General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

4 November 1996

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

                                                    A/51/649
                                                    S/1996/901

                                                        


GENERAL ASSEMBLY                                    SECURITY COUNCIL
Fifty-first session                                 Fifty-first year
Agenda items 38, 96, 97, 101 and 102
COOPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED NATIONS
  AND THE ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY 
  AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL
  ECONOMIC COOPERATION
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
CRIME PREVENTION AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
INTERNATIONAL DRUG CONTROL


          Letter dated 28 October 1996 from the Permanent Representatives
          of Hungary, Italy and Slovenia to the United Nations addressed
                                  to the Secretary-General


      We have the honour to transmit to you a joint declaration by the
Foreign Ministers of Hungary, Italy and Slovenia, issued at Rome on
23 October 1996.

      We would be very grateful if you would have the text of the joint
declaration circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under
agenda items 96, 97, 101 and 102, and of the Security Council.


(Signed)  Istva`n NA'THON                   (Signed)  F. Paolo FULCI     
    Permanent Representative                    Permanent Representative
   of the Republic of Hungary                           of Italy        
     to the United Nations                        to the United Nations 


                              (Signed)  Danilo TšRK           
                                  Permanent Representative
                                 of the Republic of Slovenia
                                    to the United Nations


                                      ANNEX

             Joint declaration by the Foreign Ministers of Hungary,
             Italy and Slovenia, issued at Rome on 23 October, 1996


      Firmly convinced that Europe's future stability and development
can only be based upon the final completion of the processes of
European and Atlantic integration,

      Desirous of contributing to the building of a Europe of the
citizens, in which the rights of each individual, each community and
each minority group will be fully recognized,

      Conscious of the aspirations of Slovenia and Hungary for
integration as quickly as possible into the European Union and the
Euro-Atlantic security structures, as well as of the support which
Italy is providing for these aspirations,

      Aware of the need further to develop cooperation in the
perspective of the widening of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) and in the context of the new European security architecture,
which is also being developed within the framework of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe,

      Committed to cooperate in carrying out the reinforcement of
political stability in central and south-eastern Europe, as well as
its economic growth,

      Determined to strengthen the friendly, cooperative and good-
neighbourly relations among our countries,

      Willing to further develop closer cultural ties on the basis of
common values and traditions,

      We, the Foreign Ministers of Italy, Slovenia and Hungary have met
today at Rome, and have reached full agreement in our views with
regard to the following priorities:

      -    Carrying out the enlargement of the European Union,
           guaranteeing our maximum support to the effective
           implementation of the pre-accession strategy defined at
           Essen, as well as the full respect of the calendar decided
           upon in the European Council at Madrid with regard to the
           opening of negotiations with the applicant countries.  Italy
           will continue its own efforts in favour of broadening the
           political dialogue, developed on the basis of the "Italo-
           Britannic Initiative" of 1994.  Periodic trilateral
           consultations will be established with regard to the process
           of enlargement of the European Union and to related subjects
           of common interest.  Italy will place its own experience as a
           member State of the Union at the disposal of Slovenia and
           Hungary, in order to assist them in the adhesion process;

      -    Integrating Slovenia and Hungary in the Euro-Atlantic
           security structure by further developing, in particular the
           ties that already exist within the framework of the North
           Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) and the Partnership for
           Peace initiative (PfP), as well as by supporting Hungary and
           Slovenia to be among the first new NATO members;

      -    Developing cooperation among the army forces, in the
           perspective of the NATO enlargement;

      -    Actively committing our three countries to the development of
           cooperation at the regional level and working together to
           give new impetus to the activities of the Central European
           Initiative (CEI), with a view to the Graz Summit, so that CEI
           might be able to carry out an increasingly effective role in
           the reinforcement of the political, economic and cultural
           relations of its members.  The "Instrument for the Protection
           of Minorities", which was open to signature at Turin on
           16 November 1994, constitutes an effective framework that
           provides guarantees for the protection of minorities in this
           region.  We are convinced that the full protection and
           effective respect for the rights of minorities constitute a
           source of stability in this region and represent a crucial
           element for the strengthening of mutual confidence and for
           the enhancement of cultural and economic cooperation;

      -    Undertaking cooperation with regard to developing
           infrastructure networks, and concentrating our efforts on the
           completion of the Trieste-Koper/Capodistria-Ljubljana-
           Budapest section of the Fifth Multimodal Corridor, with
           appropriate financing to be supplied by the European Union,
           especially through the PHARE programme, and by other
           multilateral organizations such as the European Investment
           Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and
           Development, as well as by the joint efforts to be carried
           out by the relevant authorities.  This cooperation will be
           extended also to other transport modes, particularly to
           railways and the port infrastructure of the upper Adriatic;

      -    Promoting the development of economic and commercial
           relations between our countries by facilitating the creation
           of joint ventures and direct investment, and by the exchange
           of information on the privatization process;

      -    Committing ourselves to elaborate joint project proposals of
           common interest, and to present them jointly within the
           framework of the PHARE programme;

      -    Promoting cooperation for the modernization of border
           crossings and for the opening of new ones, also taking
           advantage of the financial means offered by PHARE and
           INTERREG;

      -    Promoting cooperation on environmental protection;

      -    Intensifying cooperation among universities and research
           institutes in the fields of culture, science and technology,
           in particular in the context of the IV and V Framework
           Programme of the European Union;

      -    Promoting the implementation of common research projects as
           well as the participation of scientists and researchers from
           our three countries in the activities carried out in the
           scientific pole of Trieste and in those initiated by the
           regional office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific
           and Cultural Organization at Venice;

      -    Undertaking cooperation in the area of the free movement of
           people and immigration;

      -    Developing cooperation between our respective police and
           other institutions in charge of the fight against organized
           crime, money laundering and drug trafficking.

      Finally, we have decided to guarantee continuity to our trilateral
consultations.  Ad hoc working groups will be created for political
and security, economic and cultural affairs, as well as internal and
judicial affairs.  These working groups will meet on a regular basis
under the coordination of the State Secretaries for Foreign Affairs,
who will report to Ministers.  Sectorial meetings at the ministerial
level will also be held.  Foreign Ministers will meet on a yearly
basis.


                                            -----