Slovakia, 2003

I have the honour of

addressing the General Assembly on behalf of His

Excellency Mr. Eduard Kukan, Minister for Foreign

Affairs of the Slovak Republic.

Slovakia as a European Union acceding country

fully endorses the statement made by the Prime

Minister of Italy on behalf of the European Union. The

positions and ideas expressed in Mr. Berlusconi’s

address perfectly reflect the values of the Government

and people of Slovakia. I will therefore concentrate

only on the topics that we consider the most important.

At the outset, I warmly congratulate the President

on his assumption of the presidency and wish him

every success in discharging his important duties. He

can rely on Slovakia’s support and cooperation. Let me

also add the voice of my delegation to those who have

thanked his predecessor, Mr. Jan Kavan, for his

contribution to the work of this body.

Amongst the most challenging issues before us,

the one that has drawn the closest attention of the

world community is the situation in Iraq. We should

join our efforts to help the Iraqi people reconstruct

their country and build a democratic society, which is

the best course of action for stabilizing the situation,

which is still volatile on the ground.

The unprecedented tragedy of the destruction of

the United Nations Baghdad headquarters, which

ripped from our midst many brave United Nations

personnel, including Special Representative Sergio

Vieira de Mello, to whom we again pay our undivided

tribute, has shown us that no target is safe. Uniting to

help Iraq has become a matter of common interest.

Security Council resolution 1483 (2003) laid the

important framework enabling the international

community to contribute to Iraq’s reconstruction. At

the time of its adoption, Slovakia decided to participate

in stabilization operations in Iraq by sending mine-

clearing experts. Although this was only a token

contribution, given our capacity and the number of

Slovak troops already deployed in active peacekeeping

missions around the globe, I believe that it showed our

commitment to creating conditions in which the Iraqi

people can build their own future. As more troops are

needed on the ground, we support the efforts to win

greater participation from willing countries. The

United Nations, with a specific mandate, must play a

greater role in the Iraqi post-war restoration.

Iraq must show that a free and democratic

country is the inevitable replacement for dictatorship.

A democratic and prosperous Iraq is important to peace

and security in the Middle East, which directly affects

the rest of the world.

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The difficult economic and social situation in

Afghanistan, where people continue to strive to build a

democratic and viable society, still leaves room for a

resurgence of extremists. The international community

cannot move away from Afghanistan. It must stay

committed and continue to provide the necessary

assistance to the Afghan people. I am pleased to

announce that last July the Slovak Parliament decided

to extend the participation of Slovakia in Operation

Enduring Freedom.

Ten years after Israelis and Palestinians

astounded the world by signing the Oslo Accords, the

two sides are again locked in a cycle of violence,

attacks, counter-attacks and revenge. It is unfortunate

that the latest wave of violence has come at a time

when the road map had started to encourage feelings of

hope.

Slovakia is deeply concerned over the

deteriorating situation. Recent tragic and violent events

have caused enormous suffering and resulted in many

innocent victims. In the face of the current situation,

both sides must act responsibly, with the utmost

restraint, and consider carefully the tremendously

negative consequences of a complete breakdown of the

peace process. The only realistic way out of the

impasse is the creation of a viable Palestinian State

existing alongside Israel, with the security and survival

of each guaranteed. Every effort has to be made to keep

the road map on the table, because there is no other

alternative. Both sides must fully and without further

delay implement their obligations in accordance with

the road map. Slovakia reiterates its support for the

road map and sees the role of the Quartet in the peace

process as irreplaceable and essential.

We will not relax our efforts in the fight against

global terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of

mass destruction. Underestimation of this peril could

have a fateful impact on the international community.

The United Nations must continue to play a decisive

role in this fight. The Slovak Republic appreciates and

fully supports the activities of the Counter-Terrorism

Committee. Slovakia, as a party to all 12 global

international conventions against terrorism, has

successfully implemented their provisions into its

legislation.

As a party to various international conventions

and treaties, Slovakia supports joint efforts to adopt

global international legal instruments and standards

concerning the principle of the rule of law. The

ratification process of the United Nations Convention

against Transnational Organized Crime is well under

way in the Slovak Republic and should be completed

by the end of this year.

