Finland, 1999

I have the honour to speak

on behalf of the European Union.

Mr. President, I would like to congratulate you upon

your election as President of the General Assembly. The

European Union gives you its full support and

cooperation throughout this session. Your predecessor,

Minister Opertti, also deserves our appreciation. I would

also commend the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for

the skill with which he has steered this Organization. The

European Union pledges its support also to him, as well

as its full commitment to the United Nations.

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I should like to welcome the three new members of

the United Nations, the Republics of Kiribati and Nauru

and the Kingdom of Tonga, into our global family.

In overall terms substantial progress has been made in

human development. However, its speed and extent have

been uneven. The United Nations has a primary role in the

advancement of human development. Implementation can

be carried out only through close cooperation among

different actors: the United Nations, its Member States, its

specialized agencies, international financial institutions,

regional organizations and civil society.

We need an efficient and effective United Nations

which has a stable financial basis and a full commitment

from all its Member States. This also means the full,

prompt and unconditional payment of contributions to the

United Nations by all. Unilateral decisions and actions to

the contrary are not allowed.

The globalization of the world economy is an

unavoidable process. We see the need to put the

globalization process and macroeconomic policies in closer

touch with the lives of ordinary people. We consider this to

be one of the challenges facing the world community on the

threshold of the new millennium. The United Nations is

uniquely positioned to provide intellectual leadership to

ensure that the advantages of economic globalization are

equally shared by the world’s population. Increasing

interdependence must work for people.

The nature of crises has also changed. Most of today’s

conflicts take place within and not between States. We face

situations where there are serious democracy deficiencies

and where human rights are strongly violated, in particular

the rights of the minorities. In the worst cases, States with

their traditional institutions have ceased to exist, as

Secretary-General Kofi Annan described so well in his

opening statement.

At the threshold of a new millennium, we should

intensify our efforts to prevent these situations. We should

start to consider how to elaborate some criteria and rules

aimed at the prevention of humanitarian catastrophes or

alleviation of profound human suffering.

The international community needs to develop

solutions and responses to these new and unexpected

challenges. The international community must play a

proactive role in conflict prevention. There are several

forms of action that have a useful effect in preventing

conflicts. These include strengthening democracy and

respect for human rights, as well as progress in economic

and social development through good governance. The

most important factor in conflict prevention is, however,

a democratic society which is on a steady foundation and

which guarantees human security in its widest possible

sense. Democratic societies do not go to war with each

other, and they are also internally more stable.

Every human being is entitled to enjoy his or her

human rights and fundamental freedoms. Human rights

are essential in the maintenance of international peace and

security, economic development and social equality. The

United Nations has a primary role in the promotion of

universal respect for human rights. These must be further

integrated in all United Nations activities. The promotion

of universal respect for human rights and fundamental

freedoms is central also to the activities of the European

Union.

The tenth anniversary of the adoption of the

Convention on the Rights of the Child reminds us of the

need to advance the rights of the most vulnerable:

children. The European Union welcomes the recent

adoption of the International Labour Organization (ILO)

Convention on the prohibition and elimination of the

worst forms of child labour. All States should ratify the

Convention as soon as possible and implement it

effectively. The protection of children affected by armed

conflicts also requires constant attention. It is imperative

to adopt without delay the optional protocol to the

Convention on the Rights of the Child, on involvement of

children in armed conflict.

The European Union is concerned about

discrimination against women. We underline the

importance of the international human rights instruments

designed to protect and promote the human rights and

fundamental freedoms of women. The adoption of the

optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of

All Forms of Discrimination against Women will be a

historic event in this session. The European Union calls

on all States to give serious consideration to ratifying it.

Trafficking in human beings violates many of the

most basic human rights. Most victims of this practice are

women and children. Concerted international action is

required in the fight against trafficking. The European

Union supports the work done to develop international

standards to prevent these crimes and to punish the

perpetrators. Measures must also be taken to help the

victims of this type of exploitation.

21

Racism is a universal problem. Thus, the elimination

of all forms of racial intolerance should be the

responsibility of every State. We also want to underline the

input by civil society and non-governmental organizations

in this field.

The European Union is committed to opposing the

death penalty. We call on all States that still impose the

death penalty to progressively restrict the offences for

which it may be used, and we insist that it be carried out

according to minimum standards. As a first step, a

moratorium on executions should be established. The final

aim must remain the complete abolition of the death

penalty. The European Union will actively pursue this

matter in this session.

No doubt, sustainable development in all areas

enhances crisis prevention. People are at the centre of our

concerns in sustainable development.

