Yugoslavia, 2001

Let me begin by

congratulating Mr. Han Seung-soo on his election as

President of the General Assembly. Your sterling

credentials, Sir, and vast experience are a firm

guarantee that our proceedings will run smoothly and

bear fruit.

I would also like to congratulate the United

Nations and the Secretary-General on the Nobel Peace

Prize. The award is the acknowledgement of the

important role our Organization has in protecting world

peace and promoting social progress and human rights,

as well as an acknowledgement of the successful

leadership of the Secretary-General. This honour

should be strong encouragement for all of us to put

even more effort into achieving the purposes of the

United Nations.

Let me also express our deepest sympathies to the

families of the victims of yesterday’s tragic plane

crash.

The terrorist attacks in New York and Washington

on 11 September have affected not only the United

States but all of us. Once again, we were painfully

reminded that only together, with joint efforts, can we

stand up to global challenges such as terrorism.

Terrorism is a universal evil, a crime against

humanity itself. It equally affects people of every

religion, nationality and walk of life. Therefore we did

not hesitate to support fully all international actions

against terrorism. In that context, it is particularly

important to ensure the full implementation of Security

Council resolution 1373 (2001) and all international

conventions against terrorism. On behalf of the Federal

Republic of Yugoslavia, I have just signed the

International Convention for the Suppression of the

Financing of Terrorism. Yugoslavia has also taken a

series of domestic measures to combat terrorism and

has coordinated its actions with other States.

Having been confronted with terrorism for quite

some time itself, Yugoslavia is well aware of how

difficult it is to fight this evil. It is not enough to

prevent terrorist attacks and to capture and punish the

perpetrators. It is even more important to deal with the

social causes of terrorism, in particular, to address

issues of poverty and the lack of opportunity. It is also

vital to strengthen democracy and respect for human

rights everywhere in the world. Poverty breeds anger,

and if not channelled into democratic political

processes, anger can easily fuel extremism.

In this regard, the experience of Yugoslavia in

dealing with terrorism in southern Serbia has shown

that it is not sufficient to combat terrorism solely with

security forces. We have therefore developed a

comprehensive plan which, in addition to security

measures, also aims at improving the economic

situation in southern Serbia and reintegrating ethnic

Albanians into the political process and State

structures, especially at the local level. We are

implementing this plan in cooperation with a number of

international organizations, and this joint effort has

proven to be successful. At this very moment, we are

successfully training a multi-ethnic police force as an

important confidence-building measure.

All this would not be possible without the victory

of democratic forces in Yugoslavia last year. This

democratic revolution showed the strong will of the

Yugoslav people to live in a democratic society based

on the rule of law, with full respect for human and

minority rights and a sustainable market economy. It

also showed their desire to live better lives in a more

prosperous society, in peace with their neighbours and

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as a part of the European family of nations. In order to

achieve these goals, Yugoslavia has started a process of

comprehensive political and economic reforms over the

last year.

At the same time, we have to deal with several

pressing issues which are of crucial importance for the

country. Foremost among these issues is the situation

in Kosovo and Metohija, southern Serbia and the

redefinition of the Yugoslav Federation, as well as

cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal

established by the Security Council for the war crimes

committed in the former Yugoslavia. However, these

questions do not concern Yugoslavia alone; they are

also of vital political importance for the entire region

of South-East Europe. My Government has approached

all of them in a constructive way and with a desire to

find political solutions through dialogue in a

democratic environment.

Today, all countries in South-East Europe have

democratically elected Governments, and all are

striving to join European and Euro-Atlantic structures.

At the same time, our region is still burdened with the

legacy of the past 10 years and a number of

outstanding issues, the main issue of which is the

position of national minorities. The problems of the

region are interrelated and must therefore be addressed

by broad regional action and with the help of the

international community. The solutions to be achieved

should enjoy region-wide support.

I believe that the precondition for dealing with

the problems in the region is to fully respect the

territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries. It

must be clearly said that the era of disintegration in the

Balkans has come to an end. This will enable us to

address the main problem of South-Eastern Europe —

the status of national minorities — with fewer

reservations and much more openness. Solving the

minority issues, together with more economic

cooperation and new confidence-building measures, is

the way to achieve lasting stability and prosperity in

the region. Such an approach will be fully in concert

with the wishes of all countries in the region, including

Yugoslavia, to join the European integration processes.

In that context, Yugoslavia supports the process of

stabilization and association, inaugurated by the

European Union at the Zagreb Summit last year, as

well as other regional initiatives.

Kosovo and Metohija is the most pressing and

immediate preoccupation of my Government. The

Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

fully complies with Security Council resolution 1244

(1999). This is also what we rightly expect from others

participating in its implementation and, in particular,

neighbouring States.

Unfortunately, we are not satisfied with the

situation in the field. There is no security for non-

Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija; the return of

expelled and displaced persons is difficult and slow,

and there is no progress with respect to the issue of

missing persons. Nonetheless, we signed the Common

Document with the United Nations Interim

Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), which

should provide for comprehensive cooperation in the

implementation of Security Council resolution 1244

(1999). This enabled the President of the Federal

Republic of Yugoslavia and the Federal and Serbian

Republican Governments to call on the Serbs of

Kosovo and Metohija to take part in the elections. They

did so fully convinced that participation in the

elections is in the Serbs’ best interest and that

cooperation with the international community,

particularly with UNMIK and KFOR, is the key to the

solution of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija.

The elections to be held in Kosovo and Metohija

on 17 November are important indeed; yet, it is only

after the elections that I expect we will start even more

extensive cooperation. This cooperation should be

aimed at implementing Security Council resolution

1244 (1999) fully and at establishing democracy and

promoting human rights in Kosovo and Metohija, with

full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity

of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In that

connection, my delegation welcomes the presidential

statements issued by the Security Council on 5 October

and 9 November 2001.

I take this opportunity to affirm the support of the

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for the efforts of the

United Nations, particularly those of the Secretary-

General, aimed at strengthening the role and place of

the world Organization in present-day international

relations.

Recalling the conclusions of the Millennium

Assembly, we expect that the General Assembly, the

main organ of the United Nations, will function more

effectively. At the same time, the Organization should

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be more efficient in order to address the challenges

before us. The Security Council should adapt itself to

the new relations in the international community.

We attach special significance to the international

rule of law. It is of particular importance that all

international crimes be punished before national and

international courts. In that context, we firmly believe

that the International Criminal Court should start its

work as soon as possible. This is why my country has

already ratified the Statute of Rome that establishes the

Court.

In conclusion, I would like to stress that grave

challenges are before us. We have to take concerted

action to deal with them. We have to be wise in how we

act because that will determine the outlook of the

international system for many years to come.