- This occasion has been given added meaning by the full
participation in the political discussions of the President of
the Russian Federation. This partnership, which is a reflection
of the reforms that have taken place in Russia, reaffirms our
wish to tackle together today's problems in a constructive and
responsible manner.
- We strongly believe that the parties to the Bosnian conflict
should accept the plan presented to them on July 6th in Geneva.
We urge them to do so before July 19th. If the opportunity is
not seized, there is a grave risk of renewal of war on a larger
scale. The parties should refrain from any military action.
We shall ensure that the measures made known to the parties
in the event of either acceptance or refusal are implemented.
We support the Action Plan undertaken by the UN for the
rehabilitation of Sarajevo and we welcome the signature on July
5th by the European Union and the parties concerned of the
Memorandum of Understanding on the EU administration of
Mostar.
Concerning the UN-protected areas in Croatia, we urge
compliance with the cease-fire, the resumption of talks and the
mutual recognition of existing borders.
- Following the death of Kim Il Sung, we must continue to seek
a solution to the problem created by North Korea's decision to
withdraw from the IAEA. We urge the DPRK to continue to engage
the ROK and the international community, including a continuation
of the talks with the US and going forward with the scheduled
summit with the ROK. We also urge the DPRK to provide total
transparency in its nuclear program through full and
unconditional compliance with its non-proliferation obligations
and to remove, once and for all, the suspicions surrounding its
nuclear activities. We support the renewed efforts to resolve
the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue and we stress the
importance of the DPRK's ensuring the continuity of IAEA
safeguards and maintaining the freeze on its nuclear program,
including no reprocessing spent fuel or reloading its nuclear
reactors.
- We have welcomed the Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of
Principles and the signing of the Gaza-Jericho agreement as a
first step in its implementation. We recognize the need to speed
up the delivery of assistance and create the circumstances for a
real improvement of living conditions. Progress on the other
bilateral tracks and in the multilateral negotiations is now
essential in order to achieve a lasting and comprehensive
settlement of the Arab-Israel' dispute and a wider process of
peace and cooperation in the whole Middle East/Mediterranean
region. We call upon the League of Arab States to end their
boycott of Israel. We support the efforts of reconstruction of a
prosperous and independent Lebanon.
We reiterate our resolve to enforce full implementation of
each and every relevant UN Security Council resolution concerning
Iraq and Libya until they are complied with, and recall that such
implementation would entail the reassessment of sanctions.
We call upon the government of Iran to participate
constructively in international efforts for peace and stability
and to modify its behavior contrary to these objectives, inter
alia with regard to terrorism.
We support the Algerian government's decision to move
forward on economic reforms, which must be pursued with
determination, while urging Algerian leaders to continue a
political dialogue with all elements of Algerian society
rejecting violence and terrorism. We condemn the recent massacre
of Italian sailors and other victims, and express our condolences
to their families.
We call upon the government of the Republic of Yemen to
resolve political differences within the country through dialogue
and by peaceful means, and to ensure that the humanitarian
situation, particularly in and around Aden, is addressed.
International obligations, including sovereignty and territorial
integrity, should be respected.
- Responding to the recent call by the Secretary-General of
the United Nations, we have devoted special attention to the
situation in the African continent. We salute the achievement of
the people of South Africa in ending apartheid by constitutional
means, committing ourselves to assist the new government in its
efforts to construct a stable and prosperous democracy. At the
same time we are painfully aware of the humanitarian tragedy
affecting many African countries and we will do our utmost to
help them. We are particularly appalled by the situation in
Rwanda and call for uninterrupted continuation of the
humanitarian action carried out by France through the rapid
deployment of UNAMIR II. We urge a stable cease-fire leading to
a political settlement and an increased and urgent humanitarian
effort. We support efforts to implement the settlement in
Angola.
