FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA PRESIDENT GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES, ALBANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TELLS ASSEMBLY GENERAL DEBATE

2 October 1998

Press Release
GA/9463

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA PRESIDENT GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES, ALBANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TELLS ASSEMBLY GENERAL DEBATE

19981002 President of Ecuador Says He and President of Peru to Meet in New York Tomorrow in Hopes of Settling Border Issue

Slobodan Milosevic, the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, had ordered an ethnic cleansing campaign against Albanians under the pretext of combating so-called "Albanian terrorism", Paskal Milo, the Foreign Minister of Albania told the General Assembly this morning during its continuing general debate.

President Milosevic, he said, should be held responsible for acts of genocide. Albania called for an extensive international presence to monitor the situation in Kosovo; immediate intervention by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); and an indictment of President Milosevic as a war criminal. Calling for the immediate end to the conflict in Kosovo, he said negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina should begin under international auspices to define the future status of Kosovo. The will of the Albanians for self-determination must be part of any solution, and international conventions which rejected altering borders through the use of violence must be respected.

Jamil Mahuad Witt, President of Ecuador, said his country was searching for peaceful resolution to the border issue between it and Peru. In working towards a definitive resolution -- both a moral and economic imperative for Ecuador -- the fourth in a series of meetings between the Presidents of those countries would be held in New York tomorrow. "Countries," he said, "could not enter the twenty-first century dragging along with them their problems from the nineteenth century."

Haile Weldensae, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Eritrea, said responsibility for the escalation of the dispute with Ethiopia rested with the Government of Ethiopia. Ethiopia had consistently violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of his country, resulting in the occupation of large tracts of Eritrean territory, the forced displacement of its peasants and the replacement of its administrative structures by Ethiopian institutions. In achieving a peaceful solution to those matters, he called for a strict application of the principles of the United Nations Charter and codes of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

General Assembly Plenary - 1a - Press Release GA/9463 25th Meeting (AM) 2 October 1998

Statements were also made by the Deputy Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea and the Foreign Ministers of the Comoros, Mali, and Madagsacar. The representative of Trinidad and Tobago also spoke.

The Assembly will meet again this afternoon at 3 p.m. to conclude its general debate.

Assembly Work Programme

The Assembly met this morning to continue its general debate. It was expected to hear an address by Jamil Mahuad Witt, President of Ecuador. Also, scheduled to speak this morning were the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Equatorial Guinea; the Foreign Ministers of the Comoros, Albania, Mali, Madagascar and Eritrea; as well as the representative of Trinidad and Tobago.

JAMIL MAHUAD WITT, President of Ecuador, said Latin America was facing one of its most major crises in its history. While pondering the positive developments of globalization, countries were now suffering under its negative effects. The web of globalization, like a spider web, was all encompassing. If pressure were applied at any one point, the vibration affected the rest of the web. Latin America had made enormous efforts to overcome the damage of previous decades. It had worked to reduce deficits and open up to the global economy, understanding that integration was the tool for progress.

Because of the current international crisis, which came from outside, Latin America found itself in a situation not of its own making, he said. Because of the mechanics of the international financial system, something that happened in South-East Asia affected the peoples of Latin America. He urged industrialized countries to take decisions so that not all countries would suffer from the problems being faced today. There was a world recession occurring and stock markets in his region were already suffering. Small countries, such as Ecuador, could do little in the midst of the magnitude of the current crisis, which had left many without an option. The countries of Latin America looked at themselves as a region and they needed to behave as such. Contrary to other crises, Latin America was not asking for money or looking to others to resolve its difficulties. Instead, they were making joint statements concerning the issue, an issue which should be dealt with at the United Nations.

