Slovenia, 1994

Please allow me to

congratulate you, Sir, and Côte d’Ivoire on your election to

the presidency of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth

session. Our deliberations under your presidency are

certain to be a success. May I also take this occasion to

thank His Excellency Ambassador Samuel Insanally, the

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Guyana, for

his many contributions as President of the General

Assembly at its forty-eighth session.

The economic and political changes currently under

way have raised the hopes of all of us for a better future.

Democracy has been restored to much of the world, thus

not only showing that it is the most suitable model of

government, but also making possible a greater degree of

international cooperation, strengthening the rule of

international law and giving the United Nations a more

powerful role.

In Eastern Europe, the process of democratic change

is now irreversible. Though much is made of the dangers

of new ethnic conflicts and the rise of new

ultra-nationalistic and totalitarian forces, they become ever

less likely to succeed with each day that passes. Have we

not seen two of the most apparently intractable problems -

the Middle East and South Africa - brought to a peaceful

conclusion? The Middle East was a crucible of conflict;

apartheid in South Africa was a disgrace to the entire

human race. Mr. de Klerk and Mr. Mandela showed both

political wisdom and human tolerance in agreeing on a

transition for the Republic of South Africa. South Africa

will play a major role in future developments in the

African continent.

Those are just some causes for optimism. But

optimism does not mean expecting that all our crises will

simply resolve themselves without any action on our part.

If our collective hopes and desires are to lead anywhere,

then the work must begin here at the United Nations,

where representatives from the entire world are gathered.

The time has come when we can make this world a better

place to live.

Never in the history of the world has the awareness

of the global nature of the basic issues been as strong as

it is today. Never has the desire for cooperation between

nations so clearly superseded the wish for the domination

of one nation by another. And never has man had so

much knowledge and technology at his fingertips as he

has today. All of these factors are predispositions for a

greater role for the United Nations, and we must do

everything to ensure that the mechanisms of the United

Nations work more effectively.

We support the efforts for the reconstruction of the

Security Council. The Security Council ought to enhance

both its effectiveness and its efficiency, as well as its

representational capacity. A measured, realistic expansion

of the composition of the Council would be appropriate.

Furthermore, Slovenia supports the proposal that Germany

and Japan become permanent members of the Council.

An additional task in this regard relates to the need

to enhance the transparency of the work of the Security

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Council. The system of consultations should be developed

further, so as to provide an adequate opportunity for the

participation of United Nations Member States interested in

various situations dealt with by the Security Council.

The General Assembly could also make a greater

contribution to the development of adequate approaches on

the part of the Security Council, as well as to less costly

and more effective methods of preventive diplomacy, and

at the same time decrease the need for the Security Council

to intervene in armed conflicts.

Furthermore, in recent years the General Assembly has

taken an important step in this direction through the

establishment of the post of High Commissioner for Human

Rights.

Last, but not least, it is important to do as much as

possible to strengthen the United Nations financially, even

though the finance ministers in each and every Member

country find that their contributions to the United Nations

are a significant component of their State budget. Slovenia

is committed to the principle that contributions to the

United Nations must be paid in full and on time. The

regular payment of contributions is an essential part of all

efforts aimed at the financial reform of the United Nations.

The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and the recent

Conference on Population and Development have brought

this Organization into the public consciousness in a new

way; they have shown that we are conscious of some of the

most fundamental problems that face all of us, not just

Governments, but the people. Though some may be

sceptical about the results of these Conferences, my feeling

is that they have contributed significantly towards a global

consensus and have involved a whole new constituency in

our work.

The maintenance of international peace and security is

enshrined in the United Nations Charter as the main

purpose of the Organization. I believe that one of the most

important questions to be dealt with is dealing with the

provision of armed forces acting within the framework of

United Nations operations. The variety and complexity of

United Nations military and related activities have

developed far beyond what was once defined as

"peace-keeping". Careful reflection is needed on future

directions to be taken. Slovenia welcomes the Secretary-

General’s current efforts to develop a system of stand-by

forces and is ready to participate in these efforts.

The maintenance of international peace and security

must be strengthened by effective measures in the field of

disarmament. Slovenia is, like most other States Parties

to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons, convinced of the need for indefinite extension

of that Treaty. Furthermore we are convinced of the need

for enhanced security guarantees, in particular negative

security guarantees. We also support the efforts to

achieve a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing and other

disarmament measures with respect to weapons of mass

destruction. With respect to conventional weapons, we

support the United States initiative for the conclusion of

an agreement to reduce the number and availability of

anti-personnel land-mines. In short, the issues of

disarmament ought to remain high among the priorities of

the United Nations agenda.

