Kosovo, it is

UNMIK’s crucial task to facilitate a political process

leading to a definite status of the province. This is a very

complicated endeavour, which requires sound and prudent

preparation. We must not try to rush things, since it is

clear that stability and reconciliation have to be

established and solidified before we can tackle the final

status question.

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The same holds true for Montenegro. We must, and

we will continue to, support the Montenegrin reform

process, and we must not allow forces in Belgrade to

undercut those pluralistic and economic improvements. For

the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as a whole, we will

continue to work towards democratization, political reform

and respect for human and minority rights. Upon such

changes — which are not only urgently necessary but

which are also yearned for by the Serb and Yugoslav

people — Yugoslavia should, and will, take its rightful

place in the international community.

In spite of some progress made by Bosnia and

Herzegovina, it still needs and deserves our intense help —

both politically and financially. At the same time, it is

increasingly necessary for the Bosnians themselves to take

on more responsibility for their future and to start a process

of decoupling themselves from dependency on international

assistance.

Let me emphasize at this juncture Austria’s strong

belief in the protection and promotion of minorities in

general. This attitude is based on historic experience and

the conviction that ethnic minorities constitute a true

enrichment of our societies.

It is of interest for the international community to

recall that there are existing successful settlements of

important minority issues in Europe. In particular, I think

of the Austrian minority in the South Tyrol, which today

enjoys a well-balanced autonomy on the basis of the Paris

Treaty of 1946 between Austria and Italy. Time and again

it has been noted that this formula could be an example for

the settlement of minority disputes in other parts of the

world.

Though regional organizations and coalitions of the

willing have credibly shown their readiness to take on

responsibilities in the maintenance of international peace

and security, the United Nations continues to provide the

indispensable political, legal and institutional links to ensure

the acceptance, legitimacy and accountability of their

respective efforts.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in

Europe (OSCE) plays a central role in promoting peace,

security and stability in the regional context, in particular

through its broad range of activities in the area of conflict

prevention, crisis management and post-conflict

rehabilitation. The broad scope and complex nature of the

security challenges in the region requires a pluri-

institutional response. But that implies also an effective

cooperation among the institutions concerned. The OSCE,

as a regional arrangement according to Chapter VIII of

the Charter of the United Nations, is closely cooperating

with the United Nations in many fields and regions, such

as in Kosovo. In our capacity as the next Chairman-in-

Office of the OSCE, we will continue the efforts to

strengthen the relationship between the OSCE and the

United Nations at both the political and field levels.

Let me conclude by confirming Austria's strong

commitment to the United Nations. In a little less than

one year, our Heads of State or Government will

participate in the millennium summit. I hope that this will

be the occasion to unlock the potential of the

Organization. We must use the wonderful tool of our

Organization as it was meant to be used: to ensure our

survival on this planet in peace, freedom and dignity. On

spaceship Earth the supplies are limited, so we have to

make the best possible use of them. Whatever our

differences, we all know what needs to be done. Let us

find the political will to do it.