Ecuador was also addressing its relationship with Peru, he said. It was searching for a definitive peace with Peru and had put in place a protocol of peace and friendship in trying to reach the final stage of that peace: a moral and economic issue for Ecuador. Peace, the best gauge for the budgets of both countries, brought with it a possibility of $3 billion in loans for socio-economic development programmes such as irrigation, roads and schools. In the past three years, talks on the border issue between Ecuador and Peru had focused on confidence-building measures to support future decision making. There had been talks at various levels, including three presidential-level meetings in under two months to seek an agreement. He and President Alberto Fujimori of Peru would meet for a fourth time in New York tomorrow to try to work towards a definitive agreement on the border issue. Countries could not enter the twenty-first century dragging along with them their problems from the nineteenth century.

General Assembly Plenary - 3 - Press Release GA/9463 25th Meeting (AM) 2 October 1998

The Presidents of Peru and Ecuador had submitted an agreement on the removal of all landmines in their border area, he said. That would mean that the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction would be applied in practical terms in the field. His country also agreed with the United Nations nuclear disarmament programmmes, and welcomed the decision of the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) countries to ensure that the region would be a nuclear-weapon-free zone.

In conclusion, he said there would be no better tribute to the United Nations, and to the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, than to have two democratically elected Governments seek peace and hopefully sign a peace agreement. Democracy, freedom, life, the right to work, gender issues, problems of the dispossessed and children were all issues that were encompassed in the words peace, development and international cooperation.

SALIM HADJI HIMIDI, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Comoros, said that the administrative, juridical and military hold on the island of Mayotte by the colonial Powers constituted a flagrant violation of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) and of the principles of the Organization's Charter. The last twenty-three sessions of the Assembly had witnessed the adoption of successive resolutions attesting to that fact. He appealed to the ad hoc committee of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to re-establish a dialogue between his Government and France on the matter.

The cause of conflicts in Africa had been lucidly illustrated in the Secretary-General's report presented to the Security Council last April, he said. He urged the Organization and its specialized agencies to rapidly begin implementing all of the report's recommendations.

An international effort to effectively combat terrorism was necessary, he said. Noting that terrorism spared no part of the world, he added that only international determination in respecting human rights and fundamental liberties would put an end to such abominable acts.

His country had been a hotbed of tensions that had mobilized the efforts of the international community, he said. Internal tensions persisted concerning the separatist intentions on the Island of Anjouan. The effort to amputate the archipelago was maintained by the foreign administration of the Island of Mayotte. For a year and a half, the OAU, in collaboration with the League of Arab Nations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement, had sought a solution to the crisis. Equally important were the efforts of the special envoys of the OAU and the governments of the Regional Coordination for the resolution of the Comoros crisis. Nelson Mandela had agreed to bring his full authority as Chairman of the OAU to conclude a peace agreement.

General Assembly Plenary - 4 - Press Release GA/9463 25th Meeting (AM) 2 October 1998

In an effort to forge a reconciliation of the Comoros Island, a multi-island society, his country's President had declared since the summit in Ouagadougou and Durban, his intention to work for greater autonomy and decentralization for each of the four islands comprising the archipelago, he said. Each island in the archipelago would elect its own governor and a legislative assembly. Further, an inter-island commission would watch over the equitable distribution of international resources and investments.

PASKAL MILO, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Albania, said certain political forces, which had lost power in last year's election, had encouraged recent attacks and the occupation of State institutions. His Government thanked the international community for its support during such difficult days and welcomed the establishment of the group of States known as the "Friends of Albania". Noting the threat posed by the proliferation of arms in Albania, he said his Government was ready to work with the United Nations to collect them.

He said his Government was also working diligently to establish the rule of law and, through lengthy discussions among Albania's political forces, drafting a constitution that recognized the need for power sharing and human rights. He hoped that, by the end of the year, the Albanian people would be able to express their views on the draft constitution. Its adoption would prepare Albania for complete integration into international structures -- a path that offered the best and brightest hope for the country.

