REPUBLIC of MOLDOVA

 

STATEMENT

 

BY

 

H. E. Mr. NICOLAE TABACARU

MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS

OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

 

TO THE 55TH SESSION OF THE

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

 

NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 19, 2000

 

Mr. President,

 

Allow me, at the outset, to convey to you, our cordial congratulations and regards on your election as the President of the 55th session of the General Assembly. I am convinced that your competence and active cooperation with the UN Member States, will pave the way for a successful and fruitful session. I would also like to express sincere thanks to your predecessor, H.E. Mr. Theo Ben-Gurirab, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Namibia, for the effective manner in which he had guided the work of the previous session.

 

At the same time, I wish to commend H.E. Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the UN, for his firm leadership since he took the office and for his visionary and action oriented report "We the People…” This report, together with the forward-looking Millennium Declaration adopted two weeks ago at the historic Millennium Summit, sets an ambitious agenda for the United Nations for twenty-first century.

 

I would also like to convey our warmest welcome to Tuvalu, the newest member of the United Nations.

 

Mr. President,

 

As we enter the new millennium, the perspectives of the international community's evolution are marked by justified hopes, generated by significant changes that had occurred during the last decade on the international arena, yet also by hesitations, sometimes, by scepticism regarding our capacity to efficiently face today's world-wide challenges. The Millennium Summit offered a unique opportunity to reflect on the global problems that confronts the world today and to identify and to act on the challenges ahead. It reaffirmed the centrality of the World Organization in addressing the global, social, security and economic needs for the benefit of people. We have ahead of us a real challenge to reshape the United Nations so that it can realize its universal goals for peace, human security, cooperation, poverty eradication and sustainable development. From this perspective, the Republic of Moldova attaches an utmost importance to the implementation of the commitments inscribed in the "UN Millennium Declaration".

 

Mr. President,

 

Though the international community, in particular international organisations, undertake systematic efforts aimed at resolving conflicts, we should recognise that these efforts sometimes are short of reaching the proposed goals. Currently, on the European continent alone, we witness a number of unsolved conflicts and potential crisis-generating situations.

 

Democratic transformations and economic development in some south-eastern European countries, including the Republic of Moldova, are jeopardised also by unsolved internal conflicts. In the last 8 years, we have made sustained efforts to settle the conflict in the eastern region of the country, in full compliance with the principles of international law and international practice. The mechanism of settlement, involving the OSCE and the mediating states - Russia and Ukraine, has been established. Moldova is oriented towards a complete settlement of the conflict respecting the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity of my country, granting to the region a status of autonomy. Despite the reasonable compromises proposed by the constitutional authorities, the separatist tendencies still persist. It is an apparent peace, which distracts the attention of the international community from the imperatives of finding ways of settling the conflict, simultaneously impeding the economic and democratic reforms.

 

The situation becomes more difficult taking into account that the region is over-militarised. Tens of thousand of tons of munitions and armaments accounted and unaccounted CFE Treaty limited equipment are deployed in the region.

 

An early, complete and unconditional withdrawal of foreign troops, munitions and armaments as stipulated in the Istanbul OSCE Summit Documents, and as required by the CFE Treaty, would undoubtedly facilitate the peaceful and complete settlement of this conflict.

 

I would like to express our hope that together with our partners, and assisted by the relevant international organisations, we will be able to ensure the implementation of the schedule of withdrawal of foreign troops from the territory of Moldova. Taking this opportunity, I would like to express our gratitude for political and financial support granted by a number of states In order to facilitate the process of withdrawal and destruction of the an armaments.

 

Mr. President,

 

Although some of the "frozen conflicts", at least in our region, do not appear to be getting worse, there is a growing sense of frustration that the solution is not yet in our reach. It is, therefore, imperative to enhance the political awareness regarding the unresolved or potential conflicts with the view to actively involve in their settlement the UN and relevant regional organisations.

 

It is well known that the settlement of an on-going conflict requires incomparably bigger political, financial and moral efforts than needed at the stage of conflict preventing. It has become obvious that UN mechanisms and strategies for dealing with threats to stability are inadequate. They need to be strengthened, not only to resolve conflicts and conflict situations but, more important to prevent them. From this perspective, the Republic of Moldova fully supports the Secretary General' efforts to direct the UN' strategy towards conflict prevention. We welcome the Brahimi report on peacekeeping operations. In our view, the implementation of its recommendations will significantly consolidate the capacity of the United Nations in conflict prevention, peace keeping and peace building.

 

The Organization should be provided by the member states with the necessary support to enhance the UN rapid deployment capabilities through the improvement of the UN stand-by arrangements system.

 

Given this context, I would like to inform you that Moldova has already established the legal and institutional framework for its future participation in the peace-keeping operations and the UN stand-by arrangements system.

