ISR"LI PEOPLE WILLING TO MAKE PAINFUL COMPROMISES FOR PEACE, PRIME MINISTER OF ISR"L TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

24 September 1998

Press Release
GA/9451

ISRAELI PEOPLE WILLING TO MAKE PAINFUL COMPROMISES FOR PEACE, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

19980924 As Assembly Continues General Debate, Prime Minister of Turkey Says Conflict Prevention in Potential Crisis Areas Should Be Given Greater Focus

The Israeli people were willing to make painful compromises for peace, and he hoped the Palestinians were ready to do the same, Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, said this morning as the General Assembly continued its general debate. No people had suffered more from war and violence than the Jewish people, and no people wanted peace more than the Jewish people, he added.

What was at stake was life together in a very small land, he went on to say. "There is no reason that we should not be able to live together. We are, after all, the sons and daughters of Abraham." Any outcome that was not the result of negotiations was an invitation to continued conflict. The option of violence must be totally discarded and permanently disavowed. He wanted a future free of war for his two small children and for Palestinian children like them.

Atal Behari Vajpayee, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of India, said that for the last 50 years, his country had consistently pursued the objectives of international peace along with equal and legitimate security for all through global disarmament. Mindful of its deteriorating security environment, which had obliged India to stand apart from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996, India had undertaken a limited series of five underground tests in May. Those tests, essential for ensuring a credible nuclear deterrent for India's national security, did not signal a dilution of India's commitment to the pursuit of global nuclear disarmament.

Mesut Yilmaz, Prime Minister of Turkey, said greater focus should be given to conflict prevention in potential crisis areas. While there was no shortage of information on a brewing crisis, by the time such a situation was addressed at the United Nations, it had already taken on critical proportions, often reaching a point of no return. Bosnia and Herzegovina was the most tragic example of that syndrome. Regional organizations should therefore play

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a more effective role in diffusing tensions from the onset, he said. Those bodies and the United Nations should establish an effective mechanism for coordination and consultation.

Jacob Nena, President of the Federated States of Micronesia, and Chairman of the South Pacific Forum, said there was a continuing practice of industrial powers shipping radioactive waste back and forth through the economic zones of Forum members, despite their strenuous and continuing protests. The Forum sought a strong regime of prior notification to, and consultation with coastal States on planned shipments of hazardous wastes. It also sought regional compensation for economic losses caused to tourism, fisheries and other affected industries caused by accidents involving shipment of radioactive materials, regardless of any actual environmental damage.

Statements were also made by the Presidents of Honduras and Venezuela. The Foreign Ministers of Poland and Bulgaria also addressed the Assembly.

The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its general debate.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning to continue its general debate. Scheduled speakers were: Jacob Nena, President of the Federated States of Micronesia; Carlos Roberto Flores Facusée, President of Honduras; Rafael Caldera, President of Venezuela; Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister, and Minister of Housing, Construction and Religious Affairs of Israel; Atal Behari Vajpayee, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of India; and Mesut Yilmaz, Prime Minister of Turkey. The Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Poland and Bulgaria were also expected to address the Assembly.

Statements

JACOB NENA, President of the Federated States of Micronesia, and Chairman of the South Pacific Forum, in informing the Assembly of decisions taken by the Forum at its recent summit meeting, said the Forum had focused on a theme of "reform to growth: the private sector and investment as keys to prosperity". The Forum had agreed that efforts should be made to ensure macroeconomic stability by improving fiscal discipline, enhancing public sector reforms and broadening the tax base. Specific recommendations had been endorsed concerning the region's response to undesirable economic activities, the promotion of competitive telecommunications markets, the development of information infrastructure, and work related to the Forum Free Trade Area.

The Forum had again discussed the objective of having the United Nations adopt a "vulnerability index", he said. In light of the deep concerns about the very survival of some Forum members, global climate change had received a great deal of attention. The Forum had recognized the legally binding commitments in the Kyoto Protocol as a significant first step forward to ensuring effective global action. The Forum had stressed the urgent need of developing procedures and future time-frames for wider global participation in emissions limitations and reductions. The Forum had noted with relief and gratitude, the recognition in the Kyoto Protocol of the importance of the adaptation needs of small island States. Referring to the "adequate resources" that had been called for, he said the Forum countries intended to maximize those benefits through the work of another regional organization, the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme.

