Luxembourg, 1997

First of all, I should like to extend my warmest

congratulations to you, Sir, on your election to the

presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-second

8

session. As an architect of stability, you have played a

substantial role in securing the recent conclusion of a

number of major agreements with Ukraine’s neighbouring

countries. I am certain that both that experience and the

experience you have acquired in the field of international

relations and at the United Nations will be decisive factors

in leading this session to a successful outcome. I should

like to assure you, Sir, of our full support.

I should also like to thank your predecessor,

Ambassador Razali, for the skill and commitment with

which he led our work at the last session of the General

Assembly. I also wish to express my appreciation to our

Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for the splendid work

he has performed since taking office and, in particular, for

his wide-ranging proposals for the reform of the United

Nations, which he presented last 16 July.

It is an honour for me to address this Assembly today

on behalf of the European Union, which, like the United

Nations, is seeking to change and renew itself in order to

face more effectively the challenges of the new millennium.

Globalization, with its emphasis on growing

interdependence between nations and their economies, is

bringing profound changes in international relations. A

particular feature of this globalization is the genuine

revolution in the field of information and communications

technologies, which banishes any notion of geographical

distance. Globalization, characterized by the acceleration of

trade and financial flows and by increased market

integration, is a source for both progress and fresh

opportunities. However, it also raises some serious

questions, even among the industrialized countries, which

are experiencing a worrying rise in unemployment. We note

at the same time that these developments are passing by

many developing countries, which remain in great poverty.

More than 1.5 billion people still live in absolute poverty.

We cannot remain indifferent to this situation.

We are particularly concerned by the growing

inequality both within countries and between countries of

the North and of the South, which is a dangerous source of

further conflict and tension.

Free of the threat of confrontation in a polarized

world, we are faced today with a series of global problems

both old and new: underdevelopment, population growth,

increasingly large-scale migration, damage to the

environment, the proliferation of weapons of all kinds,

terrorism, ethnic conflict, drug trafficking, violence — the

blind, hateful violence against innocent people that we

witness nearly every day, for example in Algeria — and

crime, often in forms never before encountered.

In order to deal successfully with all these problems,

it is essential that we continue to promote justice and

solidarity between all countries and individuals as well as

tolerance — I lay particular stress on “tolerance” — and

respect for others and, above all, to strengthen

cooperation between States on both the regional and the

world levels.

Progressive integration that respects national identity

is a hallmark of the policy of the States members of the

European Union. In scarcely more than 50 years, we have

succeeded in developing in Europe a stability and a

prosperity that the continent has never before experienced.

The European Union is based on democracy as its

political system and on a social market economy as its

economic system. Our market economy is not a free-for-

all; it is mitigated by considerations of social welfare.

States retain full responsibility in the fields of health,

education and social justice. Although this system requires

constant adjustment, its principles are sacrosanct.

The European Union, wishing to respond to the

challenges of the post-cold-war world, proposes to take

up three major challenges over the years ahead: the

establishment of an economic and monetary union; the

strengthening of its institutional base through the

implementation of the Amsterdam Treaty; and preparation

for further enlargement towards the eastern and southern

Europe.

Economic and monetary union is probably the most

important and most ambitious economic and political

project to be implemented by Europe since the beginning

of the integration process. The Euro, as the single

currency is to be known, will come into existence on 1

January 1999. Its introduction is the culmination of the

lengthy process of implementation of the single market.

The Euro is the logical consequence of the venture

embarked upon with the European Community’s

foundation in 1957.

In order to prepare for the single currency, the States

members of the European Union have successfully

committed themselves to strengthening the coordination

of their economic policies and the pursuit of healthier,

more stable macroeconomic and budgetary policies.

The creation of the Euro will help to achieve greater

stability and a more balanced international monetary

9

system. It will help to reduce monetary uncertainty and will

give a boost to the development of trade, investment and,

hence, growth and employment both at the European and

the world levels.

The Heads of State or Government of the European

Union reached political agreement on 17 June this year on

a new treaty for Europe, the Amsterdam Treaty. This

Treaty will be submitted for signature by plenipotentiaries

in two weeks’ time. The Amsterdam Treaty marks a further

step in the building of Europe and opens the way for the

launching of the enlargement process. It provides for

greater consistency in the external action of the Union, and

will enable it to anticipate crises more effectively and to

provide a more efficient protection of its economic

interests. It emphasizes the defence and security dimension

of the European Union, and clarifies in particular the

Union’s role in respect of peacekeeping or peacemaking

missions and humanitarian action.

