STATEMENT BY SECRETARY-GENERAL AT SIGNING OF PARIS AGREEMENT ON BOSNIA
Press Release
SG/SM/5850
STATEMENT BY SECRETARY-GENERAL AT SIGNING OF PARIS AGREEMENT ON BOSNIA
19951214 ADVANCE RELEASE Following is the text of the statement made by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, translated from the French, on the occasion of the signing of the Agreement on Bosnia in Paris on 14 December:The signing ceremony, which has brought us together here today in Paris, crowns the efforts of all those who have been working for peace in Bosnia.
Since the conclusive negotiations conducted in Dayton, and the subsequent London Conference, all the interested parties have demonstrated the extent to which the road to peace requires patience and tenacity, open-mindedness and determination.
We can therefore be filled with hope at the thought that, from now on, the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a Member State of the United Nations, will at last be able to live in peace and, I hope, in dialogue.
However, as we sign this Peace Agreement, my thoughts are of all the men and women who, for more than three years, have devoted themselves, and sometimes sacrificed their lives, in the service of the United Nations. Without them, the results that we have achieved today would, no doubt, not have been possible.
The populations that have suffered during these long years of war have been able to appreciate the Blue Helmets' courage and devotion to duty. The Blue Helmets, along with all the States that contributed troops and matériel to this difficult mission, deserve the recognition of the international community. Everyone here is well aware that our meetings in London and Paris bear witness to that fact.
From peace-keeping to humanitarian action, through many often unprecedented and perilous missions, the soldiers of the United Nations have given diplomats the time they needed to complete their work.
All those who have been working tirelessly for peace, and all members of the Contact Group, are well aware that the United Nations has always been ready to support their efforts.
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Today, we will do everything to assist all parties concerned to implement the provisions of this Agreement.
The United Nations is already working in close cooperation with NATO to ensure the best possible transition to the international force.
In the months to come, the United Nations will pursue its mission, especially by participating with the international police force, assisting refugees and promoting the protection of human rights in conjunction with other concerned organizations.
However, we recognize that the situation remains precarious, especially in eastern Slavonia. The United Nations has already accomplished difficult and sometimes impossible missions in the former Yugoslavia. It stands ready to continue to do so, if that can serve the diplomatic efforts of the States concerned.
It is a tribute to the greatness of the United Nations that it carries out the most thankless tasks for the international community.
But no one should forget that the United Nations is first and foremost the mirror of the will of the international community. And it can do nothing if it does not receive the resources needed to fulfil its mission.
General de Gaulle, in his darkest hours, repeatedly called for the pursuit of "the common interest that we all serve".
Today, it is up to the United Nations to serve the common interest of the international community. And it is in this capacity that I welcome the Agreement that we are signing together today in Paris.
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