Turning to the country's economic situation, he said the Government had made rebuilding the economy its highest priority, especially after the collapse of the pyramid schemes, which had led to widespread impoverishment. With the cooperation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, a process for the return of liquid assets to legitimate creditors had been initiated. Furthermore, such pyramid-scheme based businesses no longer existed in Albania. In general, rebuilding Albania's economy was a great challenge that required international support.

He said he was convinced that confidence, cooperation and friendship among Balkan nations could be strengthened. To that end, his Government had worked to improve bilateral relations with its neighbours. He hoped that the clear warning given by Security Council resolution 1199 (1998) and the Council's strong message yesterday on the situation in Kosovo would prompt the Belgrade authorities to seek a political solution. The President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, had ordered the implementation of his ethnic-cleansing policy against Albanians, under the pretext of combating so-called "Albanian terrorism." His Government strongly condemned that policy. President Milosevic should be held accountable for genocide.

Mr. Milo said his Government urged: a strong and extensive international presence and monitoring of the situation in Kosovo; an immediate

General Assembly Plenary - 5 - Press Release GA/9463 25th Meeting (AM) 2 October 1998

intervention by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); and an investigation by the General Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia leading to an indictment of President Milosevic as a war criminal. The conflict in Kosovo must be halted and negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, with international involvement, must be initiated. The negotiations should define the future status of Kosovo. A solution to the crisis should take into account the will of Albanians to self-determination and respect for international conventions that reject the change of borders through violence.

GEORGE WINSTON McKENZIE (Trinidad and Tobago) said his Government was proud of the role played by the country's President, Arthur N.R. Robinson, in re-focusing the attention of the international community in 1989 on the need for the establishment of a court to deal with international crimes. The President's proposal had been, in part, a recognition of the gravity of the scourge of drug trafficking and its attendant ills. It had also been a recognition of the pressing need for a court to address the question of the punishment of individuals responsible for crimes at an international level.

At the Rome Conference, he said, Trinidad and Tobago, with the support of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and some other States, had been successful in ensuring that sight was not lost of the importance of including the crimes of illicit traffic in narcotic drugs within the jurisdiction of such an international criminal court. As a result, the Conference had recommended that an acceptable definition for and inclusion of drug crimes be considered by a review conference to be convened after the entry into force of the treaty which established the court.

Trinidad and Tobago welcomed the conclusions and recommendations of the twentieth Special Session of the General Assembly on the World Drug Problem held last June, and pledged its commitment to cooperate in the achievement of the session's goals and ideals. It would persist in its efforts, at the regional level, to foster cooperation in combating the scourge of drug trafficking through such actions as the implementation of the 1996 Barbados Plan of Action which facilitated effective drug control operation in the region.

He said the pace of globalization and economic liberalization had heightened the economic problems of developing countries. There must be a healthy, constructive dialogue at all levels for solutions to be found. Small island developing States had been rendered more vulnerable due to their size, remoteness, insularity and susceptibility to natural disasters. Like other developing countries, their needs could not be addressed without the full support and cooperation of the international community. Trinidad and Tobago had succeeded to some extent in achieving integration into the world economy as it undertook the transition from an oil-dependent, public-sector-dominated economy to a more diversified market-oriented private sector one. United

General Assembly Plenary - 6 - Press Release GA/9463 25th Meeting (AM) 2 October 1998

Nations development programmes must be directed more specifically towards employment creation opportunities.

Trinidad and Tobago welcomed the planned convening of a high-level review in the year 2000 to appraise and assess the progress achieved in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, and to consider further action and initiatives. It attached great significance to the rights of children and was committed to their full integration into society. It had taken a number of measures to promote and pursue the mandates of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. They included the elaboration of a national plan for the survival, protection and development of children, and the promotion of their rights.

MODIBO SIDIBE, Minister for Foreign Affairs and for Malians Living Abroad of Mali, said that the poorest countries needed access to world markets, and new international norms were needed for that purpose. Alleviation of the burden of debt was also indispensable. The efforts of the international community should be concentrated on reducing the gap between the North and the South, as well as on the promotion of distribution sharing and solidarity. Responsible and candid dialogue was needed to promote new cooperation.