The new Treaty also provides for the creation of an

area of freedom, security and justice, which will enable the

Union to take more effective and coordinated action to

combat terrorism, major crime and illegal immigration.

Finally, a number of provisions underline the importance

that the Union attaches to the promotion and to the

protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

This coming December, the Union will take major

decisions on future enlargement. Negotiations on accession

should begin as early as possible next year. The

international repercussions of the enlargement of the Union

will far transcend the new frontiers of an enlarged Europe;

this enlargement will add to Europe’s influence in the

world, will provide the European Union with new

neighbours and will make Europe a peaceful, more united

and more stable area.

In taking up these three challenges, the European

Union member States seek to unite further in order to form

a common front against the problem of unemployment and

to take more effective action to combat organized crime,

terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of every kind, to

act more effectively to prevent major environmental

damage and to ensure lasting growth while making the best

possible use of the world’s resources.

At the same time, the European Union is seeking to

increase its influence over world affairs, promote values

such as peace and security, democracy and human rights in

a more effective manner, defend its conception of the social

model and assert its presence on international markets.

It is in that spirit, and in order to strengthen

cooperation in the political, economic and financial fields,

that the European Union is developing relations of

partnership with all the countries of the world.

A larger and more united European Union will also

make a greater contribution towards development

cooperation with the most disadvantaged countries. The

development assistance of the European Union is part of

a policy designed to roll back poverty and inequality in

the world and to foster a sustainable development.

The Union is already the largest contributor to the

regular budget of the United Nations and to the budget

for United Nations peacekeeping operations. It is also the

largest international aid donor. The European Community

and its member States provide over half the humanitarian

aid dispensed worldwide and fund 50 per cent of

international development aid. We provide 40 per cent of

assistance for the reconstruction process in Bosnia and

Herzegovina, nearly 60 per cent of international aid to

Russia and to the republics of the former Soviet Union,

half of the aid for the Palestinian territories and one third

of the total aid for the Middle East.

As in the past, the European Union describes its

relations with third countries, together with its positions

on and action in respect of areas of conflict throughout

the world, in a memorandum that is circulated as an

integral part of this address. I should like, however, to

highlight a number of issues which continue to hold our

full attention.

The European Union continues to make a major

contribution towards the consolidation of peace in all the

countries of the former Yugoslavia. It wishes to develop

its relations and to strengthen its cooperation with those

countries to the extent that their respective Governments

pursue a policy which respects the peace agreements

concluded and which enables them to progress towards

democracy, the rule of law, tolerance and respect for

human rights and minorities.

The European Union is concerned at the tardiness in

implementing the peace agreements in Bosnia and

Herzegovina. It emphasizes that the responsibility for

such implementation rests with the parties themselves.

We fully support the efforts of the High

Representative, Mr. Carlos Westendorp. We pay a tribute

to his deputy, Ambassador Gerd Wagner, to Mr. David

10

Krishkovich and to their colleagues who have given their

lives in their commitment to peace.

The European Union is determined to insist on the

strict and full application of the peace agreements in Bosnia

and Herzegovina and of the conclusions of the Sintra

ministerial meeting. It is on the basis of such application

that the European Union is willing to continue to contribute

to the international reconstruction effort. It continues to

attach great importance to the return of refugees and

displaced persons and to demand the full cooperation of all

parties with the International Criminal Tribunal as a

necessary condition for a lasting reconciliation and a just

peace.

Without minimizing the difficulties in the Muslim

Croat Federation, the European Union observes with

concern the political crisis which has erupted in the

Republika Srpska. It calls on all parties to respect the

constitutional functioning of that entity and to take vigorous

action to reform the police and to establish freedom of the

press. We believe the holding of legislative elections under

the supervision of the Organization for Security and

Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) constitutes the appropriate

and democratic means for resolving the present political

deadlock.

The European Union welcomes the recent holding of

municipal elections, on 13 and 14 September, with the

participation of all the parties. These elections mark an

important step in the process of democratization in Bosnia

and Herzegovina. We appeal to the parties to respect the

results as certified by the OSCE.

The European Union also remains concerned by the

situation in Kosovo, in particular by the lack of respect for

human rights and the principles of the rule of law.

Concerning Cyprus, the European Union regrets that

the intercommunal talks under the aegis of the United

Nations have failed to register progress. We call on the

leaders of both communities to resume the talks, as

proposed by Mr. Cordovez. We urge them and all parties

concerned to work constructively and in good faith to

promote the success of these talks. We reject any link

between the talks and the membership negotiations with

Cyprus. The latter will be initiated in accordance with the

decisions taken by the European Council and will contribute

positively towards the search for a political solution. The

European Union recalled that Cypriot membership should

benefit both communities and should help to bring about

civil peace and reconciliation.