There was a continuing practice of industrial powers shipping radioactive waste back and forth through the economic zones of Forum members, despite their strenuous and continuing protests, he said. The Forum sought a strong regime of prior notification to and consultation with coastal States on planned shipments of hazardous wastes. It also sought compensation to the region for actual economic losses caused to tourism, fisheries and other affected industries as a result of an accident involving a shipment of radioactive materials, whether or not there had been any actual environmental damage.

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He said the development process of the Federated States of Micronesia had only begun a few years ago, and the barriers it faced in terms of the need for technology and manpower, scarcity of resources, a remote location and small population were beyond its capability to overcome alone. "Perhaps it is not realistic for us to plan for complete self-sufficiency but we do want to become, and we must become, more self-reliant", he said. He feared that the traditional role of the United Nations in assisting less advanced countries with their development could be marginalized.

In conclusion, he said there was a mistaken notion that international cooperation existed only for immediate problem-solving. The repetition of mistakes of whatever scale, and the creation of crises along with every step forward, was elemental to the human condition. "The Charter of this Organization, monumental as it may be, is still a document designed by and for human beings on this planet and must be judged and applied in light of the human experience", he said.

INGENIERO CARLOS ROBERTO FLORES, President of Honduras, said that in recent decades Honduras had maintained and reinforced its democracy and internal institutions despite regrettable stages in its past and the stormy circumstances the cold war had imposed on Central America. Although not a battlefield, his country had suffered from the instability, uncertainty and violence in the region, resulting in a large Honduran emigration. He called for Honduran immigrants to be accorded the same status as other Central Americans. There had recently been an extraordinary impulse to regional integration in all fields in Central America, and there was consensus on the need for Security Council reform, which must include broader geographic representation, transparency and efficiency.

Honduras supported United States President William Clinton's initiative to establish a worldwide organization to fight terrorism, he said. Similarly, he expressed support for a Special Session of the General Assembly on controlling illegal drug trafficking and welcomed advances towards establishment of an International Criminal Court and towards agreement on the prohibition of landmines. Because historical conditions had changed, Honduras supported full membership of the United Nations for Taiwan.

Progress in the advancement of women would contribute to a fairer world, he said. Therefore, States should act to implement the outcomes of the Fourth World Conference on Women. He also supported calls for a world conference of ministers responsible for youth to create a world programme of action for youth in the year 2000 and beyond.

When globalization was first discussed, it had been claimed that reduced development aid would be outweighed by commercial benefits and private capital flows to Central America, he said. However, reduced aid, scarce capital, foreign debt and remaining trade barriers had become obstacles for economic growth and social development. A reduction in welfare benefits, caused by

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economic and financial change, could deteriorate political and social conditions and threaten democracy and freedom. Honduras shared the fears of many that an unfair, oversized economic order that ignored countries' political and social realities would destroy the possibility of equitable development for all.

It must be remembered that the supreme goal of society and state was not growth but well-being, he said. The time was right to reinforce multilateral institutions and increase cooperation to help those most in need and choking from debt, so that the benefits of globalization did not go to the few at the expense of the many. The United Nations must become the appropriate forum to guarantee better conditions for developing countries.

RAFAEL CALDERA, President of Venezuela, said Venezuela supported the Secretary-General's projects for the reform of the United Nations. The representation of the Security Council must be enlarged. The establishment of the International Criminal Court represented an important step in the juridical life of the international community. The fight against drug trafficking and terrorism, clamoured for the international community to be its center of coordination. Such delicate and exacting problems could not be left to the individual action of different States, no matter how powerful they might be.

The fight against poverty had never been more urgent, he said. Market economies and rampant globalization could not be the only answer to the social demands placed on world leaders. The balance of terror imposed by the cold war had been replaced by a lack of financial discipline and ruthless speculation. International financial speculation was alien to the values of solidarity. Today's international agenda must concentrate on this crucial point.