The Buenos Aires Plan of Action sets out an ambitious

and precise timetable to follow in future negotiations on the

threat of climate change. However, there are still important

outstanding questions, such as the Kyoto mechanisms and

capacity-building of developing countries, as well as the

transfer of technology. In the Intergovernmental Forum on

Forests, our common goal is to promote sustainable forest

management worldwide. The European Union also notes the

need for international coordination on oceans and seas.

The European Union is fully committed to reducing

extreme poverty in developing countries. We support them

in their efforts to implement the international commitments

for sustainable development. International cooperation, as

well as ownership by partner countries, is needed to achieve

the common goals.

Relieving the unsustainable debt burden of the poorest

countries requires faster relief through the programme for

the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries. The European Union

confirms its full commitment to the high-level discussion

on financing for development. We expect this process to

increase the political will to implement internationally

agreed strategies for sustainable development.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons (NPT) remains a cornerstone of global security.

It is imperative that the four States that have not yet done

so join the NPT. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban

Treaty (CTBT) is a key instrument in the field of nuclear

disarmament and non-proliferation. As we are approaching

the Conference on the CTBT to be held in October, the

European Union calls upon all States to sign and ratify

the Treaty.

The European Union welcomes the entry into force

of the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use,

Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel

Mines and on Their Destruction. As the international

community moves towards the total elimination of anti-

personnel landmines worldwide, the recent use of these

weapons is highly deplorable. We must voice concern

about the misery that anti-personnel mines continue to

cause to the civilian population. The European Union

continues to be the main contributor to demining

programmes worldwide.

We are deeply concerned about the impact,

accumulation and spread of small arms and light

weapons, and we have intensified our efforts to address

this problem. The United Nations conference on the illicit

arms trade in all its aspects should establish a strong

programme of action for international cooperation.

Terrorism constitutes a threat to internal and

international security. Therefore, the European Union

reaffirms its unreserved condemnation of terrorism in all

its forms and continues to support initiatives to suppress

it. We call upon all countries to sign and to ratify the

international anti-terrorism conventions. We hope that the

conventions on the suppression of terrorist financing and

on the acts of nuclear terrorism can be adopted by the

General Assembly by the end of this year. The European

Union will look carefully into the proposal of Egypt and

others to develop further the idea of a United Nations

conference on terrorism.

As the Secretary-General has said, it would be the

ultimate crime to miss the chance for peace and condemn

people to the misery of war. Even the best plans for

prevention can fail, and the international community has

to address armed conflicts. These conflicts have human,

social and environmental consequences which cannot be

repaired.

The international community has a long tradition of

solving crises by peacekeeping operations. Now that the

nature of crises has changed, additional means are needed.

Peacekeeping operations cannot meet all the requirements

without increased efforts for civilian crisis management.

In most crises, societies and their structures are

completely destroyed.

22

The international community has called for repair and

rehabilitation. Humanitarian assistance alone is not enough.

Reconstruction of societies requires the presence of civilian

police and other administrators from all fields of civil

activity. In most cases it is difficult to find the right tools

to cope with conflicts.

The European Union strongly emphasizes civilian

crisis management. We hope that it will be more often

resorted to as the principal means to manage and solve

crises. We will work actively to develop further this

concept. The European Union is in the process of

improving its crisis management capabilities, keeping in

mind that the primary responsibility for the maintenance of

international peace and security lies with the United Nations

and the Security Council.

Regional organizations have a key role in international

security. For their success, cooperation with the United

Nations is essential. The European Union thanks the

Secretary-General for his efforts to strengthen this

cooperation and urges him to continue this work.

The crisis in Kosovo requires concerted efforts. The

European Union supports the full implementation of

Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). With the adoption

of this resolution, the United Nations regained its relevance

as far as Kosovo is concerned. We also support the United

Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

(UNMIK) and KFOR in their efforts to ensure peace,

democracy and security in Kosovo. The United Nations

needs the means and cooperation of all to fulfil its mandate.

At the height of the Kosovo crisis the European Union

launched the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe. Its

aim is to address the questions of democracy, human rights,

economic reconstruction and security in a comprehensive

and durable manner. We would welcome the Federal

Republic of Yugoslavia joining the Stability Pact as a full

and equal participant and beneficiary. The current regime

of Mr. Milosevic is responsible for its present isolation, and

we look forward to welcoming democratic change inside

Serbia. Meanwhile, we are searching for ways in which

Kosovo and the Republic of Montenegro could be made

beneficiaries of the Pact.

In Kosovo there is an urgent need to put an end to

human suffering. We are concerned about the violence

towards minorities, which has resulted in a large number of

Serbs and Roma people leaving Kosovo. Urgent restoration

of the rule of law is extremely important.

