General Assembly Session 49 meeting 57

The President

I call on the representative of Italy to introduce draft resolution A/49/L.20.

Mr. Ferrarin (Italy)

I am honoured to speak on behalf of Italy and of the Chairman-in-Office of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), and to introduce the draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, to the list of whose sponsors Iceland and Turkmenistan are to be added.

As we approach the Budapest Summit -- an important juncture in the strengthening of the CSCE's action and structures -- the draft resolution emphasizes the CSCE's growing contribution to stability and security in its area through preventive diplomacy, crisis management, arms control, disarmament, post-crisis rehabilitation and stabilization, and the human dimension, as an essential component of the entire CSCE process. The draft resolution encourages the CSCE participating States to make every effort to achieve pacific settlement of disputes in the CSCE area, through conflict-prevention and crisis management, including peace-keeping. The draft resolution also appeals for the full implementation and further strengthening of the framework agreement with the United Nations.

This full year of cooperation between the United Nations and the CSCE has been enriched by many new initiatives. The Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, has acknowledged on many occasions the contribution that the CSCE, together with other regional organizations, makes to international peace and security. We thus welcome the Secretary-General's useful report to the General Assembly, and we fully appreciate other initiatives, such as the meeting on 1 August, we hope will be repeated.

The broad range of problems that the CSCE and the United Nations must face demands that the full potential of their cooperation be further developed, as requested by the decisions of the Rome ministerial meeting in December 1993. The current or potential conflicts in many regions of the CSCE area imply the need for greater crisis-prevention efforts. Therefore, we need to update the roles and competencies that the United Nations already recognizes in the CSCE as a regional organization under Chapter VIII of the Charter. This is, in fact, the pillar of their relationship.

The CSCE has started a wide range of initiatives in different crisis areas, often in close collaboration with the United Nations. These initiatives have benefited from close consultation with the United Nations, and have led to fruitful contacts with United Nations missions in the field. The CSCE and its Chairman-in-Office have paid constant attention to specific situations.

First, the CSCE wishes to play a significant role in the present phase of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in the phase that we hope will follow the end of hostilities. In Bosnia the newly-established CSCE mission in Sarajevo and the Ombudsmen are about to begin their activities for the protection of local ethnic groups. The appointment of the Ombudsmen is based on the mandate given to the CSCE by the Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), the Chairman-in-Office has taken action to re-establish CSCE missions in order to monitor human rights and the situation of minorities in Kosovo, Sandjak and Vojvodina. The Chairman- in- Office, along with the other members of the Troika, has continued to guarantee a presence through local Embassies. The CSCE's role in the monitoring of sanctions continues to be important. The Sanctions Assistance Monitoring Missions consist of approximately 180 experts, and are deployed in seven countries.

Secondly, the activities of the CSCE Missions for the Baltic Countries are ongoing. The Chairman-in-Office visited Moscow, Tallin and Vilnius, and greeted with the warmest satisfaction the positive outcome of the agreements for the withdrawal of Russian troops by 31 August.

Thirdly, the CSCE's efforts to foster stability in Georgia and to settle the controversy over South Ossetia and Abkhazia also involve cooperation with the United Nations. To this end, I wish to underline the CSCE's ongoing commitment to promoting negotiations under the aegis of the United Nations. The Chairman-in-Office has repeatedly solicited the help of international organizations with regard to humanitarian problems.

Fourthly, the CSCE has been actively involved in negotiations between the Tajik Government and the opposition, which have led to the extension of the cease-fire, and intends to pursue the objective of a peaceful solution for this crisis.

Fifthly, the CSCE institutions -- in particular, the Chairman-in-Office and the High Commissioner on National Minorities -- have acted to confirm the CSCE's commitment to peace and stability in Ukraine. Thus it was decided to establish a new CSCE mission, and at the same time to send high-level experts.

Sixthly, for more than two years the CSCE has been working to promote a negotiation that should end the conflict in and around Nagorny Karabakh, which has thus far led to more than 1 million refugees and the loss of thousands of human lives. The Swedish Chairman of the Minsk Group is performing his mediating functions with great dynamism and with the goal of finding a peaceful solution in conformity with the CSCE principles. We continue to believe that this is the best approach to solving the problem of Nagorny-Karabakh.