The protection of human rights and fundamental

freedoms is another of the highest priorities of the United

Nations. For the Republic of Slovenia, it represents both

a basic domestic task and a strong international

commitment. Slovenia actively participated in the World

Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in 1993,

and in the subsequent efforts leading to the appointment

of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights.

By the same token, we support the efforts for further

development of the United Nations system in the field of

human rights. We are ready to contribute to the work of

the Working Group of the Third Committee in its search

for the appropriate methods of protection of human rights.

Here again we believe that prevention is better than cure,

and that appropriate international action is necessary in

order to prevent situations characterized by violations of

human rights.

The United Nations is confronted with a variety of

situations involving the use of force. The armed conflicts

in the Balkans are among the most difficult situations.

Slovenia is the only successor State of the

now-disintegrated former Yugoslavia which is not directly

threatened by the ongoing conflict in that region. None

the less, Slovenia remains vitally interested in the stability

of the Balkans. The horrors of war against ordinary

citizens, mass violations of human rights and breaches of

the United Nations Charter first in the Republic of Croatia

and now in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

cause serious concern to the entire international

community.

I will not be telling Members anything new when I

say that the international community was not prepared for

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the eruption of the crisis that occurred within the territory

of the former Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, the conflict that

was subsequently to occur within Bosnia and Herzegovina

has seriously damaged the image and credibility of the

United Nations. It is true that without the involvement of

the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) and the

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for

Refugees (UNHCR), working in conjunction with many

humanitarian organizations, the tragedy in Bosnia would

have been even worse. But humanitarian assistance alone

cannot be considered as a substitute for effective policy.

Such achievements as the Washington Agreement,

concluded between the Bosnian Muslims and Croats, do at

least raise some hope that appropriate international

assistance can meaningfully influence the political aspects

of the conflict. Nevertheless, the continuation of the

militant behaviour by the Bosnian Serbs maintains the need

for the option of lifting of the arms embargo against the

legitimate Government of the Republic of Bosnia and

Herzegovina to remain on the agenda. This war, with all

its consequences, is threatening to continue into a third

winter, and I am afraid that this certainly most risky and

negative of options will be the only one left if the

international community does not prove able to bring about

an end to hostilities and open the way towards a viable

peace with the necessary elements of justice.

I would like to end this sad chapter of my address

with a warning. We should by no means forget that the

terrifying pattern of "ethnic cleansing" has been patented in

the conflicts that have occurred across the territories of

several successor States of the former Yugoslavia.

Regardless of the final outcome of these conflicts in the

Balkans, we must seriously consider all the means and

methods at our disposal that may prevent a repetition of

this pattern of events occurring in other parts of the world.

I speak for a country which has the good fortune not

to be a problem, but a country which seeks solutions. In

the less than two years in which our independence was

internationally recognized, we have, under difficult

circumstances, achieved positive economic growth. We

have managed to maintain a high level of social security

and stability. The transformation and reform of our

economy has gone hand-in-hand with the rapid growth of

our democratic institutions. We are paying special attention

to the protection of human rights and of our ethnic

minorities. Slovenia is a member of the Council of Europe;

we have signed the Partnership for Peace and the Pact of

Stability; Slovenia is a factor of stability in Europe and

strives to be an active part of Europe’s integration.

I do not wish to imply that there are no obstacles to

the progress of that integration. Europe may have high

levels of prosperity and deeply rooted democracies and it

may be one of the most stable regions in the world, but

the ghosts of the past and leanings towards near-forgotten

forms of nationalistic chauvinism are still with us. These

are in direct contradiction to the very idea of a

cooperative and multicultural Europe; they endanger the

processes of integration. Unexplained and unjustifiable

impediments have already been raised against Slovenia’s

association with the European Union.

In closing, allow me to express Slovenia’s great

satisfaction that our proposal that the moral and ethical

aspects of social developments be considered at the World

Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen next year

has been widely accepted. We are particularly glad that

Slovenia will have the honour to host the United Nations

seminar on the ethical and spiritual dimensions of social

progress and development, an event to which we attach

great importance. If one thing is certain, it is that

economic, scientific and technological views on

development do not exist in a vacuum. The United

Nations Charter calls for the fostering of the prosperity,

harmony and freedom of people both as individuals and

as cultural entities. This ultimate objective should be

borne in mind in all the United Nations endeavours.

It is my hope that under your leadership, the

Assembly will take positive steps in that direction.