In the Middle East, the peace process is at a

worrisome standstill. The European Union calls on the

peoples and Governments of the region to renew the spirit

of mutual confidence which, at Madrid in 1991 and in

Oslo in 1993, gave rise to the hope of a just, lasting and

comprehensive peace. We call upon the Israeli and

Palestinian leaders to continue the negotiations to further

the implementation of the Interim Agreement and the

Hebron agreement, and to resume talks on permanent

status. We ask them once more to abstain from any

unilateral action which may prejudice the issues relating

to permanent status.

The European Union firmly condemns the recent

terrorist attacks in Jerusalem. We call on each side to

show absolute determination in combating terrorism. We

hope that cooperation in the field of security between

Israel and the Palestinian Authority will be re-established

and reinforced. To that end, we propose the setting up of

a permanent security committee with the participation of

the parties involved and, possibly, with that of the United

States and the European Union.

We urge both parties not to yield to blackmail by

extremists bent on sabotaging the peace process. We ask

that Israel discontinue certain measures taken with regard

to the Palestinians which we consider to be counter-

productive. In particular, we ask that Israel transfer all of

the tax revenue owed to the Palestinian Authority. It is

not in the interests of peace to weaken the Palestinian

economy, administration and leadership and to feed the

feelings of frustration and humiliation of an entire people.

In the opinion of the European Union, peace remains the

only strategic choice and the only lasting guarantee for

the security and prosperity of both sides.

The European Union will continue, through the

efforts of its Special Envoy for the Middle East Peace

Process, Ambassador Moratinos, as well as through its

diplomatic relations, its economic commitment and its

relations of friendship and trust with the various parties,

to work with the parties concerned both within and

outside the region, and especially with the United States,

to relaunch the peace process.

In Africa, major developments have occurred in

recent months, notably in the Great Lakes region, which

continues to experience serious problems. The European

Union fully supports the efforts undertaken there, as

elsewhere, by the Organization of African Unity (OAU)

in close cooperation with the United Nations. It welcomes

the action taken by both its special representative,

11

Mr. Ajello, and the Special Representative of the

Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the OAU,

Mr. Sahnoun. The international community must thus aim

at establishing peace, at consolidating the process of

national reconciliation in the countries concerned, at

creating a climate conducive to the voluntary return of

refugees and of facilitating the establishment of normal

democratic life. We support the introduction of the rule of

law, which should put an end to the climate of impunity

prevailing in the region and encourage its economic and

social recovery.

The accession of the new authorities in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo signals a very important change for

the Congo and the whole of Africa. The European Union is

aware of the scale of requirements for reconstruction in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo and is willing to

contribute its support for reconstruction. It confirms its

readiness to resume cooperation with that Government on

a gradual basis. The resumption of cooperation will depend,

according to the conclusions of the European Council of

Amsterdam, on the progress observed in the fields of

human rights, democratization and the establishment of the

rule of law.

The European Union emphasizes the need for the

Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to

cooperate fully with the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees in order to ensure the safe

return of refugees, particularly to Rwanda. We also urge the

Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to

cooperate fully with the United Nations in order that the

mission investigating the allegations of massacres and other

human rights violations can take place without impediment

or delay.

The European Union remains seriously worried by the

situation in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) and is

concerned that the parties to the conflict have so far failed

to overcome their differences. We urge all the parties

involved to cease hostilities and to work together to achieve

national reconciliation and restore a peaceful society. We

reiterate the Union’s full support for the mediation efforts

undertaken by President Bongo of Gabon.

The European Union condemns all violence in

Burundi. It encourages the authorities of that country to

accelerate the dismantling of the reassembly camps. We

earnestly appeal to all parties in Burundi to embark

definitively on the road towards negotiation and national

reconciliation.

The European Union is also concerned by the

worsening insecurity in Rwanda’s north-western

provinces, which affects all populations, without

exception.

The European Union welcomes the success of the

monitoring mission in the Central African Republic,

established under the Bangui Agreements.

The European Union also continues to be concerned

by the situation in Cambodia, which is likely to

jeopardize the whole democratization process and the

major efforts by the international community in support

of that country’s reconstruction. We renew our support

for the mediation efforts by the Association of South-East

Asian Nations and welcome the constructive constitutional

role played by His Majesty King Sihanouk in the search

for a solution to this crisis.