Sustainable development presented a major challenge for the Government of Mali, which was rigorously pursuing economic reforms and democratic participation, he said. For that purpose, it needed the assistance of the international community. His country felt that the trend towards decrease of assistance for development should be corrected. Partnership directed at increasing the country's economic capacities, facilitating its access to markets, developing the private sector and encouraging foreign investment would also help create a favourable atmosphere for the reduction of poverty.

Domestic conflicts often had serious consequences for international security, he said. It was clear that maintenance of peace required improvement of the prevention system. Security and development were inseparable. The United Nations, the OAU and regional organizations in Africa should cooperate in order to research better ways to manage crises and prevent conflicts. The future of the continent lay not in the emergence of new ethnic republics which led the continent towards general anarchy.

It was important not to reject and crush expressions of autonomy, he said, but to manage them from the point of view of democracy, in order to promote the development of local power within the framework of regional integration. Countries could not remain within the borders inherited from the times of colonization, but nothing could justify border conflicts today. Borders should be defined between countries by political and peaceful means. The OAU mechanism for conflict prevention could be helpful in that respect. Post-election periods were also increasingly becoming periods of conflict.

General Assembly Plenary - 7 - Press Release GA/9463 25th Meeting (AM) 2 October 1998

Better preparation for the elections and controlling the electoral process by means of law and order could prevent such deterioration.

Welcoming the noticeable progress in the field of controlling weapons of mass destruction, Mali was deeply concerned over the situation in the area of conventional weapons, he said. Light arms inflicted much more damage in Africa than weapons of mass destruction. In order to reduce and contain a threat posed by small weapons, within the coming weeks the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on the initiative of his country, was going to proclaim a moratorium on the import, export and production of light arms. That initiative had support from the OAU and the Non-Aligned Movement. The moratorium would help to enforce stricter control by governments over illegal trafficking of small arms and prevent further crises.

He said that to control illegal trafficking and establish an international legal system of control, more States should sponsor the General Assembly resolution on the assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and collecting them. The international community and the United Nations should be more involved in that issue.

Speaking about the international situation, he said that only scrupulous respect for the Lusaka Protocol could ensure peace and security in Angola. He also expressed concern for the people of the Libya, which was suffering from the sanctions imposed on that country. It was time to lift the sanctions and find a definite solution to the problem. His country condemned all forms and manifestations of terrorism, and believed that holding an international conference on the issue of terrorism could greatly contribute to the solution of the problem.

MIGUEL OYONO NDONG MIFUMU, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Equatorial Guinea, said each year the Assembly discussed the same problems, but solutions seemed to take such a long time to appear. "The truth is, we are victims of our contradictions", he said.

The world did not want any more wars, yet, military industrial complexes continued to manufacture more sophisticated and deadlier weapons, he said. The great "priority" for the end of the century was the fight against poverty and underdevelopment within a globalized economy. Yet, problems of starvation, malnutrition, disease and unemployment had reached alarming and, in some cases, unprecedented dimensions. Disarmament called for the same response that was being promoted as a solution to illicit drugs: the total destruction of the centres of production, distribution and sale.

One had to question the level of honesty in which dialogues on globalization were being held, he said. There were actions that served to obstruct free trade and the transfer of technology and to erect trade

General Assembly Plenary - 8 - Press Release GA/9463 25th Meeting (AM) 2 October 1998

barriers. In terms of the economic marginalization of Africa, he said the payment of foreign debt was simply a means of exporting capital to those who did not need it. There must be just prices for Africa's raw materials. Noting that some people insisted that the main causes of poverty and marginalization in Africa were poor management and governance, corruption and armed conflicts, he said that view did not justify the unjust treatment of Africa's resources in the more profitable markets of the North.