Seventhly, following the March 1994 elections, more favourable conditions were created in Moldova, which led to the signing of the joint declaration of the Moldovan Government and the Transnistrian authorities. We hope that all the parties involved will fully collaborate with the initiatives of the CSCE mission in Kishinev.

For some time now the role of the CSCE in the future shape of security in Europe has been discussed. There are no easy answers. Last July, in his capacity as Chairman-in-Office, Italy's Foreign Minister Martino remarked to the CSCE Parliamentary Assembly that when the Paris Charter was signed there was widespread optimism over the future of European relations. The drama of the former Yugoslavia and other regional conflicts that have exploded in other parts of Europe show that we were too optimistic. On the other hand, history teaches us that the road to progress is never straight. It often follows twisted itineraries and forces us into dramatic digressions.

In this context, we begin to wonder how the instrument born in Helsinki and reviewed in Paris to guarantee East-West dialogue in the new European reality can be adapted to the urgent new challenges posed by events. The upcoming Budapest Summit will be the most appropriate opportunity to give some fundamental responses.

In this spirit, we wish the best of success to the future Chairman-in-Office of the CSCE, Hungary, convinced that a contribution to the consolidation of the CSCE process can also come from the unanimous adoption of the draft resolution presented today.

The President

I should like to propose that the list of speakers in the debate on this item be closed this morning at 11 a.m.

I hear no objection.

The President

I therefore request those representatives wishing to participate in the debate to inscribe their names on the list as soon as possible.

Mr. Lavrov (Russia)

The Russian Federation would like to commend the role of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) in transforming the European continent from a zone of political, ideological and military confrontation into a region where pan-European partnership and equal security for all are being pursued. The CSCE is now on the way to becoming a full-scale regional organization. It serves as a forum for constant and useful dialogue and is becoming one of the most important instruments for preventive diplomacy and the prevention and settlement of crises.

Russia is in favour of a central role for the CSCE in ensuring European security and stability, as reflected in the programme to enhance the effectiveness of the CSCE, which was our contribution to the preparations for the Budapest Summit. This presupposes, not a formal, hierarchical leadership, but, first and foremost, coordination on the part of the CSCE. In this context, we believe it is desirable to reaffirm our desire that the existing structures in the sphere of European security be guided by the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and by the aims and principles of the CSCE.

Ensuring complete and effective cooperation between the CSCE and the United Nations, including the organizations that are part of the United Nations system, requires the broad use of their experience and possibilities. At the same time, such cooperation will serve to strengthen the United Nations, as it will be able to rely on this powerful European organization. We believe that for the CSCE to apply in practice the principle proposed by the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Yeltsin -- the principle of cooperation between all and with all -- we should begin work on a pan-European model of security without bloc elements, in close coordination with the system of collective security laid down in the Charter of the United Nations.

In order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the CSCE, we propose that the institutions of the Chairman-in-Office and of the Troika be strengthened and that the post of political adviser on security and stability be created. This is the purport of our proposal on the Executive Committee of the CSCE. We favour increasing the CSCE's contribution to preventive diplomacy. We share the view that the CSCE should be the instrument of first resort for States Parties when any conflicts arise in the region. Of course, this will not preclude the right of States to settle disputes between themselves on a mutual basis. At the same time, we oppose any attempts to have the CSCE monopolize peace-keeping efforts in individual conflicts, overlooking the unique potential that is possessed by certain individual States, including Russia. The mediation and peace-keeping efforts of the CSCE and individual countries should not be in competition; rather, they should complement and strengthen each other. This essentially is the principle of consensus that has been adopted by the CSCE.

The Russian Federation believes it necessary to reorient the Human Dimension Mechanism in order to combat aggressive nationalism. This is the purpose of our proposals to strengthen the institution of the CSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and to make binding the accountability of States for the implementation of these recommendations and to strengthen the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

We believe that the political dimension of the CSCE needs to be modernized. We must have a fresh approach to disarmament questions, arms control and confidence-building measures -- in particular, taking into account the new realities, to settle the problem of the limitations of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe posed by countries which, although inside the area covered by that Treaty, are at its very borders.

We favour turning the CSCE into a fully fledged regional organization with its own statute and a network of institutes and machinery. This would contribute to achieving the purposes of the United Nations within the context of a regional division of labour with the CSCE. Russia attaches great importance to the development of cooperation between the CSCE and the United Nations on the basis of the Helsinki Document of 1992 and the framework agreement between the United Nations and the CSCE of 1993. We welcome the expansion of cooperation between these two organizations at the highest levels and in the field. The exchange of information of all kinds is ongoing. It is important that the United Nations give the CSCE the benefit of its experience in the practical activities of the Secretariat and in peacemaking activities, which the CSCE does not yet have.

