PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT VACLAV HAVEL OF CZECH REPUBLIC
Press Briefing
PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT VACLAV HAVEL OF CZECH REPUBLIC
19970514
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
President Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon that he had repeatedly expressed support for expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) not only because he believed that it would be good for the Czech Republic, but because he believed that it was in the vital general interest of Europe.
As regards NATO and the Russian Federation, he continued, it was clear that enlargement should take place on the basis of a clear understanding between NATO and Russia. That understanding seemed to be emerging. If it was, in fact, reached, one could only welcome expansion.
Mr. Havel was joined in the press conference by Miloslav Vyborny, Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic, and by United Nations Under- Secretary-General for Administration and Management Joseph E. Connor.
President Havel said that as part of a brief working visit to the United States, he had today met with Executive Coordinator for United Nations Reform Maurice Strong and with Under-Secretary-General Connor. On behalf of the informal Carlsson Group of Sixteen Heads of State or Government, which is developing recommendations on United Nations reform, he had presented ideas and opinions on United Nations reform and on multilateralism in general. He had taken a great deal of personal interest in United Nations reform, he said.
With the fall of the iron curtain and of communism, and with the disappearance of the bipolar division of the world, the international community was witnessing the emergence of a new world order, he continued. That order was not just a re-ordering of political elements, he added. Deeper changes were taking place in civilization; the new world was both multipolar and multicultural. The United Nations had an irreplaceable role to play in that new order, he said. But the Organization must be adjusted to the demands of the new era. It should not be just a remnant of the cold war period.
He had many ideas of his own regarding United Nations reform, which he had expressed at the special commemorative meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, he said. Some considered his ideas to be too radical and bold. What was more important was that real reform was taking place. During today's visit, he had been updated on the progress of reform. It was now clear that the Secretary-General -- not just governments -- was playing the primary role in reform. United Nations reform should be bold, he stressed, but not unacceptably radical for the variegated spectrum of States represented in the General Assembly.
A correspondent asked President Havel what he thought Europe would look like in 20 years. He responded that he did not know what Europe would look like, but he knew what kind of Europe he wanted to see. He hoped that Europe would be cooperating on the basis of friendship for the first time in history. He hoped that it would not be a Europe in which the most powerful forced their will on the less powerful -- as had been the case throughout most of history. There was a "good chance" that Europe would evolve in that direction, he said. Unprecedented integration was taking place within the European Union. He hoped that in 20 years the European Union would embrace the entire continent on the basis of the best values that Europe had contributed to the world.
What were the prospects for NATO expansion? a correspondent asked. President Havel responded that NATO enlargement was a subject very much present on the agenda of his visit to the United States, especially his visit to the United States Senate. He very much favoured NATO expansion.
A correspondent then observed that President Havel had achieved political power as a moral leader. Was there a role today for intellectually and morally visionary statesmen, or had multiculturalism diluted the possibility of that kind of leadership? he asked. President Havel said that it was not his place to pass judgement on the performance of his fellow politicians. But today's world found itself at a crossroads in the development of civilization. That development could turn out well, but could also turn out badly. In such a situation, politicians had a great deal of responsibility. They should be aware of the deeper context of history and should think about a "long-term horizon" -- not just about the period from one election to the next. They should attempt to place the general interest above specific concerns. He hoped that such politicians still existed, and that they would rise to fore.
Asked whether the best way to guarantee European security was to offer the Russian Federation full NATO membership, President Havel said that he could hardly imagine the NATO alliance functioning with the Russian Federation as a full member. The Russian Federation was a large, Eurasian power. It was a substantial entity in its own right, and should enjoy a profound relationship with the European-Atlantic zone as represented by NATO. But the two entities should not become one. That might lead to contradiction, rather than to the two entities recognizing each other, respecting each other, and developing a profound relationship.
A correspondent then asked Under-Secretary-General Connor his views regarding the contribution of the Carlsson Group to United Nations reform. Mr. Connor said that President Havel had expressed his views on United Nations reform and had conveyed the views of the Carlsson Group. That Group would be producing one of the "feeding documents" for the committee on reform headed by Mr. Strong. President Havel had a sympathetic understanding of the need for change in the Organization, in order that it be relevant to today's world. He
Czech Press Conference - 3 - 14 May 1997
hoped that the Secretary-General's plan for reform, which would be presented in July, would meet the expectations of President Havel and of others.
The Carlsson Group had called for the Organization to be more representative, a correspondent said. Did that mean it should include such actors as indigenous persons or civic organizations, in addition to governments? President Havel said that everything necessary should be done so that the citizens of the world viewed the United Nations as "their organization" -- one which brought together people, not just their governments. Whether that effort should include the creation of new structures was another question. The United Nations should definitely make room for civic organizations, but that did not necessarily imply the creation of new committees or expansion of the United Nations bureaucracy.
A correspondent then asked Defence Minister Vyborny about the future participation of Czech Republic soldiers in United Nations peace-keeping operations. He responded that he had today discussed the participation of Czech troops in such operations with Assistant Secretary-General for Peace- keeping Operations Manfred Eisele, who had expressed his conviction that Czech soldiers were outstanding specialists in their fields. He had also expressed his avid interest in their continued participation in peace-keeping. Mr. Eisele had expressed the view that NATO expansion would contribute to stability in Europe, he said.
Asked whether the Czech Republic was employing lobbyists to press the case for NATO enlargement in the United States, President Havel said that representatives of the Czech Government often spoke to their opposite numbers in the United States about the Czech Republic desire to join NATO. Political and military representatives of the Czech Republic were working towards that goal on a number of levels, but he knew of no formal lobby for that purpose. The Czech Republic did not have a strong lobby in Washington, and did not want to form one. It was better to argue a case on its merits than on the influence of a lobby, he said.
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