Financial and monetary topics must occupy a permanent place on the United Nations agenda, he said. The visible effects of the globalization phenomenon had revealed imperfections. If financial assistance to developing countries was not taken up as a priority, globalization would not be as successful as hoped. Necessary resources should be forthcoming from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to assist developing countries. To that end, an exchange of ideas between the Organization and the Bretton Woods institutions must be encouraged and strengthened. If measures were not taken to put an end to the abuses of "savage capitalism", with its excessive eagerness for profit, the fear of nuclear war would be replaced by the threat of an economic and social catastrophe. He said that in international forums. Venezuela had been characterized by its constant effort for universal peace, and had always offered its moderate contribution to any initiative in favour of justice and peace. The next Government of Venezuela would continue to follow the same line within the United Nations. The Organization could rely on Venezuela for friendship and cooperation and in its fight against drug trafficking, terrorism, hate and discrimination.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Prime Minister of Israel said that while he was often accused of not wanting peace, nothing could be further from the truth. Israel wanted peace for itself and for the Palestinian people, whose prolonged suffering had been one of the cruellest consequences of the wars waged against his country. Israel was willing to make painful compromises for peace; he hoped the Palestinians were ready to do the same. "There is no reason that we should not be able to live together. We are, after all, the sons and daughters of Abraham", he said.

Only negotiations could solve the problems encountered in the quest for peace, he said. The option of violence must be totally discarded and permanently disavowed. For peace with the Palestinians to last, it must be based on two principles: security and reciprocity. The agreement between Israel and the Palestinians was based on a simple equation: the Palestinians received jurisdiction in the territory in which they lived, and in return, they prevented terrorist attacks against Israel from those territories.

He said Israel had been fulfilling its part of the agreement: 100 per cent of the Palestinians in the Gaza district and 98 per cent of those in Judea and Samaria -- the West Bank -- lived under Palestinian rule, with their own executive, judiciary and legislative bodies, as well as their own police force. But the people of Israel could not accept a situation in which their lives were threatened by the Palestinians. As redeployment was approached, that premise was of paramount importance.

The territory being negotiated was virtually uninhabited by Palestinians, while thousands of years of Jewish history had been etched on it, he said. Further, it had powerful implications for Israel's security. Israel was 50 miles wide at its widest point -- should it cede all of the West Bank, the width would be reduced to the distance between United Nations Headquarters and LaGuardia airport. To part with even one square inch was agonizing for the Israeli people, because every stone, every hill and every valley resonated with the footsteps of their forefathers.

However, in the spirit of compromise and reconciliation, Israel had agreed to transfer land to Palestinian jurisdiction, provided that the principles of security and reciprocity were kept, he said. Israel would retain the ability to defend itself, and the Palestinians would fulfil their commitments, which included shunning violence and terrorism. While the Palestinian Authority and Chairman Yasser Arafat had agreed to dismantle terrorism and reduce the number of Palestinian police, that had not yet been done. They had agreed to cease the daily propaganda on official Palestinian television and completely annul the Palestinian Charter. However, that Charter was still on the books and on the Internet, calling for Israel's destruction through armed struggle.

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He called on his Palestinian partners to choose peace. Terrorism was a global cancer; eliminating it would lead to prosperity in the region. He envisioned a market-based regional economy between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. The absence of violence would enable a standard of living and quality of life which was currently unimaginable.

Once the current talks were complete, negotiations would begin for the final settlement, he said. Although no target date in the Oslo accords had been met on schedule, these accords were not about meeting deadlines, but about reaching agreement through negotiations. An arbitrary and unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State would violate the Oslo accords and cause a complete collapse of the process. He urged the Palestinian Authority not to take that course, which would prompt unilateral response from Israel.

Israel had the right to ensure that the Palestinian entity did not become a base for hostile forces, he said. It could not accept the threat of weapons on the hills above its cities and airfields. The challenge of the permanent status negotiations was to achieve a durable peace, striking a balance between Palestinian self-rule and Israel's security. This was only achievable through negotiations for peace, which is what Israel wanted with Lebanon and Syria as well. Israel was prepared to withdraw from southern Lebanon if security arrangements ensured the safety of the civilian population on both sides of the border.

