Ukraine, 1999

Allow me first of all, Sir,

to extend my most sincere congratulations on your

election to the presidency of the fifty-fourth session of the

General Assembly and to wish you every success in

discharging this extremely responsible mission. This

election is a well-deserved tribute to the personal qualities

of the dean of African Foreign Ministers, as well as

evidence of the indisputable authority your country enjoys

among the members of the international community. The

active and responsible position of Namibia as a member

of the Security Council serves as another confirmation

that the right choice was made by this General Assembly.

I would also like to express our gratitude to your

predecessor, Mr. Didier Opertti, for his effective

organization of the work of the fifty-third session of the

General Assembly. In addition, I have the pleasure to

greet three new United Nations Members — Kiribati, the

Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga. Ukraine

sincerely welcomes them into our family.

The twentieth century will remain, in the history of

mankind, as one of unprecedented ideological clashes,

with subsequent divisions of the world. The last 10 years,

however, have been marked by an entente universelle to

build this world on the basis of respect for cultural

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diversity and universally recognized values. This

tumultuous period of transition from bloc rivalry to

rapprochement and cooperation obviously lacks stability and

clear vision. That is why the role of the United Nations, a

firm anchor in these troubled waters, takes on increasing

and immense importance for all of its Member States.

I would like to place special emphasis on one

fundamental factor that determines the significance of the

United Nations and makes it universally meaningful. On the

eve of the twenty-first century, we have to admit that

humankind is still far from achieving the purposes

proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations. But at the

same time, we must recognize that this document, which

has withstood the test of time, has remained the most

ambitious yet most realistic code of world order for more

than half a century. There exists no alternative to the order

defined by the rules and principles of the United Nations,

as no alternative exists to the Organization itself, which is

destined to be the centre for the coordinated actions of

nations in achieving and maintaining such an order.

This vision of the Organization's significance to

international life is what has prompted Ukraine to take an

active position in carrying out concerted efforts aimed at

strengthening the United Nations. Two years ago, we all

welcomed the programme of institutional reforms put

forward by the Secretary-General, which were designed to

adapt and update the Organization and to ensure its ability

to promptly respond to the challenges of our time. That

powerful start, however, dwindled to a slow pace, while our

initial optimism and our readiness to go ahead with the

programme of reforms of the United Nations remained

largely unrealized.

This sort of criticism is all the more pertinent when it

comes to the reform of the principal United Nations organ

entrusted with primary responsibility for the maintenance of

international peace and security. For years, all of us seemed

to be in agreement on the need to modernize the Security

Council and replenish it with new energy and fresh ideas.

I am confident that a new impetus should be given to the

work of the Working Group on Security Council reform to

get the matter off the ground in the course of the current

session.

What could our response be to the challenges that

have haunted humankind for the last 55 years? First, the

most important conclusion that we can draw from all of the

United Nations deficiencies is this: for the Organization to

manage to unite nations around basic universal values, it

must have adequate tools to protect these values. Universal

values must enjoy full support by means of legal,

political, economic and military enforcement.

Secondly, the age of confrontation is giving way to

an age of cooperation. We should create a world order in

which it would be in no one's self-interest to wage wars,

oppress national minorities or exert economic pressure on

other nations. A broad and ramified system of regional

and subregional cooperation would serve this purpose by

upholding a universal code of conduct.

In this context, I wish to refer to the recent summit

held in the Ukrainian city of Yalta, called “Baltic-Black

Sea Cooperation: to the Integrated Europe of the 21st

Century Without Dividing Lines”. It would be no

exaggeration to say that there is here an unavoidable

parallel with Yalta 1945. That post-war summit was an

example of how three people decided the fate of the

world and divided Europe. Yalta 1999, on the contrary,

was evidence of how 22 neighbouring countries found

sufficient motivation to resolve their problems together

and be unanimous in determining their future in a United

Europe.

We are particularly encouraged by the increased

attention paid by the Security Council and the United

Nations in general to humanitarian issues. A major lesson

learned from the eruption of numerous local and regional

conflicts is that there is an obvious and urgent need to

respond to the challenges posed by humanitarian crises

and flagrant mass violations of human rights.