Development was also contingent upon peace and social and political stability, he said. His country faced a serious terrorist threat from both within and without its borders. The terrorists had received support and solidarity from certain Spanish political and media groups. While those groups were trying to fabricate an ethnic problem in Equatorial Guinea, efforts had been made to preserve the social unity. He asked for support for his Government's efforts at democratic consolidation and implementation of its socio-economic development plan drawn up last year.

LILA RATSIFANDRIHAMANANA, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Madagascar, said that insecurity in various forms was becoming globalized. Her Government would focus its efforts on addressing that problem and on the necessity of maintaining peace. It was those two problems, in several world regions, that hindered lasting peace and development among nations. New threats of international terrorism, organized crime, corruption, the proliferation of arms and the deterioration of the environment, demanded attention.

Despite increased technology and a spectacular increase in world food production, economic and social insecurity continued, she said. Further, the financial torment of South Asia, Latin America and Russia had shaken the international financial system. Even the information explosion had increased scientific, cultural and moral insecurity. An information virus today had become as dangerous as nuclear, biological or chemical weapons, he added. Turning to human rights and liberties, she said that no State in the world today could guarantee its citizens material and spiritual well-being in peaceful conditions. New strategies needed to be conceived as well as ways to implement them. Security could not be based on nuclear parity, but on cooperation and solidarity. Evidence of that was the Ottawa convention which had been established after the creation of nuclear-free zones. Her Government supported general disarmament and called for negotiations to begin on a treaty for the prohibition of fissile material, in accord with the Geneva Conference on Disarmament. Madagascar equally supported the Non-Aligned Movement's call for an international conference on the elimination of nuclear weapons. It also supported the OAU's appeal to convene, in the year 2000, an international conference on terrorism.

Security, she said, required a multidimensional approach on military, economic and social aspects at the national, regional and international levels. Poverty was a factor in the tensions that divided the world and

General Assembly Plenary - 9 - Press Release GA/9463 25th Meeting (AM) 2 October 1998

prevented durable peace, especially on the African continent. The OAU's objective to establish a conflict prevention and settlement mechanism, stemming from the Cairo Declaration of 1993, needed support from the international community. Security Council resolution 1170 (1998) on the need for regular ministerial meetings to evaluate the implementation of actions to facilitate peace in Africa, was a step forward. Coordination between the United Nations and regional organizations was necessary.

She said that, in an effort to integrate developing countries into global financing, a mechanism of three funds by African countries to address that problem had been proposed by heads of States at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Durban. A percentage of countries' gross national product (GNP) and revenues from exports would be reserved and placed in international financial markets. That mechanism, in cooperation with actions taken by the international community and financial markets, should help the continent to resolve partially its financial and debt problems. It could also serve as a base for discussions concerning a new world financial architecture. Madagascar called for an evaluation of the capacity of the Bretton Woods institutions to respond to today's realities. Furthering peace on the continent would require good governance, a system of adequate controls and follow-up, respect for the law, economic and structural reform and respect for the rules of democracy. Madagascar was also committed to recovery programmes to involve the poorest sector of its population.

HAILE WELDENSAE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Eritrea, said the end of the cold war had briefly raised the hopes of a more peaceful, safer, just and fair world, safeguarded from conflict and tension, hunger and disease. Such hopes were frustrated as the world was plunged into numerous inter- and intra-State conflicts, ethnic violence, terrorism, gross violation of human rights, mass starvation, and an increase in the number of refugees and displaced persons. The situation in Africa raised great concern. In spite of efforts by regional and subregional organizations and agencies, situations in many parts of the continent, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Great Lakes region, Somalia and the Sudan, were deteriorating and becoming more dangerous day by day.

Eritrea's foreign policy rested on two basic tenets, he said. First was the deep conviction that, where there was goodwill, all disputes could be resolved through peaceful negotiations and methods, without recourse to violence. Second was the unswerving devotion of Eritrea to justice and equality. Eritrea's commitment to those two tenets had helped to defuse conflict with Yemen and to arrive at a mutual understanding to resolve, through arbitration, the dispute over the Eritrean archipelago of Hanish-Zuqar in the Red Sea. Today, too, his country insisted that the road to peace with Ethiopia was a strict application and enforcement of the principles of the charters of the United Nations and of the OAU, and the OAU decision on colonial borders.