We appeal for an immediate end to all violence in

Cambodia and reiterate the importance we attach to the

holding of free pluralist elections in 1998.

I would like now to take up several thematic

questions.

The tragic consequences of the indiscriminate spread

and use of anti-personnel landmines have aroused genuine

emotion in world public opinion in recent years. In

October 1996 the Union, for its part, adopted a decision

on joint action on anti-personnel landmines in which it

expresses its determination to achieve the aim of totally

eliminating such mines and of actively working towards

the earliest possible conclusion of an effective

international agreement on a worldwide ban on these

weapons.

We welcome the work done at the recent Oslo

Diplomatic Conference, which resulted in the adoption of

an international Convention. We shall also be pursuing

the achievement of our aims at the Conference on

Disarmament.

Next 10 December will see the start of celebrations

on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That Declaration,

adopted on 10 December 1948, and the two international

pacts and other legal instruments on the subject that were

subsequently adopted, are still fully relevant today. We

reaffirm our deep commitment to the universality of

human rights and to their protection and promotion. The

year 1988 will provide an opportunity for all members of

12

the international community to step up their actions to

ensure better implementation of the universal principles of

the Declaration through the instruments and machinery of

the United Nations.

The year 1998 will also be an opportunity to review

the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of

Action adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights

held in Vienna in 1993.

We welcome the appointment of Mrs Mary Robinson

as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

She will have our full support. We wish to underline the

importance of her mission, not least in the context of the

fiftieth anniversary.

Regarding the environment and development, the

General Assembly will be asked to endorse at this session

the results of the special session on the follow-up to

Agenda 21 and of the Rio Conference. The European Union

considers it essential that the implementation of Agenda 21

receive fresh political impetus. We believe it is imperative

that we come to a substantial conclusion of the negotiations

on climate change to be held in Kyoto in December. We

urge all States to work towards that end.

We have proposed clear objectives for the reduction of

greenhouse-gas emissions, and we hope that other States

will very soon be making their own detailed proposals in

order to speed up the progress that is vitally needed if the

Kyoto session of the Conference is to be a success.

Two years ago the Heads of State and Government

meeting in this Hall on the occasion of the fiftieth

anniversary of the United Nations observed that, in a

rapidly changing world, the objectives set out in the Charter

had lost none of their relevance.

In many regions of the planet, we still have to face up

to serious threats to international peace and security. More

than ever, we need to promote economic and social

development. It is vital that the ideals upon which our

Organization is founded — human rights, good governance

and democracy — come to be reflected more and more in

the behaviour of public authorities and in people’s everyday

lives. The primacy of the rule of law must be reaffirmed.

We realize that if our Organization is to respond

adequately to the profound changes in its external

environment it must adapt its structures to the new realities

of the modern world.

Last July we heard the Secretary-General’s ambitious

proposals, and we welcomed them. It is not, of course, a

question of rewriting the mandates of the United Nations,

to which we remain deeply committed, but of

transforming the Organization into a productive and

efficient instrument at the service of all the peoples of the

world.

In examining these proposals, at its fifty-second

session, the General Assembly is embarking on a period

of debate and decision-making that promises to be one of

the most significant in the history of the United Nations.

We need an Organization that fulfils its mandate to

preserve peace and international security more rapidly and

effectively by building better capacities for action in the

fields of preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and

peacemaking, and by having more effective capacities for

action in the areas of recovery and reconstruction after a

conflict.

We need an Organization that responds better to one

of its fundamental objectives, which consists of promoting

economic and social progress, eradicating poverty and

ensuring the widest possible participation in an expanding

world economy.

We need United Nations funds and programmes that

can translate the objectives of the Organization in the

field of sustainable development. They must offer the

countries and the peoples of the world both material

support and a frame of reference that will enable them to

generate their own development in the most efficient

manner and in a way suited to their specific needs.

We need a United Nations system that provides a

credible response to the complex problems of

humanitarian assistance and emergency situations,

problems which include conflict prevention, peacekeeping,

rehabilitation and transition towards development.

Finally, we need an Organization that integrates in

all its activities the fundamental concept of respect for

human rights, which is an integral part of the quest for

peace and security, economic prosperity and social justice.

To attain those objectives, our Organization must be

able to rely not only on the commitment of the Secretary-

General and the cooperation of Member States, but on the

support of every sector of international society, and in

particular on the non-governmental organizations, whose

efforts inspire and complement our own.