Achieving lasting peace in the region also required addressing the dangers that threatened Israel beyond the horizon, he said. Both Iran and Iraq continued their efforts to acquire non-conventional weapons and ballistic missiles with strategic reach. In the hands of rogue regimes in the Middle East, weapons of mass destruction could pose a greater threat to world peace than anything in the past. Concerted international action was needed to prevent disaster.

Ultimately, the people of the Middle East themselves must decide whether the region would continue to be an arena of terrorism and war, or become a full participant in a peaceful, prosperous and global economy, he said. Cooperation and peace could put the Middle East in a leading position in the next millennium. Violence and war would assure stagnation and misery. He hoped that when his two sons grew up, the only competition they would engage in with Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian boys would be on the football fields and debating societies.

ATAL BEHARI VAJPAYEE, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of India, said an international body that did not reflect and change with changing international realities, would inevitably face a credibility deficit. India supported a revitalized and effective United Nations, one that was more responsive to the concerns of the vast majority of its Member States and better equipped to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. The Security Council did not represent contemporary reality or democracy in

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international relations. Following the end of the cold war, it had acquired the freedom to act, but experience showed that it only acted when it was convenient for its permanent members. Also, peacekeeping operations could not be a reflection of ulterior political priorities and perceptions.

The only cure was to bring in fresh blood, he said. The Council must be made representative of the United Nations membership. The presence of some developing countries as permanent members was inescapable for effectively discharging the Council's responsibilities, particularly when it acted almost exclusively in the developing world. The Council must be reformed, expanding its non-permanent membership so that more developing countries could serve on it. As long as effective power in the Council rested with the permanent membership, the interests of the developing world would not be promoted or protected unless they, too, were made permanent members. Only that would make the Council an effective instrument for the international community in dealing with current and future challenges. India believed it was qualified for and prepared to accept the responsibilities of permanent membership.

Open democratic societies had to contend with the scourge of terrorism, he said. The challenge before countries such as India, and other democracies, was to maintain openness, safeguard individual rights, and at the same time, give no quarter for terrorists. India had had to contend with terrorism, aided and abetted by a neighbouring country, for nearly two decades. It had borne that with patience, but none should doubt the strength of India's resolve to crush that challenge. Today terrorism had linkages with illicit trade in drugs, arms and money laundering. It had gone global, and it could only be defeated by organized international action. Terrorism was a crime against humanity, and India urged that the proposed 1999 conference launch the process of negotiations for an international convention to provide for collective action against States and organizations, which initiate or aid and abet terrorism.

For the last 50 years, India had consistently pursued the objectives of international peace along with equal and legitimate security for all through global disarmament, he said. Those concepts were among the basic tenets of its national security. Over the years, India had sought to enhance its national security by promoting global nuclear disarmament, convinced that a world free of nuclear weapons enhanced both global and India's national security. The negotiations on a Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) had begun in 1993 with a mandate that such a treaty would "contribute effectively to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in all aspects, to the process of nuclear disarmament and therefore, to the enhancement of international peace and security". India actively and constructively participated in the negotiations, and sought to place the Treaty in a disarmament framework by proposing its linkage with a time-bound programme for the universal elimination of all nuclear weapons. India's proposals had not been accepted and the treaty, as it emerged, was not accepted by India on the grounds of national security. India had made explicit its objection that,

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despite its stand having been made clear, the treaty text made India's signature and ratification a pre-condition for its entry into force.

Mindful of its deteriorating security environment, which had obliged India to stand apart from the CTBT in 1996, it had undertaken a limited series of five underground tests, conducted on 11 and 13 May, he said. Those tests were essential for ensuring a credible nuclear deterrent for India's national security in the foreseeable future. The tests did not signal a dilution of India's commitment to the pursuit of global nuclear disarmament. After concluding that limited testing programme, India had announced a voluntary moratorium on further underground nuclear test explosions. By announcing the moratorium, India had already accepted the basic obligation of the CTBT. In 1996, India could not have accepted the obligation, as such a restraint would have eroded its capability and compromised its national security. India, having harmonized its national imperatives and security obligations, and desirous of continuing to cooperate with the international community, was now engaged in discussions with key interlocutors on a range of issues, including the CTBT. India was prepared to bring those discussions to a successful conclusion, so the entry into force of the CTBT would not be delayed beyond September 1999.