General Assembly Plenary - 10 - Press Release GA/9463 25th Meeting (AM) 2 October 1998

The responsibility for the escalation of the dispute with Ethiopia rested solely with the Ethiopian Government, he said. That Government had consistently violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Eritrea, resulting in the occupation of large tracts of Eritrean territory, followed by the forced displacement of Eritrean peasants and the replacement of Eritrean administrative structures by Ethiopian institutions. It had reached a climax on 6 May as a result of further unprovoked incursions by the Ethiopian armed forces which had attacked Eritrean troops in the Badme region. Those incursions had been premeditated and meticulously planned, and were the root cause of the dispute. Even in the aftermath of the fighting triggered by that attack on Eritrean troops, Eritrea never crossed its internationally recognized border.

Despite the evidence of its aggression, Ethiopia was conducting an absurd propaganda campaign to portray Eritrea as a warmongering nation, which had committed aggression, and had occupied Ethiopian territory, he said. It was Ethiopian troops that had invaded Eritrea after Prime Minister Zenawi's declaration of war on 13 May. Ethiopia's claims that it was the victim of aggression and that it would not negotiate unless Eritrea withdrew from "its territory" were obviously false. They were only meant to hoodwink the international community and cover Ethiopia's own acts of aggression. Even today, Ethiopia was threatening war unless Eritrea withdrew unconditionally from territories which were fully within its internationally recognized borders. Virtually, the whole of the Ethiopian army had taken positions along the Eritrean border, and leaders, including the President and the Prime Minister had publicly declared in the past few weeks that Ethiopia had finalized war preparations and would soon teach Eritreans lessons they would never forget. Their expansionist and aggressive policy was underscored by the use or threat of force, and by a massive and malicious propaganda campaign against Eritrea. That campaign accented ethnic hatred, slander of the Eritrean people and Government, and called on Eritreans to rise against their own Government.

The Ethiopian Government had been systematically and wilfully violating the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the two international covenants and several other international human rights instruments, he said. The Eritrean Government had not detained, expelled or deported, or otherwise violated the rights of Ethiopians living in Eritrea. The dispute was about borders, pure and simple, and any effort to transmute it into anything else must be viewed as a vain and brazen attempt by Ethiopia to camouflage its aggression and expansionist policies. The dispute should not have existed in the first place, considering that the boundaries between the two States were some of the most clearly defined in Africa.

Eritrea was committed to a peaceful and legal solution to the dispute based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said. Unfortunately, all efforts had failed because of negative responses from

General Assembly Plenary - 11 - Press Release GA/9463 25th Meeting (AM) 2 October 1998

Ethiopia, which had yet to offer a single plan or peace proposal. Eritrea had repeatedly requested Ethiopia to publicly announce to the people of Eritrea, Ethiopia and the international community the territories it claimed and to designate them on a political map with clear geographical coordinates. Eritrea offered the following as a basis for the solution of the dispute: the comprehensive solution of the problem through a technical demarcation on the basis of the established colonial treaties that clearly defined the boundary between the two countries; a possible resort to arbitration on the basis of the sanctity of colonial borders in the event that that was demanded by the other party; and, pending a lasting, legal solution, an immediate cessation of all hostilities and a ceasefire to be monitored by an observer force under the auspices of the United Nations.

He announced that Eritrea welcomed and was ready to implement a decision by the Assembly, which provided, without any preconditions, for the cessation of hostilities, a ceasefire agreement and a peaceful resolution of the dispute by any method as the only acceptable solution. Eritrea was in a race against the clock of development and could not afford to lose time, energy or resources. Till now, it had restrained itself against extreme provocation and would continue to do so unless forced to defend itself.

* *** *