Russia actively promotes productive cooperation between the United Nations and the CSCE in conflict situations. If for any reason the CSCE, because of its meagre experience and opportunities, is unable to cope with certain conflicts, these issues can be forwarded to the United Nations Security Council. We believe that some key areas of cooperation between the CSCE and the United Nations would include early detection, preventive diplomacy, crisis prevention, the peaceful settlement of conflicts and peace-keeping activities. In the future, these tasks should be carried out by the CSCE in full accordance with the United Nations Charter and retaining the main responsibility of the Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Of course, the themes of cooperation between the two organizations would not be limited to preventive and peace-keeping operations. There is considerable potential for cooperation in other areas as well: the democratization of public life, the guarantee of the fundamental human rights and freedoms of national minorities, and assistance in the establishment of democratic institutions and a market economy in the countries in transition. We hope that the second and third baskets of the CSCE will be used to devote further attention to this area. We must also expand channels of cooperation between the United Nations and the CSCE by focusing on the situation of national minorities. There must be closer contact between the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the CSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities.

Cooperation between the United Nations and the CSCE can also be strengthened in the following areas: the further development of the framework agreement between the United Nations and the CSCE; regular contact between the United Nations Secretary-General, the Presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly and the Chairman-in-Office of the CSCE; participation in the meetings of the Security Council of the CSCE Chairman-in-Office when problems relating to regions within the purview of the Conference are discussed; expanding the practice of the representative of the CSCE Chairman-in-Office's participating in the elaboration of General Assembly documents, as occurred with the declaration on improving United Nations cooperation with regional organizations in peace-keeping; the regular holding of the meetings that began on 1 August 1994 between the Secretary-General of the United Nations and leaders of regional organizations, including the CSCE; and permanent contacts between United Nations and CSCE missions, the preparation of joint reports and joint missions in the fields of preventive diplomacy and peacemaking.

In view of the importance to Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States of economic reforms, we are in favour of strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and the CSCE in the economic field, including on the problems of countries with transitional economies, particularly through the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. We believe that, within this cooperation, the CSCE could generate general ideas and principles and that their practical implementation could fall to the Economic Commission for Europe within the limits of its responsibility. We should reduce to a common denominator the priorities of the Commission and the CSCE, including such areas, for example, as industry and conversion. The Russian delegation is convinced that the adoption by the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session of the draft resolution entitled "Cooperation between the United Nations and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe", of which we are a sponsor, would provide fresh impetus to the strengthening of cooperation between these two organizations.

In conclusion, I should like to refer to the importance of the current debate, since it occurs on the eve of the Budapest Summit which, we hope, will serve as a milestone on the road to the CSCE's becoming an efficient and effective international organization.

Mr. Cassar (Malta)

The role of regional arrangements and organizations in the maintenance of international peace and security was recognized at the inception of the United Nations and continued to emerge despite the extreme constrictions and constraints imposed by the very logic of the cold war. Five years ago, the walls dividing Europe were torn down by people who had suffered totalitarian rule for more than four decades. The policy of containment was forced to give way to a policy of wider and sounder cooperation between States and peoples. An altered horizon of hope was envisioned for the continent.

The dramatic changes that occurred in the heart of Europe proved to be a turning-point in the history of the international community as a whole and for the United Nations in particular. The increased importance of regional organizations today is proof of the prevailing relevance of their contributions to the maintenance of peace and security in a changed international environment. Their advantage lies in the better understanding of shared values and principles, guided by the flexibility of approach required in identifying and resolving the root causes of tension and conflict.

My delegation welcomes the report (A/49/529) of the Secretary-General on Cooperation between the United Nations and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). One notes with satisfaction that the process of enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and the CSCE in terms of the provisions of Chapter VIII of the Charter is now bearing fruit in areas as varied as peace-keeping, conflict prevention and the human dimension. This fruitful cooperation is beneficial in itself, for it helps both the United Nations and the CSCE to make the best use of their respective comparative advantages. Equally important, however, is that other aspect which the Secretary-General singles out: the avoidance of costly duplication in undertaking missions.

