Croatia, 2002

At the outset, allow

me to sincerely congratulate Mr. Kavan on his election

to the position of President of the fifty-seventh session

of the General Assembly. I am confident that under his

able leadership the work of the Assembly will be

conducted in a most productive manner. I would also

like to use this opportunity to thank the outgoing

President, Mr. Han Seung-soo, for the successful

completion of the work of the fifty-sixth session of the

General Assembly. I would also like to use this

opportunity to warmly congratulate Switzerland on

becoming a full member of the United Nations family

and to welcome the return of the United States to the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization.

Following the horrific terrorist attacks of 11

September last year, there have emerged a new vigour

and resolve to make our world a safer place for all, not

only in promises but in deeds.

General Assembly and Security Council

resolutions, especially Security Council resolution

1373 (2001), serve as a common platform for

combating terrorism. However, their letter and spirit

must be fully and thoroughly implemented in order to

rid ourselves of global terrorist threats. In our

endeavours, the United Nations is proving to be the

best framework and unique pillar for the international

community's joint actions in maintaining international

peace and security, as well as in providing legitimacy

to these actions.

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The prompt and almost universal response of

Member States to the requests of the Security Council's

Counter-Terrorism Committee is a telling example of

how efficient the United Nations can be in mobilizing

the international community in facing common

challenges. It is our hope that Member States will

respond with the same sense of responsibility in

another important aspect of eradicating terrorism: to

finalize current negotiations on the comprehensive

convention on combating international terrorism.

Furthermore, Croatia believes that efforts should

be intensified to resolve regional conflicts that offer

fertile ground for recruiting terrorists. The cycle of

violence in the Middle East must end. Parties to the

conflict must return to the negotiating table and make a

reality of the vision of two peoples living in peace

within secure and recognized State borders.

We also call for Iraq's full compliance with its

international obligations regarding the possession and

proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Violations of Security Council resolutions must not be

tolerated, and we welcome the decision by President

Bush to work with the United Nations Security Council

in this regard.

We must also recognize that today Afghanistan is

on a difficult yet hopeful road to recovery with the

assistance of the international community.

We fully support the Secretary-General in his

efforts to move the United Nations from a culture of

reaction to one of prevention. We consider that the

timely dispatch of well-structured peacekeeping

operations with a clear and effective mandate can

prevent the recurrence of conflicts and create a

platform for rebuilding peace and shattered societies. It

is exactly here that new tasks and challenges lie for

contemporary peacekeeping operations, whose birth we

have witnessed in East Timor and Kosovo. In this

regard, we welcome the Security Council's new

approach of having regular meetings with troop-

contributing countries. As a contributor of military

observers in peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone,

Ethiopia and Eritrea and recently in Kashmir, Croatia

has found that exchange of information and experience

most fruitful and useful for all.

That brings me to the subject of Security Council

reform, which, as all of us agree, is necessary to

address the new political environment of the twenty-

first century. Unfortunately, we have still not achieved

sufficient political consensus for significant progress in

this respect. The lack of progress is certainly

discouraging for many. Nevertheless, we must reform

the Council in order to be able to adequately address

the security threats we are facing today.

As we revisit the historic promises made by our

world leaders, enshrined in the Millennium

Declaration, we must now embark on a process of

improving the United Nations as an instrument of

global co-operation for the benefit of all humankind. In

this regard, we commend the Secretary-General for his

report on the integrated and coordinated

implementation of, and follow-up to, the outcome of

the major United Nations conferences and summits, as

a necessary prerequisite to implementing the goals set

in the Millennium Declaration. To that end, the full and

constant co-operation of Member States and the

Secretariat is essential.

The Economic and Social Council has continued

on the path of strengthening its role within the United

Nations system. A number of innovative precedents

have been set this year related to the improvement of

cooperation and coordination among many bodies of

the United Nations and between the Economic and

Social Council and the International Monetary Fund

and the World Bank, and to the Council's cooperation

with non-governmental organizations and the private

sector. The resolution concerning the Ad Hoc Advisory

Group on African Countries emerging from conflicts

was adopted to help such countries in their peace-

building processes. Guinea-Bissau has already

submitted an official request for the establishment of

such an Ad Hoc Advisory Group for its own country.

Croatia is pleased that it can contribute, through the

President of the Economic and Social Council, to the

revival and strengthening of that highly important

body.