The primary role of the Security Council in

maintaining and restoring international peace must be

reiterated. This role is expressed in the clear and proud

language of the Charter. The past and continuing

experience of the Council underscores the importance of

the adoption of a holistic approach that brings into

prominence both security and humanitarian issues. As

Secretary-General Kofi Annan imaginatively put it

yesterday, a global era requires global engagement, and

the collective interest is the national interest.

How can this ambitious goal be achieved? An

important step forward towards the goal of protecting

human life and dignity is, of course, the ongoing process

of establishing the International Criminal Court. Today, a

year after the remarkable conclusion of the Rome

Diplomatic Conference, we are pleased to observe that the

significance of the adoption of the Court’s Statute is

widely and rightly recognized as it relates not only to the

codification and progressive development of international

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law but also to the system of international security in the

next century.

It is this perception of the nature and purposes of the

future judicial institution that determines the position of the

Government of Ukraine with regard to the signing of the

Rome Statute. I would like to take this opportunity to

inform representatives that Ukraine intends to sign the

Statute in the course of the current session of the General

Assembly.

Guided by its belief that the United Nations and

regional organizations should play a key role in conflict

prevention, Ukraine was one of the first to come forward

with peace proposals during the initial stage of the Kosovo

crisis. The peace plan of President Kuchma of Ukraine

proved to be realistic, since most of its provisions were

consonant with the provisions of Security Council

resolution 1244 (1999).

For years, Ukraine has been active in United Nations

peacekeeping operations. Last July, the President and the

Parliament of Ukraine decided to send an 800-strong

contingent from Ukraine to participate in KFOR. The

Ukrainian military have gained a very positive profile,

merited by their earlier service in the United Nations

Protection Force, the Implementation Force and the

Stabilization Force in Bosnia. Their expertise and

contributions outweighed by far the financial costs entailed.

We fully recognize our share of responsibility in the

common cause of restoring and strengthening peace in the

Balkans.

At the same time, recent events in Kosovo and East

Timor provide evidence that we should continue to increase

the level of security for peacekeepers. As a co-author of the

Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated

Personnel, Ukraine appeals for the elaboration of further

practical measures to implement its provisions.

The lesson of Kosovo proves that as long as human

rights or the rights of national minorities and international

law are ignored, the world will continue to be threatened by

humanitarian disasters. It is therefore necessary to pay

special attention to regions with so-called frozen conflicts:

areas with the potential for new outbursts of violence,

refugee flows and economic recession. As a guarantor of

peaceful settlement in Transdniestria, Moldova, and an

active supporter of the peace process in Abkhazia, Georgia,

and in Nagorny Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Ukraine is doing its

utmost to translate the relevant agreements into real peace

settlements.

Joint efforts are also necessary in post-conflict

rehabilitation. Ukraine therefore welcomes both the idea

and the adoption of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern

Europe and is actively proposing specific projects in

cooperation with its neighbours. The purpose of the Pact

is not only to help reconstruct the Balkans but, most

importantly, to give those countries a clear perspective on

European integration.

Integration into European and Euro-Atlantic

structures remains the key priority of Ukraine’s foreign

policy. Membership in the family of European nations

and sharing common values means economic growth,

stable democratic development and the consolidation of

the European identity of Ukrainians. At the regional level,

Ukraine is an active participant in the Organization for

Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Council of the

Baltic Sea States, the Central European Initiative and the

GUUAM forum, to which Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan,

Azerbaijan and Moldova belong.

I have already mentioned the Yalta Conference and

the summit of the leaders of Baltic and Black Sea States.

In addition, last May Ukraine hosted a summit meeting of

eight Central European States. We are developing

confidence-building measures on a bilateral basis with our

neighbours and in a multilateral framework to reduce

naval military activity in the Black Sea region. Pursuing

the line that intensive cooperation is the best remedy for

conflicts, Ukraine is engaged in various trilateral

cooperative agreements promoting free economic areas

and transborder projects.

