Romania, 2002

Allow

me to begin, Sir, by congratulating you on your

election to preside over the fifty-seventh session of the

General Assembly. My congratulations go likewise to

the outgoing president, His Excellency Mr. Han Seung-

soo, for his dedication and for a job well done. I wish

also to echo earlier speakers in welcoming, very

warmly, Switzerland as the newest Member of the

Organization and Timor-Leste, which will be joining us

shortly.

Global security models, which are in a process of

change after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001,

have posed serious and unexpected challenges to the

international community. We have been faced with

tragic proof that our security is more fragile than we

had imagined and that democracy and freedom have

been under attack. We have been violently reminded

that combating terrorism is a matter for us all.

The prompt and constructive response of my

country, Romania, to the United Nations appeal for

solidarity has been very clear. Our participation in the

International Assistance Force for Afghanistan,

approved by the Romanian Parliament in December

2001, clearly attests to our resolve to fulfil, in practice

as well as in spirit, our commitment to the principles

and purposes of the United Nations.

Following the adoption by the Security Council

of its resolution 1373 (2001), we enacted legislation to

prevent, in Romania, the financing of terrorist

organizations and acts, and we have ratified the 12

United Nations conventions and protocols concerning

terrorism.

We have been actively involved in operations in

Afghanistan with our strategic allies and we are,

together, tackling the consequences of the struggle

against terrorism.

(spoke in English)

But have we, the international community, done

enough? The Secretary-General, in his opening

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statement, drew an uncompromising picture of the

threats to peace, and rightly reminded us of our

responsibilities.

Romania believes it is necessary to proceed

unambiguously in condemning and actively combating

all forms of terrorism and violent fanaticism through

cooperation at the international level that is

substantive, consistent and coherent. The financing of

terrorism is an obvious target for action. Romania

believes that the experience of regional liaison and

joint operations in South-East Europe can be of use to

international efforts to suppress the flow of funds to

terrorist groups.

The terrorist threat calls for us to be even more

vigilant in controlling the use and proliferation of

weapons of mass destruction, as well as conventional

weapons, such as landmines and small arms, which can

fall — sometimes too often — into the wrong hands. In

this context, Romania calls on Iraq to comply with

existing Security Council resolutions and to allow

United Nations inspectors to return, immediately and

unconditionally, to enable further decisions to be taken

relevant to the people of Iraq and the security and

stability of the area. Romania was on the Security

Council in 1990 when the first resolutions on Iraq were

adopted and contributed to building consensus at that

time. We believe that the Security Council must

respond to the continued defiance of its resolutions

firmly and resolutely. There can be no doubt as to my

Government's stand should fears about possible threats

to global security prove justified. As we have done in

the past, we will stand alongside our allies and

freedom-loving nations in the defence of world peace.

A strong response to Iraq's long-term defiance of

the Security Council's authority is also called for

because of the threat to global security from weapons

of mass destruction. The temptation to apply these

same principles to other, localized conflict situations

should be resisted, especially when mechanisms exist

for dialogue and peaceful resolution. While States have

the right to exercise control over their own security,

they also have a responsibility to ensure that security

measures do not undermine the foundations of

democracy. We can adapt to these new realities without

sacrificing human rights and universal values. Indeed,

through respect for civil liberties and the promotion of

equal opportunity and social cohesion, we can help to

remove some of the root causes of terrorism:

resentment and frustration fuelled by poverty and

marginalization.

This is a fundamental element of conflict

prevention, but early warning and early intervention by

the international community are not enough. The

experiences of the last decade show that it is time to

move away from ad hoc solutions for short-term

problems towards an integrated and long-term

approach to nation-building. By “integrated”, I mean

that the international response should be based on an

efficient division of labour between the appropriate

organizations, with a common mandate and a clear

chain of command. By “long-term”, I mean that

international support should remain in place until

security is seen to be durable and rehabilitation and

local empowerment have become a reality.

The stabilization and rehabilitation process in

Afghanistan is a test for the changing pattern of

international cooperation. Ultimately, reconstruction

efforts must be directed towards sustainability and

ownership by the Afghan people. The recent attempt on

President Karzai's life demonstrates the frailty of the

current situation in Afghanistan. This and the attacks in

Kabul and other cities are dramatic reminders of the

price paid by too many Afghan generations for

recovering their sovereignty and for winning the right

to govern their country.

The intense effort that the United Nations has

embarked upon in the democratic and physical

reconstruction of the country is commendable.

Romania believes that this commitment must be

maintained as long as the dangers of a serious renewal

of violence exist. Romania has already made a solid

financial contribution to the international aid effort and

is ready to offer further assistance, according to the

requirements of the Afghan Government.

But efforts to aid Afghanistan should not stop at

that country's borders. Stability for that country and the

region will be assured only through a broader vision

for the development of the whole of Central Asia. We

need to find a way to link Europe and Central Asia by

working up an integrated strategy that will reinforce

democracy and bring economic prosperity not only

across Europe, but to Eurasia as well. A first step must

be to put an end to the “frozen conflicts” in Eastern

Europe and the Caucasus.

