STATEMENT
BY THE PERMANENT
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
TO THE UNITED NATIONS,
AMBASSADOR SRGJAN
KERIM, PhD
at the UNITED NATIONS
GRNERAL ASSEBBLY
on the REPORT OF THE
SECRETARY-GENERAL
ON THE WORK OF THE
ORGANIZATIONS
(item
10)
Mr. President,
Allow me, since it is the first time I am taking the floor under Your Presidency, to congratulate you on your election as President of the 56th General Assembly. My delegation is confident that under your skilful guidance, we will be successful in going through this challenging session of the General Assembly. Let me assure you of my delegation’s full support. My congratulation also goes to the other members of the Bureau as well.
I
would also like to avail myself of this opportunity to pay tribute to the
Secretary-General upon his re-election. The Report we are discussing is yet
another proof that the right decision has been made.
Mr. President,
After the tragic events of the 11th of September, our debate
cannot be regarded as business as usual. I would rather call it an hour of
trial. Once again we are confronted with the sad truth and bitter comprehension
of the dark side of human nature. The perpetrators of this odious crime were
blinded by hatred. We, on our side must always keep our eyes wide open and not
allow our conscience to be occasionally awakened. Therefore, it is more than
necessary to scrutinize the consequences of international terrorism and to
undertake appropriate measures both in the short and long run.
Mr. President,
Let me
express on behalf of the Government and the people of the
This merciless carnage and
senseless destruction was at the same time an attack against the fundamental
values of our Organization and what it stands for, that is, democracy, freedom,
tolerance and humanity. My country, the
And now I would like to come back to the actual topic of our discussion today, the Report of the Secretary –General on the Work of the Organization. In our view, the Secretary-General’s Report and the Road Map towards the Implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration should be considered as a whole. The Secretary-General deserves special acknowledgement for taking an approach, which makes the Report a lesser review and a more forward looking document. The Report is comprehensive and coherent and it provides an opportunity to attach special attention to issues we consider of utmost priority for the work of the Organization.
It goes without saying that the
role of the United Nations, in particular, of the Security Council, in
maintaining international peace and security remains to be of paramount
importance. In the increasingly globalized world, none of the crucial issues we
are dealing with, in particular those related to the peace and security, can be
resolved solely within the national framework. As it is rightly pointed out in
the Road Map, there
is a need for concerted action against international terrorism. It can be,
however accomplished, in our view, not only by signing and ratifying all the
relevant international conventions and by completing the work on the remaining
texts being drafted but more by setting-up an international antiterrorism
network that will operate worldwide.
Mr. President,
My delegation supports the efforts to strengthen the capacities of the
United Nations Peace-keeping Operations and to improve the coordination within
the United Nations System, as recommended in the Report of the Panel on Peace
Operations. The focus should be on conflict prevention. The
Furthermore,
let me stress the necessity of an enhanced institutional cooperation between
the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations as set out in
the Millennium Declaration, to cope with the emerging challenges in different
parts of the world. While recognizing the fact that the Security Council has
primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security,
the United Nations in general can only benefit from strengthening of the
institutionalized cooperation with the relevant regional and sub-regional
organizations.
While we agree with the view of the Secretary-General
on the United Nations Conference on Small Arms and the adopted Programme of
Action being a significant first step on global level towards preventing,
combating and eradicating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, we
deem there is a need for an enhanced follow-up process. The problem of small
arms and proliferation has been of particular concern for the
Mr. President,
In terms of priorities, enhancing
of the capacities of the United Nations in mobilizing resources for development
and poverty eradication deserves our special attention. In this regard, my
delegation has high expectations that the Financing for Development preparation
process leading to the Conference in
There is a need to build
stronger partnerships with other relevant organizations beyond the UN System
such as WTO, WB, IMF, the business community, NGO’s and others in order to have
them closely engaged in the process.
The fact that every fourth
Member-State of our Organization is classified as least developed is certainly
of no credit for all of us. That is why this issue has to be given highest
priority.
We are also looking forward
to the upcoming Conference on Sustainable Development next year in
Johannesburg, S. Africa, to review the progress in the implementation of Agenda
21.
Mr. President,
At the end, allow me to make a few comments on the parts of the Report related to my country, the Republic of Macedonia. At the very outset of the crisis, the Republic of Macedonia has approached the United Nations asking for a close cooperation in order to prevent spillover effects from the immediate neighborhood and to secure the northern border of Macedonia from the Kosovo side and recalling the need for full implementation of the SC resolution 1244 (1999). The Security Council and Secretary-General have responded in a timely manner, and the resolution 1345 (2001) was adopted. Within this context it deems to be of crucial importance to emphasize the role of UNMIK and KFOR in combating organized crime and terrorist activities originating from Kosovo.
The Framework Agreement aimed at
overcoming the serious political and security crisis in the
The lessons which have to be drawn from the situation in the Republic of Macedonia are:
- Macedonia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be preserved;
- there are no territorial solutions to ethnic issues;
- use of violence in pursuit of political aims should be rejected completely;
- the multiethnic character of the society must be preserved;
These principles, in our view, should serve as a basis for the assessments and activities of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, the Secretary-General in their future activities in the spirit of close cooperation with the Macedonian authorities.
In conclusion, once again, I would like to assure the Secretary-General of my delegation’s full support in his endeavors to strengthen the role and relevance of our Organization in the forthcoming period.
Thank you.