The 1990s had fallen far short of expectations and nowhere was that more apparent than on the global economic scene, he said. The sense of triumph that heralded global capitalism was giving way to caution and realism. The hypothesis that unfettered capital flows would foster economic development with the global financial markets adjusting the exchange rates, stood falsified. What had been seen was the growth of a large volume of "virtual money" that had not been generated by productive economic activity. Its volatility in the short run did not follow economic logic, but rumour and sentiment. In developing countries and western financial capitals, there was now a growing acceptance that premature liberalization of capital markets had been the primary cause of the current crisis.

However, that did not mean the world should turn back from globalization, he said. He emphasized that democratically elected leadership in open developing societies, such as India, also faced another challenge. They could not let an unbridled free market system aggravate existing economic and social disparities. Policy instruments were needed to reduce disparities, creating a more stable environment in the long term. Such policies were necessary in accountable democracies and were in no way inconsistent with managed liberalization. It was time to begin a new international dialogue on the future of a global and interdependent economy.

BRONISLAW GEREMEK, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Poland, said the world today was a better and safer place than it had been ten years ago because evil had been avoided, circumscribed or reduced, due to preventive action taken by concerned States. He noted that he had been a dissident ten

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years ago and drew attention to the Polish saying: "Unfortunate one, you shall live to see your dreams satisfied."

He said the world economy today faced its biggest financial challenge in a half century from retreat from free market ideals and principles, and that called for desperate remedies. In terms of arms control and international peace and security, progress already made would be further consolidated if the Parliament of the Russian Federation would heed the appeals of the international community that it ratify the strategic arms reduction treaty START II, of 1993. Nothing, in Poland's opinion, justified the nuclear option, and Poland joined the world community of States in urging India and Pakistan to refrain from actions that would worsen the situation in the Indian subcontinent. "We indeed consider it vile if man threatens man", he added, stating that people should go to the rescue of others.

The lack of will to sustain unavoidable costs of United Nations peacekeeping operations had caused the misperception of those operations as ineffective, he said. In order to keep the peace effectively in a crisis situation, peacekeeping operations should also involve peacemaking. Poland was proud of its continuous participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations, and currently provided the largest contingent of troops in those operations.

He said Poland was at the centre of European transformation, and its aspirations to join the European and transatlantic political and military structures was in the process of being satisfied, thus fulfilling the dreams of a nation long subject to the cataclysms of European history. Poland was honoured to assume the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe for 1998 and had faced important questions and challenges. Could the Organization that belonged to the heritage of the past successfully cope with the challenges of the future? he asked. Would it be able to prevent conflicts and regulate inter-States relations? The OSCE must act in a manner that was coherent with the activities of other important international organizations. As examples, he cited the United Nations, the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance.

Although the world today was a safer place to live than a decade ago, there were new threats and dangers, he said. Terrorist acts, for example, must be deterred and defeated. Poland was committed to the promotion of the elaboration of a comprehensive convention against organized crime, which should facilitate efficient cooperation between States, given that no one State could effectively tackle transnational crime.

MESUT YILMAZ, Prime Minister of Turkey, said that at the threshold of a new millennium, "it is our duty to chart a new course for the United Nations and set a common standard for the behaviour of nations". Prevention of conflict in regions of potential crisis was one area where greater focus

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should be given. He believed that while there was no shortage of information on a brewing crisis, by the time such a situation was addressed at the United Nations, it had already taken on critical proportions and often reached a point of no return. Bosnia and Herzegovina was the most tragic example of that syndrome. Regional organizations should therefore play a more effective role in diffusing tensions from the onset. Those bodies and the United Nations should establish an effective mechanism for coordination and consultation.

