General Assembly Session 54 meeting 79

The President

Before taking up the items on our agenda, it is my sad duty to pay tribute to the memory of the late President of the Republic of Croatia, His Excellency Mr. Franjo Tudjman, who passed away on Friday, 10 December 1999. On behalf of the General Assembly, I request the representative of Croatia to convey our condolences to the Government and the people of Croatia and to the bereaved family of Mr. Tudjman. I invite representatives to stand and observe a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of Mr. Franjo Tudjman.

The President

I call on the representative of Cameroon, who will speak on behalf of the Group of African States.

Mr. Belinga-Eboutou (Cameroon)

It is my sad privilege to associate myself, on behalf of the Group of African States, with the tribute being paid by the peoples of the United Nations to Mr. Franjo Tudjman, President of the Republic of Croatia, whose heart stopped beating on the night of 10 December 1999. The permanent missions of the African States extend their most heartfelt condolences and express their profound sympathy to the Permanent Mission of Croatia, to the family of the deceased and to all the Croatian people.

We do not have an eternal city here on Earth. The Apostle to the Gentiles has warned us it is so. Human life is indeed ephemeral. Nonetheless, certain lives are eternal -- those who live on in the memories of human beings, who have stood out because of their brilliant and constructive actions.

Mr. Franjo Tudjman's life was one of these. He was a man of science and culture. He has left to posterity many works on contemporary history, international relations and military arts. A man of conviction and commitment, he gained renown very early on during the Second World War in the struggle for independence of his country. History will remember him as he was -- the creator of the Croat nation, the father of independence of Croatia and the first President of his country. His people cannot conceal their distress or their anguish.

May the seeds that were sown germinate and fulfil the hopes of all the Croatian people. It is up to the people of Croatia to complete the work begun by pursuing his determined march on the road of democracy -- in other words, on the road of peace, harmony and prosperity. The Croatian people have the capacity to accomplish that -- they have the means, and they have the determination.

The President

I invite the representative of Bangladesh, to speak on behalf of the Asian States.

Mr. Chowdhury (Bangladesh)

Bangladesh, as the Chair of the Asian Group for this month, is honoured to join the nations of the world in paying our tribute to the departed leader of Croatia. The world has lost an astute leader with the death of President Franjo Tudjman. President Tudjman will be admired as an ardent defender of democracy and the right of the people.

He was a far-sighted statesman who heralded dynamic changes, not only in his country, but also in the region. His untiring efforts and statesmanship earned him the respect of a world leader. He changed the image of his country from a war-ravaged one to a peace-loving, progressive country. Throughout his life, President Tudjman made a tremendous contribution to his country in the consolidation of democracy and establishment of the rights of the people of his country. He had to embrace imprisonment several times to defend these ideals. He was barred from travelling abroad. However, a man of his genius can never be stopped.

Mr. Tudjman's life is a glowing tribute to that universal assertion. He was recognized by his people as their leader, and they made him the President of Croatia in 1990.

Mr. Tudjman will be remembered as the architect of Croatia. Under the most difficult times of his nation, he did not give up hope, and, in the end, he successfully steered his country out of danger towards prosperity and peace.

On behalf of the Asian Group, Bangladesh extends heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family of Mr. Tudjman and to the Government and the people of Croatia for the loss of their leader.

The President

I now call on the representative of the Czech Republic, speaking on behalf of the Eastern European States.

Mr. Galuska (Czech Republic)

On behalf of the Member States of the Eastern European Group, I would like to express our sincere condolences to the people and the Government of Croatia on the passing away of President Franjo Tudjman. We would like to extend our sympathy also to the members of the family, to friends and collaborators of the first President of the Republic of Croatia and, indeed, to the whole Croatian nation in grief.

President Tudjman lived a life of courage and devotion to his nation and its cause. He lived with dignity through the trials and tribulations which had visited upon his nation and the whole region in the last seven decades. From the anti-fascist struggles of the Second World War, through the academic accomplishments and later the descent into political imprisonment, he steadfastly followed his vision, which ultimately brought independence to Croatia.

President Tudjman symbolized modern Croatia and steered its course in the last decade. An important chapter in this region's history is coming to an end with this fighter, scholar and politician.

As his legacy, we would like to wish Croatia every success in the continued building of a democratic, peaceful and prosperous European nation. At this moment of mourning, we stand with the Croats, and we pay our respect and tribute.

The President

I now call on the representative of Saint Lucia, speaking on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean States.

Mr. Hunte (Saint Lucia)

I have the honour to make this statement of behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean Group in tribute to the late Mr. Franjo Tudjman, President of the Republic of Croatia.

Mr. Franjo Tudjman, born to humble beginnings in Veliko, Trgovisaee, a village in the Croatian Zagorje, on 14 May 1922, lived a life based on the purest moral conviction of liberal democracy, and peace. A selfless man, he devoted himself to the relentless pursuit of truth and the liberation of his people. Realizing that goal, Mr. Tudjman was rewarded with the greatest honour and responsibility he could have envisioned -- Croatia's vote of confidence in the 1991 free elections.

Mr. Tudjman has earned himself an indelible place of honour in the hearts and minds of the world as a learned scholar and author, activist, military general, statesman and humanitarian. Conviction, truth, honour and the unyielding need to stand for that which is right should shine brightly as the beacon for which we should define our goals and activities in the hallowed halls of this great institution where we honour him today.