The positive developments in South-East Europe

show what can be achieved when the international

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community takes action in a coherent and coordinated

way. The United Nations and its international partners,

notably the European Union, the Organization for

Security and Cooperation in Europe and the North

Atlantic Treaty Organization, have worked tirelessly to

help to reconstitute societies based on the rule of law

and ethnic tolerance, but the process is not yet

complete. It is vital that this decisive electoral autumn

show beyond doubt that modern democracy has taken

root in the western Balkans. By ensuring free and fair

elections, political leaders in the region should keep

their countries on the right path to European

integration. As Romania draws closer to achieving its

Euro-Atlantic integration ambitions, we will continue

to contribute actively to efforts to break down the

remaining divisions in South-East Europe and to speed

up the integration of the whole region into the

European mainstream.

The violent conflicts over the last decade awoke

the world to the need for action against the horror of

war crimes. The entry into force on 1 July of the

International Criminal Court Statute represents a very

significant step forward. Romania ratified the

International Criminal Court Statute this year and

remains deeply committed to ensuring that the Court

function effectively as a viable and necessary

instrument of international law. In this spirit, we

encourage ongoing discussions, which should clarify

some of the outstanding issues.

The danger that the violence in the Middle East

will escalate beyond control cannot be ignored. My

recent discussions with political leaders from the

region have reinforced my conviction that it is crucial

to find a way to renounce the logic of war in favour of

a logic of peace. We call on the parties to engage in

serious negotiations for a peaceful, comprehensive and

lasting solution. Their success or failure will have

consequences far beyond their own immediate region,

impacting upon what might be termed the wider

Middle East, encompassing the entire region from

Central Asia to North Africa.

The two serious challenges for the twenty-first

century are fighting terrorism and new security threats,

on the one hand, and making globalization work for

everyone everywhere, on the other. In both, the United

Nations has a decisively important role to play. We

have reached the point where we must address the

global agenda in a way that finally meets people's

expectations and achieves early results. We must

deliver in a coherent and pragmatic way on the

commitments taken at Doha, Monterrey and

Johannesburg, as well as other major United Nations

conferences, such as the special session on children.

We must design an urgent, clear and encouraging

response to the humanitarian needs of Africa and

promote conditions for the sustainable development of

the African continent.

Tangible progress depends upon a new paradigm

of cooperation between stakeholders of globalization,

States, corporations, international organizations and, of

course, civil society. Efficient implementation depends

upon a new architecture of global governance that is

fitted to today's realities and a renewed sense of

responsibility among all States. Finally, success in

achieving the millennium development goals depends

upon a strict and verifiable system for monitoring

implementation. A new sense of participation and

partnership must energize our common contribution. In

this respect, We welcome President Bush's

announcement that the United States will rejoin the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization.

The graduation of the Central European countries

from transition economies to membership of the

European Union in the few years to come is proof that

democracy with a functioning market economy and an

open society does work. But there is a price, and that is

the difficult decisions, politically and socially, of

successful transition.

We have been fortunate to have European Union

financial support and know-how, which have been vital

in maintaining the momentum and the public

acceptance of sometimes painful reform programmes.

In return, we will do the same by sharing the burden of

international responsibility and assistance. We have not

only a moral and historic, but also a strategic,

responsibility to address the needs of the poor and

disadvantaged in our region and beyond. Discontent

and disillusionment breed instability, which in turn

gives terrorism fertile conditions in which to flourish.

Governments, business and civil society have a

unique opportunity to accelerate economic

development through the use of the powerful new

information and communication technologies. In

preparation for the forthcoming World Summit on the

Information Society, to be held at Geneva in 2003 and

at Tunis in 2005, Romania will host, from 7 to 9

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November this year, a regional conference at the

ministerial level organized jointly with the

International Telecommunication Union and the

Economic Commission for Europe. Our aim is to draw

up a preliminary plan of action with specific

mechanisms for bridging the digital divide.

The Security Council is the linchpin of the United

Nations. Romania believes that we must redouble our

efforts to promote reform of that body. The

composition of the Council should be more

representative of our global membership and should

reflect more accurately the realities of the global

balance of power today. Romania's candidature for a

Council seat in 2004-2005 is motivated by our deep

commitment to the United Nations as a credible and

efficient contributor to peace and stability around the

world.

What will we take home from this session? We

need to reflect on how to eliminate the habit of ad hoc

cooperation. We need to think creatively and to craft

continuous patterns of teamwork, and we should be

more receptive to what people want from the United

Nations. That is how we can best live up to our

commitments and overcome what is seen as the

handicap of international organizations: the

discrepancy between words and deeds. Let us leave this

session determined to work on mapping out pledges

and achievements in a way that will add vigour to our

words and reinforce our credibility. That, after all, is

the source of our unique strength.