The Middle East remains a top priority for the

common foreign and security policy of the European

Union. We find it encouraging that the Middle East peace

process has regained momentum and that the negotiations

between Israel and the Palestinians have started again.

Negotiations are the only way to find a just and lasting

solution to this conflict. We welcome the signing of the

memorandum on the implementation of the Wye River

Agreement. The European Union has consistently assured

the parties of its readiness to assist them in their search

for peace.

All tracks of the peace process should now be

activated. We urge the Syrian, Lebanese and Israeli

Governments to engage in direct talks. The relevant

Security Council resolutions form an internationally

accepted basis for peace.

It is also important to make progress on the

multilateral track. Peace can, and must be, rooted in close

regional cooperation. The multilateral track and the

Barcelona process provide good opportunities in this

regard.

The European Union warmly welcomes the result of

the popular consultation of the East Timorese people on

30 August 1999. Indonesia’s commitment to the full

implementation of the relevant Agreements is imperative.

We are committed to seeing the people of East Timor

enjoy the independence which they have freely chosen.

The European Union pays tribute to the United Nations

for the organization of the popular consultation and lauds

the courage and extraordinary work of the personnel of

the United Nations Mission in East Timor.

We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities in

East Timor. The Government of Indonesia retains a

responsibility for security in the Territory.

We fully support Security Council resolution 1264

(1999) and welcome the early deployment of the

multinational force. We also welcome the participation of

Asian States in this force. Order, security and the rule of

law must be restored immediately. The attitude of the

European Union towards Indonesia will depend on the

implementation of the undertakings given by the President

of Indonesia. They should be implemented without delay

and without conditions.

We have agreed, for a period of four months, on an

embargo on the export of military equipment and other

equipment which might be used for internal repression or

23

terrorism. The European Union has also suspended its

bilateral military cooperation with Indonesia.

The European Union stresses the urgent priority to

remedy the grave humanitarian situation. We will provide

further humanitarian assistance to those in need.

We also support the call of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights to convene a special

session of the Commission on Human Rights. We call for

an investigative mission by the Commission.

East Timor’s independence must proceed without

delay, as provided for in the 5 May Agreements. The

Member States of the European Union look forward to

recognizing East Timor once the process towards

independence is completed.

We also emphasize our desire to see a strong,

democratic and united Indonesia.

The European Union continues to fully support the

efforts of the Secretary-General towards a negotiated

political settlement of the question of Cyprus. We urge the

two leaders concerned to accept the invitation to

negotiations under the auspices of the Secretary-General.

The Secretary-General has said that the United Nations

cannot rest until all of Africa is at peace. One third of

sub-Saharan Africa is presently involved in armed conflicts.

The victims of these conflicts are overwhelmingly civilians.

The European Union strongly appeals to the parties in these

and other ongoing conflicts to respect human rights and to

cooperate with the humanitarian organizations. We will

continue to make all efforts to provide assistance to the

victims.

Concrete measures have been taken to strengthen

African ownership and capacity to focus on conflict

prevention and resolution. The European Union is

supporting, in close cooperation with the United Nations,

the capacity of African organizations in the field of conflict

resolution and peacekeeping.

A stable and democratic political environment is

indispensable for sustainable development. The EU

welcomes the Secretary-General’s report on the causes of

conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable

development in Africa, and we look forward to its effective

follow-up.

The first EU-Africa summit is scheduled to take

place in April 2000. This summit is a clear signal of the

close cooperation between the EU and the African

countries aimed at addressing various, even delicate,

political and socio-economic issues.

One of the principal objectives of the Amsterdam

Treaty is to strengthen the EU’s Common Foreign and

Security Policy. To achieve this we have created new

units and instruments to deal with the increasing

challenges in the field of foreign policy. In accordance

with the Amsterdam Treaty, we are going to consistently

improve our capacity for conflict prevention and crisis

management. The EU will increase its ability to contribute

to international peace and security, in accordance with the

principles of the United Nations Charter.

Finally, I should like to say a few words about the

next millennium. The Millennium Assembly should give

new direction to the renewal of the United Nations. The

EU supports the overall theme “The United Nations in the

twenty-first century”, proposed by the Secretary-General.

In the view of the EU, the focus should be on poverty

eradication in the context of globalization.

Poverty eradication is a major challenge for the

international community now that the world’s population

is reaching six billion, with nearly a quarter of that

number still living in poverty. It is one of the greatest

challenges left pending at the end of the twentieth

century.

24

With the new millennium, we should also recognize

the increased importance of civil society in the search for

solutions. This is one of the cornerstones of the new era in

international cooperation.