The United Nations should continue to keep

development at the forefront of all areas on the

Organization's substantive agenda. Among all

multilateral organizations, the United Nations is the

only one with the institutional capability to address and

manage the challenges of globalization. The Croatian

delegation hopes that the outcome and follow-up of the

conferences held at Monterrey and Johannesburg will

keep our commitment on track, in particular with

regard to mobilizing additional financial resources. We

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must work together to improve the lives of people in

poverty and to reverse the continuing degradation of

the global environment. A truly global mobilization of

all relevant stakeholders will be necessary to ensure

that the outcomes of those conferences are transformed

into reality.

We note the broader acceptance by Member

States of United Nations norms, which will ultimately

lead to the globalization of human rights and to a

universally recognized international code of human

rights. As Governments, we must provide the

environment for the universal acceptance and full

implementation of such rights. Croatia is contributing

to that goal through its membership in the United

Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Global contributions comprise individual

achievements. In order to contribute to global peace,

security and development, each country must be stable

and secure and must function on a well-founded

economic system. My Government is doing exactly

that. In October last year, Croatia signed the

Stabilization and Association Agreement with the

European Union. Over the past two years, we have

introduced a set of reforms aimed at bringing Croatian

society closer to the European Union and to the North

Atlantic Treaty Organization. The commitment of the

Croatian Government in that respect was recognized by

the European Commission. In its first report on the

stabilization and association process, issued this past

spring, Croatia was singled out as the country most

advanced in the process.

Another important element in that regard is

regional cooperation, in which Croatia plays a very

active role. The outstanding issues that may reflect on

the region's stability, such as the return of refugees, are

high on my Government's priority list. Therefore,

Croatia has adopted an action plan for the voluntary

return of refugees through the end of the next year.

We have significantly improved bilateral relations

with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and will

continue to do so. In the light of the discussion

between the two delegations held just a few days ago, I

believe that the remaining open issues will be

successfully resolved in the near future. One of those

issues is the identification and delimitation of the land

and sea border in the area of Prevlaka. Intensive

negotiations are under way, and we believe that some

form of temporary solution may be reached soon. In

any event, the situation concerning Prevlaka no longer

represents a threat to peace and security, and therefore

we believe that the United Nations Mission of

Observers in Prevlaka has successfully accomplished

its mandate and that, consequently, that mandate should

not be extended after it expires.

With regard to border issues, I would like to

report an important success: an agreement on the

northern part of our border with Bosnia and

Herzegovina. That agreement was reached through the

valuable efforts of the Special Representative of the

Secretary-General in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whom

we sincerely thank. At this point, shortly before the end

of the United Nations presence in Bosnia and

Herzegovina, I would like to express my Government's

appreciation for the Organization's overall contribution

to the stability and development of that country.

On the other hand, we cannot fail to express our

deep frustration at the continued failure to apprehend

two of the most notorious war criminals to date:

Karadzić and Mladić. We strongly reiterate the view

that lasting stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be

achieved only with the arrest of Karadzić and Mladić

and with their extradition to the appropriate authorities.

Bringing those two individuals to trial before the

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former

Yugoslavia would serve to provide closure for many

victims who suffered terribly. The same goes for

Sljivanćanin and Radić, indicted by the Tribunal for

war crimes committed on Croatian territory.

Having faith in the maxim No peace without

justice', my Government attaches the highest

importance to bringing to justice all those guilty of war

crimes. We are committed to maintaining the good and

extensive cooperation that we have established with the

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former

Yugoslavia, and we urge other countries within its

mandate to do so. However, that does not diminish the

key role that domestic war crimes trials play in the

process of healing and national reconciliation. The

Croatian judiciary is ready and willing to meet these

challenges.

In that spirit, the Republic of Croatia welcomed

the entry into force of the Rome Statute and looks

forward to the operationalization of the International

Criminal Court. The establishment of the first such

permanent Court is crucial in putting an end to the

culture of impunity and selective justice. By

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strengthening the universal rule of law, which in turn

leads to the advancement of universal peace and

security, the new Court holds the promise of becoming

a true guarantor of the ideals enshrined in the Charter

of the United Nations.

Our fundamental and common interests in world

peace, security and development require our concerted

and united efforts. I am confident that this fifty-seventh

session of the General Assembly will take us a step

further in realizing those common goals.