Over the past decade, we have witnessed

exponential growth in peacekeeping activities in an

increasing number of conflicts throughout the globe.

The recent comprehensive reform has significantly

improved the effectiveness of planning and

management of the ever more complex and challenging

United Nations peacekeeping operations. However, the

most important factor for the success of United Nations

peacekeeping is still the political will of Member

States and their readiness to contribute contingents and

equipment. In order to support and sustain the

increasing number of peacekeeping operations, the

timely payment of financial contributions is necessary.

Slovakia has been among the leading contributors

to United Nations peacekeeping operations since it

became a Member of the United Nations in 1993. Our

peacekeepers are currently serving in six United

Nations missions in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Given our clear understanding of the new threats to our

security and a willingness and ability to help tackle

them, our engagement in peace support operations

around the world will expand even more when we join

the European Union and NATO next year. Slovakia’s

active involvement in peacekeeping operations

confirms the fact that the maintenance of international

peace is among the priorities of our foreign policy.

In recent years attacks on humanitarian workers

and on United Nations personnel have increased

alarmingly. We therefore welcome the unanimous

adoption of Security Council resolution 1502 (2003) on

the protection of United Nations personnel, associated

personnel and humanitarian personnel in conflict

zones. It emphasizes the obligation of each Member

State to take every step in its power to protect those

working under the blue flag and to bring to justice

those who attack or harm them. Slovakia has been a

party to the Convention on the Safety of United

Nations and Associated Personnel since 1996, and we

invite those States that have not yet done so to become

parties to this very important international legal

instrument, which provides for the protection of United

Nations and associated personnel.

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One of the most important steps towards

achieving international justice and putting an end to

impunity for the most serious violations of human

rights, war crimes and genocide was the establishment

of the International Criminal Court. Slovakia, which is

a State party to its Rome Statute, is firmly committed

to ensuring that the Court is an independent, fair and

effective institution. The election of 18 judges and of

the Prosecutor and Deputy Prosecutor was essential for

the successful start of its work. We are convinced that

their expertise and moral integrity will ensure the

highest standards in their performance and will

guarantee fair and impartial justice.

Slovakia views arms control as a pivotal

instrument of security policy. Here I would like to

reiterate our continued support for the further

strengthening of major international disarmament and

non-proliferation instruments such as the Treaty on the

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It would

be most appropriate to reinforce this cornerstone of

nuclear non-proliferation by speedily bringing into

force another significant instrument — the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) —

hence my delegation’s repeated call on those that have

not yet done so to sign and ratify the CTBT as soon as

possible.

Slovakia also encourages those countries that

have not signed or ratified the Ottawa Convention to do

so quickly. The terror that landmines cause, despite

their limited military utility, continues to spread, along

with the appalling humanitarian consequences of their

use in actual conflicts.

With its entry into the European Union, Slovakia

is taking on moral responsibility for the poorer

countries of the world. Just as Slovakia received aid in

the past, it is now in duty bound to help reduce social

tensions and poverty in other parts of the world. That is

our contribution to achieving the Millennium

Development Goals. Slovakia is systematically and

consistently preparing its compact and efficient

development agenda. The Slovak Government has

recently adopted a legal framework and strategy for

development assistance. An important step in the

development of official assistance was the approval of

the first annual budget in December 2002.

The current modest level of official development

assistance reflects the potential of our growing

economy, and we are convinced that the effective and

efficient use, and sustained growth, of such official

development assistance will place Slovakia more

firmly within the group of new emerging donors.

We endorse the appeals made for the

strengthening of the role of the United Nations and for

improving the efficiency and working methods of its

major organs. First and foremost, a comprehensive

reform of the Security Council and a revitalization of

the General Assembly is needed.

In the past year, the international community has

had to deal with events whose significance have put to

the test the principles that have governed international

relations since the signing of the United Nations

Charter. Though it is undisputed that the validity of

these principles remains undiminished, we cannot shy

away from seeking answers and solutions to the

fundamental global challenges that we face today,

including extreme poverty, drug smuggling, the spread

of deadly diseases and global climate change. Finding

appropriate solutions to these and other issues requires

multilateral cooperation, with a viable 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. Slovakia

remains committed to multilateralism and to its

fundamental institutions.