His name has through the years become synonymous with conviction and honour. These two inescapable tenets of his life were apparent from the tender age of 19, when he became involved in the national democratic movement. He survived the Nazi scourge, the reign of terror, the indignity of being stripped of his inalienable human rights, suffocation and a horrid repression perpetrated by those who called themselves Communists. Left in the world without a mother at nine, the example of his father and brother example formed his development into the man he became.

He endured jail sentences when he spoke out against the repression his countrymen suffered. His stance on nationalism and history were punctuated with an unmatched candour which the world and the propaganda machinery were unwilling to tolerate. His conviction was always the proverbial thorn in the side that got him into trouble with those who would have him either quiet or dead. But as the wise adage says, "That which is worth having is worth fighting for". I believe Mr. Tudjman would have agreed that the suffering he endured is nothing compared with the good his life has afforded the people of Croatia. The Croatian Democratic Union under his guidance spearheaded the drive for democracy and independence for Croatia and, under his able leadership, secured an impressive mandate for reform.

The world as we know it today, though riddled with problems and injustices, is blessed ever so often with individuals of the calibre of His Excellency the late Mr. Franjo Tudjman. On behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean States I extend condolences to his family and to the Government and people of Croatia. May his soul rest in peace.

The President

I now call on the representative of Luxembourg to speak on behalf of the Western European and other States.

Mr. Wurth (Luxembourg)

We meet here in sad circumstances. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of Western European and other States to convey our condolences to the people of Croatia and, more particularly, to the members of the Permanent Mission of Croatia to the United Nations.

The head of State of the Republic of Croatia has passed away. This Assembly, which brings together the peoples of the world, is today conveying its feelings of sympathy to the Croatian people. The late President launched the movement towards independence and towards the integration of his country into the community of nations and, more especially, into our Organization.

A leader who has shouldered this role in the history of his country occupies, and will continue to occupy, a pre-eminent place in the heart and the memory of his people. They will always be profoundly grateful to him.

His strong personality has left its imprint on the tumultuous events in the region that has known war and tragedy. After the end of the conflict President Tudjman worked hard to build a republic whose citizens leave no doubt as to their great hope to become part of the vast family of the States of Europe and their wish to share the values and life which are their own, at the dawn of the new millennium.

Franjo Tudjman was President when this journey began, but he left his countrymen without being able to see the full success of their efforts. We are confident that they will move forward with assurance in developing partnership at the regional and international levels.

We share the pain of the people of Croatia at the loss of their President, and our country and this entire Assembly stand by them and assure them of our willingness to cooperate with them.

President Tudjman suffered much during his long illness. He bore his trial with courage, without, however, any weakening in his determination to serve his country. Our compassion goes out today in particular to those who were by his side in his last struggle, the members of his family and those near to him who felt and saw the pain of a dear one without being able to keep him in their midst. We pay tribute to them and we salute his memory.

The President

I now call on the representative of the United States of America, who will speak on behalf of the host country.

Mr. Holbrooke (United States)

I am honoured to represent the United States today and to speak for the first time from this historic podium to commemorate and mark the passing of President Franjo Tudjman of Croatia.

I knew him well and worked with him closely. He was a major historical figure, and he has written an important page in the history of Europe. That role will be long discussed and long debated, but his importance cannot be denied. He has left a lasting mark on the region.

I met him first in 1995 and met him at least a hundred times after that, including many intense meetings during the 21 days of the Dayton negotiations that brought an end to the war in Bosnia. History must record that without his decisive involvement in Dayton, the peace that was forged there would probably not have been possible.

But as I said a moment ago, the history of this region is still being written and argued about. Indeed, the arguments over history are part of what has contributed to the terrible drama of Southeast Europe and the wars in the former Yugoslavia. And so when we mark President Tudjman's passing, we also mark the fact that the issues that brought him to the fore have not yet been resolved. We pray for the people of Croatia, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, of Macedonia, of Kosovo, of Montenegro, of Serbia that they will be able to find the peace they deserve in the next century.

President Tudjman's dream of an independent Croatia has been realized, and he will be for ever remembered for that achievement,but the rest of the dream -- peace and coexistence with all the neighbours of the region -- is far from achieved. Ethnic division -- stupid ethnic division, unnecessary division based on alleged ethnic differences, and I stress the word alleged -- still plagues the region. To those people in the region who are watching this important memorial at the General Assembly today, I say to you: It is time to put these divisions behind you. None of the countries of the region can live in peace unless they all do.

Franjo Tudjman had a dream for Croatia that has been substantially, but not entirely, realized. The next generation of leaders in Croatia will, I hope, live up to that vision and carry it forward for freedom and democracy, for a successful election in Croatia -- which is forthcoming soon -- for full implementation of the Dayton peace process, for a solution to the unresolved questions of Kosovo and for a multi-ethnic Bosnian and Herzegovinian neighbour to Croatia, one in which Bosnian Croats, Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Muslims can live together.

That is what I hope the legacy of Franjo Tudjman will include. I will remember him personally as an effective and tenacious defender of his national interests to whom his people owe an immense amount, as a person with whom I worked closely, as a friend, as a major historical figure in the post-cold-war history of Europe, and as a man whose ultimate legacy, I hope, will be that he contributed to peace and stability in the region.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Croatia.