Cooperation between the CSCE and the United Nations remains vital for overall regional stability. This intrinsic interdependence was the key element which Malta emphasized when my Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Guido de Marco, first proposed that the CSCE be declared a regional arrangement in terms of Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter at the CSCE Council of Ministers in Prague in 1992. The endorsement of this proposal later that year by the CSCE Helsinki Summit of Heads of State or Government provided the impetus for a new and vital cooperation between the United Nations and the CSCE. It was the first significant step towards this tangible and effective partnership in the maintenance of peace and security.

The Secretary-General in his report outlines how the framework for cooperation and coordination between the CSCE and the United Nations has led to regular contacts, exchange of information and burden-sharing. These developments provide the basis of a new partnership which is exemplary and which could inspire cooperation between the United Nations and other regional arrangements and organizations.

In a recent contribution to The New York Times, the Secretary-General dwelt on the peace-keeping role of regional organizations in an evolving international milieu. He stated that such groups provided special insights into conflict in their regions, could sometimes respond more quickly militarily and could help to ease the financial and material burdens placed on the United Nations.

The CSCE was born of diplomatic pragmatism, despite the difficulties imposed by bloc antagonism. That pragmatism continues to guide the CSCE in coming to grips with new challenges. The vision which inspired the Charter of Paris for a New Europe remains valid today, notwithstanding the regional conflicts which threaten stability within the CSCE area. For that vision to survive we must continue to develop the appropriate mechanisms to resist, contain and overcome the new, unfamiliar threats to peace. That is what is being done and undertaken at the review conference currently meeting in Budapest.

Many have described the review conference as the ultimate test of the CSCE as an actor in the region. The Code of Conduct currently being reviewed in Budapest is a singular strength of the CSCE. The presence of confidence- and security-building measures provides the assurance of transparency and trust crucial to the better understanding required in inter-State relations.

The mechanisms attached to such measures, and triggered by a number of States, is proof of the desire to promote and further develop transparency and trust between participating States. It also provides an opportunity for sharing experience and expertise between States.

The elaboration of confidence-building measures; the question of cooperation with the United Nations in the field of peace-keeping; the further elaboration of contacts with the non-participating Mediterranean States; these are all key issues to which my Government attaches great importance.

Successes registered by the CSCE in the field of preventive diplomacy in the period under review deserve to be highlighted. The work undertaken by the High Commissioner on National Minorities has served to ease tensions in a number of areas in Europe. It is proof of the CSCE's capability to ensure that shared and common values continue to be observed through conscious, active and preventive diplomacy.

Achievements in preventive diplomacy often go unsung. Low-profile involvement at an early stage of an emerging dispute or tension is often, unfortunately, ignored by the media. Preventive diplomacy should be a pillar of action in the attempt to achieve a stable and secure region. Recent cooperation between the United Nations, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Council of Europe provides a basis for future action which my delegation welcomes and supports. The setting of standards and norms in the human dimension remains a key strength of the CSCE.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights warns that disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind -- a sad truth which most CSCE participating States have had the misfortune to experience in their histories. Such outrages are still witnessed today in conflict situations which undermine regional stability.

It is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law. That was the spirit which inspired the Charter of Paris and which nurtured the CSCE in Helsinki in facing the challenge of change. That same spirit remains constant today in Budapest. Peace is long-lasting only if built on freedom, social justice and respect for human dignity.

Mr. Zlenko (Ukraine)

In recent years Europe has been going through an important stage in its history, in which we have seen laid down the fundamental principles of interrelationships which will determine the life and face of the continent for many decades.

The Helsinki process has had tremendous impact on these changes and is today one of the most important guarantors of democratic transformations in a number of new independent States. A sound and multifaceted basis provided by the fundamental principles of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), its considerable potential as an instrument for preventive diplomacy, the devising under its aegis of new effective institutions and machinery, all bear witness to the vitality and importance of the CSCE and its practical impact on the development of European countries, ensuring stability and security in Europe.

Mr. Zlenko (Ukraine)

At the same time, the encouraging changes and historical events which are occurring in the world today as a result of the tremendous efforts made in the selfless struggle of peoples also reflect today's complexity and ambiguity, including the fact that in Europe in recent years a number of hotbeds of tension have arisen, some of which have grown into bloody conflicts. These new dangers, these new problems, which have appeared on the continent imperil stability and the possibility of steady development for States throughout the world.