- We demand that the military leadership in Haiti comply fully
with all relevant UN resolutions and allow a restoration of
democracy and the return of the democratically elected government
of President Aristide. We call upon all states to bring pressure
on the de facto regime as well as to enforce strengthened
UN measures in relation to Haiti.
- Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missiles is
one of the most serious threats to international peace and
security. We call upon all States that have not yet done so to
accede to the NPT as non-nuclear weapon states. We declare our
unequivocal support for the indefinite extension of the Treaty in
1995. We underline the importance of continuing nuclear arms
reduction, and confirm our commitment to achieve universal,
verifiable and comprehensive treaties to ban nuclear tests and
the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons. We
reaffirm our commitment for the earliest possible entry into
force of the Chemical Weapons Convention and welcome the Special
Conference of States parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons
Convention. We support full implementation of the UN Register of
Conventional Arms. We agree to cooperate to prevent nuclear
smuggling. We assign priority to the problems of anti-personnel
landmines, including efforts to curb their indiscriminate use,
halt their export, assist in their clearance worldwide. We shall
work together and with others for effective export controls to
ensure that trade in armaments and sensitive dual-use goods is
carried out responsibly. We encourage non-proliferation efforts
in the Middle East and South Asia.
- The UN has a central role in preventive diplomacy as well as
in peacekeeping, peace-making, post-conflict peace-building. It
is essential that all such activities be fully mandated,
effectively planned and organized, and be financed to meet the
demands placed on them. All UN members have clear
responsibilities in that regard and must fulfill them. Arrears
must be eliminated and dues paid promptly and in full, while a
more equitable scale of assessments should reflect changes in the
world economy and in UN membership. The UN reform must continue
in order to ensure efficiency, streamlining of functions and cost
effectiveness.
Regional organizations can make a significant contribution
in the field of preventive diplomacy and peacekeeping, fully
consistent with the UN Charter as well as relevant CSCE
documents. We stress the importance of the consent of all
parties in peacekeeping operations, and reiterate the need to
respect in all cases sovereignty and territorial integrity. We
also emphasize that a mandate is to be sought from the UN when
peacekeeping forces can be confronted with the need to use force
beyond the requirements of self-defense.
The CSCE Budapest summit in December should be an important
landmark in the process of enhancing the CSCE's role and
capabilities.
We support the conclusion of the Pact of Stability aimed at
promoting good relations in Europe.
In the Asia/Pacific area, we welcome the beginning of
regional security dialogue, in particular in the ASEAN Regional
Forum.
- We support the improvement of international monitoring
mechanisms and procedures for the promotion and protection of
human rights everywhere, including the rights of persons
belonging to national minorities, and pledge our support for the
newly created office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
We are determined to strengthen efforts to combat racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia, aggressive nationalism, antisemitism
and other forms of intolerance.
The international community should equip itself with more
efficient means to respond in a prompt way to humanitarian
emergencies world-wide. We shall seek to improve our
capabilities through the UN and other appropriate mechanisms to
fulfill such requirements.
- We condemn terrorism in all its forms, especially when
state-sponsored, and reaffirm our resolve to cooperate in
combating it with determination. We call upon all countries
involved to renounce support for terrorism, including financial
support, and to take effective action to deny the use of their
territory to terrorist organization[s].
We stress that organized crime and narcotics trafficking are
a threat to political as well as economic and social life, and we
call for increased international cooperation. We have agreed
that the proposed world ministerial conference to be held in
October in Naples at the initiative of the Italian government
will be a most important occasion to advance such cooperation.
- The meeting has also given us the opportunity for an
exchange of views on the reform process in Russia, a historic
task that President Yeltsin and the Russian government continue
to bring forward with the confirmed support of the international
community. President Yeltsin presented Russia's views on global
economic and security issues. We intend to cooperate on such
topics as transnational crime, money laundering, and nuclear
safety.
- Looking forward to Halifax, we shall continue to cooperate
closely in order to increase the conditions for maintaining peace
and stability in the world.
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