Another area he identified for greater focus was peace building. He said a new approach which provided lasting security must be devised. The Organization must have both a programme and experts to help countries emerge from conflict. Sustainable development was yet another area to be addressed. If the United Nations was to maintain its credibility, it must enable people to lift themselves out of poverty. Obviously, funding was a major concern, but a coordinated and streamlined strategy was equally important. More attention also had to be given to the concept of "one standard for all". Despite all solemn declarations, international conventions and the legal framework, there seemed to be no end in sight to discriminatory practices and double standards. The division of the world along religious, ethnic and cultural "fault lines" was an invitation for disaster. It must be ensured that no nation felt discriminated against on the grounds of its cultural and religious identity. The final area of focus was terrorism, which had to be eliminated as it was a major threat to "our citizens and nations". The fight against it had to be at the top of the agenda -- there must be no excuses or false justifications.

The demands on the Organization had grown enormously, he noted. Reform must be comprehensive and must include reform of the Security Council. Piecemeal efforts and inadequate measures were not a solution. The representative character of the Council must be enhanced to meet the expectations of the largest segment of the United Nations' membership. The Council must also become more responsive and transparent, and reform must render it more accountable, effective and democratic, so that it could exercise authority and offer moral guidance.

He said Turkish foreign policy was defined by a blend of its history, culture and geo-strategic position at the crossroads of Asia and Europe. He noted that "we live in a region where major currents for instability and conflict loom at large. Almost every major issue that consumes the international community from the Balkans to the Caucasus, from the Middle East to the Gulf, affects our security and well-being". Conscious of those challenges, Turkey had assumed an important role in contributing to efforts aimed at peacefully resolving conflicts and preserving security and stability. The Balkan region was a test case of the challenges faced in the post-cold war era. "We thought that we had all drawn our bitter lesson from the tragedy of Bosnia and Herzegovina", he observed. However, the recent violence in Kosovo was the making of the same mentality. Kosovo must regain its autonomous

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status in a manner that satisfied all ethnic groups within the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro).

He said the question of Cyprus was at a critical junction. The course pursued by Greece and the Greek Cypriots posed a serious threat to the security of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Turkey. On the military front, he said, the policies of the Greek and Greek Cypriot camp had heightened tensions on the island. The clock was ticking for the deployment of the S-300 missile system. On the political front, he said, the decision of the European Union to start accession negotiations with the Greek Cypriot side had altered all the parameters and established framework for a settlement. Regrettably, that process served only to perpetuate the division of the island. Turkey fully supported the initiative tabled by President Raul Denktas on 31 August 1998, he noted. It corresponded to the realities of the land and protected the vital and legitimate interests of all parties concerned.

NADEZHDA MIHAILOVA, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, said that an increasing number of issues, such as the financial crisis, organized crime and regional conflicts, could not be effectively resolved by individual countries. However, in addressing issues such as terrorism, it must be remembered that it appeared mainly in weak or unstable countries. Problems of unstable countries could not remain the responsibility of one country or even one region. Economic security must be an essential part of efforts to make a better world. Bulgaria had recently made progress in economic and infrastructure reform, in developing new foreign policy priorities to create a climate of confidence in south-eastern Europe, and in combatting organized crime and corruption, she added.

The extended presence of the Multinational Stabilization Force (SFOR) would contribute to regional security, she said. Bulgaria considered the risk that the crisis in Kosovo would deepen and spill over into other parts of south-eastern Europe was serious. She endorsed yesterday's Security Council Resolution 1199 (1998) on Kosovo. Regional Foreign Ministers had demonstrated their willingness to contribute to the efforts of the Contact Group. However, it was a common understanding that measures to address the region's problems should take into account the political and economic stability of the region as a whole. Such measures should therefore be political and not economic.

The negative impact on the Bulgarian economy of sanctions imposed on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was of special concern to Bulgaria, she said. It was incumbent on the United Nations to find ways to alleviate the negative impacts of sanctions on third States.

Lasting stability in south-eastern Europe was only possible through multilateral security cooperation, she said. Bulgaria welcomed its inclusion in the European Union enlargement process, and had a clear strategy to meet the criteria for North Atlantic Treaty Organization membership. It also

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supported both the United Nations reforms pursued by the Secretary-General and an effectiveness-enhancing expansion of the Security Council, on which the Group of Eastern European States should have an additional non-permanent seat. New peacekeeping operations should include military, political, humanitarian and reconstruction mandates.

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