 

Mr. President,

 

Disarmament and non-proliferation are essential elements of the security architecture. The Republic of Moldova, like many other countries, considers that we should continue our efforts to achieve disarmament and non-proliferation, with universal ratification of the major multilateral disarmament instruments, negotiations on biological weapons, ballistic missiles and small arms. In particular we should reaffirm the role of the ABM Treaty as the cornerstone of international peace, security and strategic stability.

 

The Republic of Moldova attaches utmost importance also to the issue of small and light weapons, primarily to the effort to create effective international mechanisms for the prevention of their illegal transfers, especially in the areas of conflict. In this respect, we are prepared to bring our contribution to the preparation of the International Conference on the Illicit Trafficking of Small and Light Weapons in all its aspects, to be held next summer.

 

Mr. President,

 

My country highly appreciates the proposals of the UN Secretary-General on the issue of development and poverty eradication, as reflected in the Millennium Report and in the Report on the Work of the Organisation to the 55th General Assembly session.

 

In conditions of globalisation, which generated profound transformations in the global economy, this issue becomes even more important, particularly for less developed states and for states with economies in transition.

 

A UN system, better adapted to the necessities of the economic development, should pay more attention to the harmonisation of commercial policies, the cooperation in the technological field and the monetary policies of member states and international institutions. In these efforts, the UN should involve the support of the governmental economic and financial institutions, as well as that of the private sector and non-governmental organisations, thus promoting a partnership in view of development.

 

A redefinition of cooperation framework and international help is needed, which should involve new strategies and investment policies. My country favours the elaboration of strategies and measures of globalisation management, and favours holding a special session of the General Assembly regarding the globalisation and of a UN Conference on the less developed countries to take place in May 2001.

 

In order to reach a sustainable development focused on the human being, there is a need for an improvement of the partnership among the developing countries, the developed ones, the international institutions and the civil society. We consider that the UN, as a framework of the international cooperation, should play a key-role in supporting and coordinating national efforts.

 

In the framework of the UN development programmes and funds, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) plays a special role in the human sustainable development. The UN assistance, granted through the UNDP, has contributed to the strengthening of the legal and the institutional framework necessary for the continuation of country's reforms.

 

Currently, the cooperation framework of the Republic of Moldova with the UN Development Programme embraces approximately 40 projects in the fields of governing and democracy, environment protection and regeneration, protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms, promotion of women, poverty reduction and eradication, economic and social strategies, human sustainable development.

 

I would also like to mention the important role of the UN Economic Commission for Europe. By promoting, dissemination and implementation of the instruments of the Commission, we could ensure the adjustment of economies in transition to international and European standards. Thus, the projects implemented by the UN Economic Commission for Europe would directly contribute to the integration of these economies into the world economy.

 

The Republic of Moldova supports the activity of these institutions. We consider, however, that their financial resources should be increased and the resources management be more efficient.

 

We welcome the actions undertaken by the UNDP Administrator, reflected in the Administrator's Business Plans, as well as those of the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, meant to enhance the efficiency of the activity and management of the resources of these important institutions.

 

We consider that the establishment of powerful stands for development policies, by understanding characteristic conditions and specific needs of countries, would contribute significantly to Organisation's reaching its goals in this domain.

 

Mr. President,

 

The reform of the Security Council lies at the heart of the general reform of the United Nations. It should be guided by the principles of equitable geographic representation, democracy, effectiveness, efficiency, transparency. It is on this foundation that we can modernise the composition of the Security Council and bring it into line with the substantial increase in the general membership of the UN since 1963, the year of the only previous reform of the Council. The Republic of Moldova pronounces itself in favour of a moderate enlargement of its composition and of a reasonable increase of the number of permanent and non-permanent members, which would correspond to the principle of fair geographical distribution and ensure an adequate balance between the industrialised and developing states.

 

Our country welcomes as well the process of revitalisation and improvement of the General Assembly's efficiency and supports, at the same time, the idea of restoring the central role of the Assembly as a debating and main representative body of the UN. We consider that it is necessary to continue the consolidation efforts of the coordinating function of the ECOSOC regarding the UN funds and programmes.

 

In the existing conditions it is clear that the UN reform will go on successfully only if the financial problems affecting the Organisation's activity are solved. We are supporting the proposals aimed at the reform of the UN scales of assessment, including the peace-keeping scale, taking into consideration the payment capacity of each state. Despite the difficulties it faces, my county makes all the efforts to reduce its arrears to the UN budgets.

 

Mr. President,

 

The evolution of the situation on the international arena in the last 55 years imposes a new vision and a redefinition of the concrete mechanisms of realisation of the fundamental objectives of the Organisation, which, essentially, spring from the founding philosophy of the Charter of the United Nations. In this respect, the Organisation should draw conclusions from its own past and, relying on a permanent support from the states, should accomplish new tasks from the perspective of adapting to the imperatives of time.

 

We express our hope that the United Nations, which remain indispensable for the international community in the 21st century, would be able to impose a positive course to these evolutions.

 

Thank you, Mr. President.