We have witnessed gross violations of such fundamental principles of the CSCE as respect for the territorial integrity of States, the inviolability of their borders, the provision and observance of human rights, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. These facts quite clearly indicate that there is a need to strengthen considerably the CSCE, to enhance its ability to react adequately to the processes going on in Europe.

Ukraine, whose security is indivisible from the security of Europe, is deeply concerned to enhance the effectiveness of what is being done by the CSCE by way of speedy settlement of conflicts, particularly in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, around Nagorny Karabakh, in Georgia, and stabilizing the situation in the Transnistria region in the Republic of Moldova.

But, as practice has shown, turning the CSCE into a truly reliable institution able to resolve these conflicts will not occur sufficiently quickly, and at the current stage of its development the CSCE simply does not have enough potential nor sufficiently reliable machinery and procedures.

This indicates once again that the creation of a comprehensive security system in Europe is impossible without the active role and participation of such an influential and authoritative Organization as the United Nations, which possesses the necessary resources and experience in the prevention and settlement of conflicts. It is precisely for that reason that Ukraine has consistently favoured expanding cooperation in the field of security between the United Nations and the CSCE, which is a regional arrangement under Chapter VIII of the Charter. That is also necessary because there is a general understanding now that the secure and safe development of the entire world community is directly connected with ensuring stability on the European continent.

An important step towards strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and the CSCE was, in the eyes of Ukraine, the signing, on 26 May 1993, of the framework agreement for cooperation and coordination between the United Nations Secretariat and the CSCE, as well as the resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 16 November 1993, during the forty-eighth session, on "Cooperation between the United Nations and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe". Those documents laid the foundation for the initiation of cooperation.

However, many questions still need to be further explored. In view of the practical problems that the United Nations and the CSCE have to face, it is essential that we fully develop the potential of this agreement, as envisaged in the decisions reached at the Rome meeting of the Council of Ministers of the CSCE. We believe that effective machinery should be devised to coordinate the activities of these international structures and that we should clearly circumscribe their spheres of responsibility in order to avoid any unnecessary duplication and overlapping. This is based on our understanding that the CSCE itself, in the framework of its joint activities with the United Nations in the field of European security, could serve as an extremely reliable institution for preventive diplomacy, whereas the experience and the potential of the United Nations could help to supplement the peace-keeping capabilities of the CSCE in instances when a conflict had already arisen.

The delegation of Ukraine stands fully behind the conclusion reached in the report of the Secretary-General that

"1994 has seen further development of the practical links between the United Nations and CSCE". (A/49/529, para. 13)

We have indeed witnessed a growing interaction between these two structures -- for example, in Georgia, in the former Yugoslavia and in Latvia, in the carrying out of individual programmes. In addition, the practice has been introduced of holding unofficial tripartite consultations between United Nations bodies based in Geneva, the CSCE and the Council of Europe.

We support the joint proposal of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Germany and the Netherlands to further develop cooperation between the United Nations and the CSCE, and we believe that this will be possible only if the institutional basis of that cooperation is duly strengthened.

In this connection, the delegation of Ukraine proposes that an open-ended ad hoc working group be created. This group would necessarily include representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations -- from, for example, the Department of Political Affairs and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights -- as well as representatives of the troika. It would draw up the text of a fundamental agreement between the United Nations and the CSCE that could become a model in various areas.

It should also be pointed out that cooperation between the United Nations and the CSCE in settling conflicts should in no way detract from the importance of involving other European and trans-Atlantic institutions in these efforts, and particularly those that are able to make a sizeable contribution to maintaining peace. I refer above all to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, the European Union, the Western European Union and the Council of Europe. Uniting the efforts of these organizations and structures could serve as the foundation for a new system of security in Europe, which in turn would have an extremely positive effect on the safe development of the entire global society, and, first and foremost, of the European continent.

Today, Ukraine, like the other States members of the Helsinki process, is preparing for the next stage of the high-level Budapest Conference of the CSCE. We believe that this summit, like the Conference in Budapest itself, will represent a further major step towards the development of a partnership strategy between the United Nations and the CSCE and towards the creation, in practical terms, of the necessary machinery for cooperation in order fully to guarantee the stable and peaceful development of all States of the continent.

The delegation of Ukraine hopes that the draft resolution that has been submitted under this agenda item will be adopted by consensus.

Mr. Graf zu Rantzau (Germany)

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