As one of the founders of the United Nations,

Ukraine continues to make its contribution to United

Nations efforts in strengthening international peace and

security, the non-proliferation regime, disarmament and

arms control, crisis management, the promotion of

economic and social development, human rights and

freedoms and compliance with the fundamental principles

of international law. By fostering internal harmony in

society, creating an environment of stability and shaping

a vast network of regional cooperation, Ukraine is striving

to make the fullest possible use of its rich experience and

constructive potential for the benefit of the whole

international community.

Over three years ago, Ukraine voluntarily renounced

its nuclear stockpile — the third largest in the world —

and it is strictly abiding by its commitments as a

non-nuclear State. We should multiply our efforts to

enhance the efficiency and universality of the Treaty on

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the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In this

context, it is of the utmost importance to break the

stalemate in the preparatory process for the 2000 NPT

Review Conference.

Ukraine has signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-

Ban Treaty (CTBT) and is now successfully completing

legislative procedures to fulfil its international obligations

under this Treaty. Last February, our country became a

party to the Ottawa Convention banning the use of anti-

personnel landmines, while in March Ukraine’s Government

decided to prolong the moratorium on exports of all types

of anti-personnel landmines.

My country is ready to participate in the development

of collective measures to fight the proliferation of and

illegal trafficking in small arms and light weapons. We

support the initiative of Canada and the Netherlands to

establish an international regime for the control of light

weapons and to start negotiations on working out a

convention on the prevention and combating of the illegal

transportation of firearms and light weapons.

Aware of the danger of the uncontrolled circulation

and accumulation of conventional weapons, Ukraine strictly

abides by Security Council and General Assembly

resolutions imposing restrictions on international arms

trafficking. All of these factors explain Ukraine’s ambition

to be elected as a non-permanent member of the Security

Council. Our ambition is particularly strong since it is our

first bid for this seat as an independent State.

If elected, Ukraine would base its position in the

Security Council on the following fundamental principles:

paying adequate attention to conflicts and tense situations

in different parts of the world, judging them by the real

requirements of each particular case; using all political and

diplomatic means available to the Security Council to

prevent or manage conflicts; increasing the importance of

the humanitarian dimension among the Council’s priorities;

and enhancing the ability of non-members of the Security

Council to influence the decision-making process in that

body. In addition, there is a need to analyse the present

mechanism of sanctions to ensure that their imposition is

balanced and well-grounded, in particular taking into

account eventual negative consequences for third countries.

Ukraine remains deeply concerned at the problems of

Africa. Our concerns are nurtured by the strong traditional

ties of friendship that unite Ukraine with African nations.

One could hardly disagree that Africa is a continent with

unlimited potential for economic and social development.

At the same time, it is absolutely imperative that the

international community take very concrete and effective

steps to assist African States in developing that potential

and in responding to the challenges facing their continent.

Nowadays it is difficult to blame the United Nations

for the lack of attention to Africa. For example, at this

very moment, the members of the Security Council are

responding to a briefing on recent developments in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, given by the President

of the Republic of Zambia, His Excellency Mr. Frederick

Chiluba. In just a few days, the Security Council will

hold another meeting to reaffirm its commitment to the

cause of peace and prosperity in Africa. I intend to

present my delegation's contribution to the deliberations

of the Council, and will make more specific remarks on

this matter in the course of that meeting. At the same

time, Ukraine hopes that commitment to Africa on the

part of the Security Council and the United Nations as a

whole will be reflected in concrete deeds that benefit

Africa.

The situation in the Middle East requires closer

attention by the Security Council. We believe that the

Security Council should send strong encouragement to all

the parties to the Middle East peace process. It is time to

come back to the negotiating table to find a final

compromise solution to the pending problems on the basis

of the relevant Security Council resolutions. In that

context, Ukraine welcomes the recent signing of the

Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum on 4 September, brought

about thanks to the constructive approach of the new

Israeli Government and to the position taken by the

Palestinian leadership.

East Timor continues to be a hot spot. Ukraine

welcomed the success of the 30 August 1999 popular

consultation of the East Timorese people, which was

possible thanks to the constructive position taken by the

Government of Indonesia and the active intermediary

mission of the Secretary-General. Ukraine supported the

Security Council's adoption of its resolution 1264 (1999),

which authorized the establishment of a multinational

force pursuant to the request of the Government of

Indonesia.