13

The programme of reforms put forward by the

Secretary-General has two parts. The first concerns the

responsibility of the Secretary-General himself. It

supplements the series of proposals he put forward in

March this year. It is designed to rationalize the operations

of Secretariat services and United Nations agencies and to

improve their coordination. The proposals are intended to

mould those services into a more coherent structure. There

is a need to establish a community of ideas, a coherence of

effort and greater flexibility in implementing action. We

urge the Secretary-General to implement those proposals as

quickly as possible. The European Union considers that

modalities could be worked out to see that the savings

realized are reinvested in the field of development.

The second part of the programme deals with

improving the operation of the United Nations system and

strengthening its intergovernmental machinery. It requires

the approval of Member States. Here, too, the European

Union believes that the method used and the choices made

by the Secretary-General should open the way to effective

and far-reaching reform of the United Nations. This applies

particularly to the promotion of economic and social

development, which must remain one of the priority

objectives of our Organization.

In this sector, the reform should improve the

Organization’s capacity for action at the intergovernmental

as well as the structural and managerial levels. In the view

of the European Union, the reform of the United Nations,

as an instrument in the service of development, cannot be

conceived as a cost-cutting exercise; on the contrary, it

must be designed to strengthen and revitalize the

Organization so that it can respond to the challenges of the

future in the most effective way possible. Only a reformed

and revitalized United Nations can create the foundation for

a global partnership between developing countries,

developed countries and multilateral organizations, with the

prime objective of achieving sustained and sustainable

development.

The European Union believes that, taken as a whole,

the programme of reforms proposed by the Secretary-

General represents a balanced package. It attempts to take

into account the various interests in play and, once

implemented, will enable the Organization to fulfil its

mandate more adequately and to carry out its tasks in the

service of the international community more effectively.

We therefore consider that, if we want to achieve the

renewal of the United Nations, it is of overriding

importance that the Secretary-General’s proposals be

examined by the General Assembly in an integrated

manner and as a package. It is also important to abide, so

far as possible, by the timetable that the Secretary-

General has suggested, so that the reform measures can

start to be implemented at the beginning of 1998.

The reform programme before us affords us a unique

opportunity to reform the Organization from top to

bottom. It is for us, the Member States, to demonstrate

the necessary ambition, courage and clarity of vision to

show that we are equal to this challenge.

The European Union is well aware that the proposals

before us necessarily represent a compromise between the

sometimes divergent interests of Member States, and that

they cannot, therefore, fully reflect either its own views

or those of other schools of thought within the General

Assembly.

Because we believe that the programme of reforms,

taken as a whole, represents significant progress for our

Organization, the Union does not intend to press for the

fine points of its own positions to be taken into account

with regard to each of the proposals or recommendations

before us. It is our hope that other delegations will

approach this exercise in a similar spirit and that they can

agree to put the general positive thrust of the package of

proposals before the satisfaction of their individual

demands.

Over the coming weeks the European Union intends

to play an active part in the Assembly’s work. Our task

is to reach general agreement on a feasible, constructive

and coherent response to the Secretary-General’s

proposals, one that respects his responsibilities and his

authority.

Necessary as it is, the reform exercise on which we

have embarked will not bear fruit until the United Nations

has the financial resources it needs to fulfil its mandates.

For several years now, the United Nations has been

embroiled in a financial crisis, which began as a cash-

flow problem, but which has now become structural. That

crisis is undermining the necessary sense of partnership

between Member States and compromising

implementation of the Organization’s programmes in

many areas. The European Union has often stated that the

crisis cannot be resolved until all Member States have

agreed to meet their obligations under the United Nations

Charter in full by settling their arrears and by paying on

time and without conditions the full amount of their

14

mandatory contributions to the Organization’s regular

budget and to the budget of peacekeeping operations.

The States members of the European Union, whose

contributions represent 35 per cent of the regular budget

and 38 per cent of the peacekeeping budget, have always

honoured their financial obligations promptly, fully and

unconditionally.

The European Union has put forward a package of

coherent proposals designed to put the Organization on a

sound and predictable financial footing. They relate to

measures to speed up the payment of arrears, to tighten up

the system for paying contributions, to monitor United

Nations spending more closely and to reform the scale of

assessment so as to better reflect the principle of ability to

pay.

It is important that together, at this fifty-second

session of the General Assembly, we find a constructive

and viable solution to these questions, which are

fundamental if we wish to ensure that our Organization has

the capacity to fulfil its mandate at the dawn of the twenty-

first century.