Croatia, 2004

This is my first address

to this body in my capacity as the Prime Minister of

Croatia. I feel privileged to be able to present the

Assembly with the Croatian Government’s strategic

priorities in the domain of foreign policy.

I would like at the outset to congratulate Minister

Jean Ping on his assumption of the presidency of the

General Assembly and to wish him every success in

performing his highly important task. He can rely fully

on Croatia’s support and cooperation.

For the first time, Croatia is addressing the

General Assembly as a candidate country for

membership in the European Union. Today, I would

like to share with you Croatia’s position with respect to

the most important tasks facing the United Nations at

this time of great multilateral challenges.

The very fact that so many heads of State and

Government leaders have gathered here in New York to

mark the beginning of the fifty-ninth General

Assembly session serves as a telling affirmation that

multilateralism is a driving force in global politics and

confirms that we live in no ordinary times.

The world at the beginning of the twenty-first

century is profoundly different from the one in which

the Berlin wall started to crumble. Never before have

we faced so many opportunities stemming from new

technologies and enhanced regional and global

cooperation. And seldom have we encountered as many

threats and challenges as we do today.

Tragic events in recent years, from New York to

Moscow, from the Middle East all the way to Southern

Asia have confirmed that terrorism currently stands out

as the most pressing threat to our world, taking, as it

has, thousands of innocent lives at random. Equally

dangerous is the threat of weapons of mass destruction

(WMDs). We must resort to all means necessary to

prevent the proliferation of these vehicles of death. If

the two evils of terrorism and WMDs are synergized,

they could bring upon mankind an unforeseeable level

of destruction.

Therefore, we must not relax our efforts in the

fight against global terrorism nor neglect the deadly

impact of WMDs. These issues must remain at the top

of our priorities; any hesitation to address them in a

timely and appropriate manner could have unforgiving

consequences.

The United Nations should continue to play a

decisive role in our quest for a stable, secure and

prosperous world. Croatia welcomes the reports of the

Secretary-General on the work of the United Nations

(A/59/1) and the implementation of the Millennium

Declaration (A/59/282). I would particularly like to

commend his reform efforts to date. He has identified

many challenges to the United Nations and we should

not hesitate to meet them. We particularly share his

assessment that the United Nations requires adequate

security and institutional agility to adapt to changing

circumstances in the world. The Security Council has a

paramount responsibility in that regard, but we must

not overlook the role of the General Assembly, whose

potential is far from being explored to the fullest.

Regarding Security Council reform, Croatia

supports the enlargement of the Council in all

categories of membership, based on appropriate

regional representation.

Let us make the United Nations even more

relevant, with a range of inventive and collaborative

approaches that will increase the effectiveness of our

joint efforts and result in the Organization’s increased

capability to respond to the needs and realities of the

new century.

The credibility of the United Nations does not

depend solely on the political will of its Member States

and its capacity to manage crises. It also depends on its

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capacity to respond to the expectations of those who

are in dire need of assistance, who cannot protect

themselves from imbalances and injustice. We cannot

shy away from seeking all available solutions to the

fundamental global challenges we face today, including

extreme poverty, drug smuggling, the spread of deadly

diseases and global climate change. Globalization

needs to be mastered; the opportunities it offers need to

be assessed and its excesses rectified.

Finding appropriate answers to those fundamental

questions requires multilateral cooperation, with a

viable and effective United Nations at its core. We all

wish to see a strong and decisive United Nations that is

capable of effectively responding to current and future

challenges, but this cannot happen by default. It

depends solely on the contribution and dedication of

each and every Member State.

Croatia gained extensive experience in post-

conflict management after the war that was imposed

upon it in the 1990s, especially in the fields of refugee

return, confidence building, prosecuting war crimes,

economic reconstruction and the reintegration of war-

torn areas with the rest of the country. We stand ready

to contribute our knowledge and share it with those

who need it.

In confronting alarming challenges, such as

security, poverty, terrorism, pandemics and

environmental issues, collective action is most likely to

yield the best results, since not even the most powerful

among us can bear the burden alone.

At this very moment, Croatian peacekeepers are

participating in seven United Nations peacekeeping

missions. We are determined to further intensify our

participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions

with respect to the composition and number of troops

deployed, as well as the theatres of operation.

We will continue to support the training of

peacekeepers from newest troop-contributing

countries — whether provided directly or under the

auspices of the United Nations — by receiving foreign

officers as attendees of the relevant training courses in

the Republic of Croatia, as well as by sending Croatian

instructors to organize and conduct courses in the

newest troop-contributing countries.

Croatia has presented its candidacy for

membership in the Security Council for the 2008-2009

term. Our membership would not only represent a great

tribute to my country, but also a recognition of all the

effort that has been fruitfully invested in the peace and

stability of South-East Europe.

We are proud of our achievements since

becoming a United Nations Member State in May

1992. From being part of a European powder keg,

Croatia grew into one of the key generators and

promoters of stability in South-East Europe and

beyond. With a growing economy, a greatly expanded

highway network and a blossoming tourism industry,

Croatia is firmly oriented towards the future. And I can

state with confidence that the best is yet to come.

Croatia has successfully embarked upon the road

of Euro-Atlantic integration, with a clear goal of

European Union and NATO membership. The bedrock

of Croatia’s foreign policy remains good bilateral

relations with all our neighbours and beyond, cross-

border and regional cooperation and constructive

multilateralism.

My country is speedily preparing for the opening

of accession negotiations with the European Union in

early 2005. We are confident that Croatia will fully

meet all the criteria required in this demanding process

on time. We have already demonstrated our reform and

decision-making abilities through the fulfilment of the

Copenhagen criteria required for European Union

candidate status. This has been far from easy, but in the

end, Croatia’s success demonstrates that hard work and

reform-oriented policies are the best possible

investment in a country’s future.

Croatia is ready to serve as a model country in

South-East Europe, encouraging and assisting our

neighbours to realize their Euro-Atlantic ambitions.

The prospect of EU membership has proved to be the

best incentive for the countries of Central and south-

east Europe to implement comprehensive political,

economic, institutional and democratic reforms.

A unified Europe is no longer a dream; it is a

reality upon which the prosperity and security of the

entire continent is based. The European Union is

economic prosperity and cooperation; it is stability and

security; but, above all, it is its values that stand out so

strongly. We all share the same values, the same

principles and the same dedication.

A famous Croatian poet, Dobrisa Cesaric, wrote a

poem about a waterfall whose beauty and might are

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created by thousands of small drops of water. Croatia’s

drop is a part of this wonder, called “one Europe”.

Croatia is determined to contribute to the best of

its ability to the success of this Organization and to the

principles on which it is based. Too often we fail to

fathom the true meaning of a phrase that is much more

than the mere name of our Organization: the United

Nations.

The United Nations — there can be no better

global formula in the face of the mounting challenges

and the potential, burdens, hopes and expectations of

the new century.