The past year has been marked by an unprecedented

outbreak of terrorist acts in various parts of the world.

We are convinced that intensified international efforts to

combat terrorism need a more concentrated focus on the

underlying causes of this extremely acute international

phenomenon, on its deep social roots and on relevant

24

historical conditions, as well as on situations that may give

rise to international terrorism and endanger international

peace and security. At the same time, whatever actions are

undertaken at the international, regional or national levels,

they must all be in full conformity with the basic principles

of international law and must not run counter to the

fundamental provisions of the United Nations Charter.

Underdevelopment and impoverishment, the threat of

marginalization, the burden of external debt, a lack of

resources, and ecological disasters pose a real threat to

international peace and sustainable development.

Circumstances such as the global financial crisis and the

war in Kosovo have considerably impeded economic

progress in many parts of the world. Ukraine has managed

to curb its losses and maintain macroeconomic stabilization

since August 1998. On the other hand, the curtailment of

navigation on the Danube has paralysed economic the

activities of Ukrainian shipping companies, ports and

enterprises. The total accumulated losses of Ukraine amount

today to more than $300 million. Together with Romania,

Bulgaria and other interested parties, we are ready to clear

the waterway for the soonest possible resumption of

navigation as the best way to cope with the humanitarian

hardships of Balkan peoples.

Speaking about global issues requiring joint efforts of

the international community, I must again emphasize the

problem of Chernobyl, which is so painful for Ukraine and

for its neighbours, Belarus and Russia. Our country is

meeting its commitments to decommission the Chernobyl

nuclear power plant as envisaged in the memorandum of

understanding between the Government of Ukraine and

Governments of the Group of Seven and the European

Union. It therefore has every ground to expect the

fulfilment by its partners of their obligations. We welcomed

the statement issued by the Group of Seven in Cologne last

June regarding the convening of a second pledging

conference for the mobilization of financial resources to

implement the working plan on the transformation of the

Shelter facility into an ecologically safe system. We

consider this to be a confirmation by our partners of their

commitment to the memorandum of understanding.

From this rostrum I call upon all potential donors to

take part in that conference and to make pledges to the

Chernobyl Shelter fund, to enable it to reach the required

amount of just $770 million. According to the Human

Development Report published by the United Nations

Development Programme, expenditures for cigarettes in

Europe amounted to $50 billion in 1998 alone. Compared

to this, the amount needed for Chernobyl looks like quite

a small price to save the environment of that vast region.

The present century gave the world so notable a

document as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Still, we have witnessed the most brutal and massive

violations of those rights. Famine, genocide, ethnic

cleansing, torture and various forms of discrimination

continue to haunt mankind. That is why the strengthening

of international mechanisms to monitor human rights

violations is especially urgent today. The Office of the

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

should play a leading role. Cases of the most massive

violations of human rights should be considered by the

Security Council with a view to taking preventive or

coercive measures.

Hence, it is imperative to strengthen the role of

international law in international relations in order to

ensure strict observance of the main norms and principles,

first and foremost respect for sovereignty and territorial

integrity and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Ukraine

continues to support the International Court of Justice as

the Organization's principal legal institution.

The establishment of a world system that would

guarantee peace and security, prosperity and sustainable

economic development, and the preservation of the

environment for future generations requires decisive joint

action by the international community. That process

should be led by a reformed and renewed United Nations,

an organization with great experience and opportunities to

solve problems of global dimensions. For that purpose,

the General Assembly has approved a comprehensive

programme for United Nations reform — by the way,

under the presidency of my predecessor Hennadiy Y.

Udovenko, who is present in this Hall today. But while

debating it, we did not notice that two years had passed

and that we were approaching the brink of the

millennium. The prominent Ukrainian philosopher of the

eighteenth century, Grigory Skovoroda, said that a waste

of time is the heaviest of all losses. Let us bring to life

what we have conceived for the benefit of the United

Nations.