Holbrooke UNGA Remarks on Yugoslavia's U.N. Membership
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York
November 1, 2000
Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke, United States Permanent
Representative to the United Nations
STATEMENT IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THE ADMISSION OF THE FEDERAL
REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA TO UNITED NATIONS MEMBERSHIP
Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President - As you said a moment ago, this
is indeed a historic day for the U.N. and for the Balkans, for all of
Europe - indeed for all of the world. [We] welcome Yugoslavia as the
United Nations' newest member. We welcome Professor Svilanovic as he
takes his seat in this great hall and leads his nation into the United
Nations. As a democracy committed to the rule of law, you've accepted
the obligations of membership laid out in the U.N. charter and you
enter the U.N. family on an equal basis with the other Republics of
the former Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia.
An eight-year quarrel in this great institution is over. What was this
quarrel about? It is gone without a residue or a trace as will the
flag that has flown so wrongly over First Avenue for the last eight
years.
We congratulate President Kostunica on his leadership in bringing
peaceful and democratic change to Yugoslavia. We congratulate his
colleagues in the brave democracy movement that brought the will of
the people to power in Belgrade. When I met with President Kostunica
in Skopje last week, I was deeply moved by his historic accomplishment
and the bravery he and his supporters, including Professor Svilanovic,
exhibited.
We applaud him also for his public commitment to U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1244 concerning Kosovo and to the full implementation of
the Dayton Peace Accords.
Today sterile debate comes to an end. The flag of a nation that long
ago ceased to exist will no longer fly over U.N. Headquarters here and
elsewhere in the world. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's admission
to the U.N. is a historic moment. It opens up new possibilities for
the future of Yugoslavia, for the region, for all of Europe.
When I traveled to the Balkans last week, I was struck by how often
the conversation drifted back to the events in the past, particularly
1912. It seemed no one wanted to speak about the earthquake of
September 2000. But my friends, this is a new century, and President
Kostunica's leadership creates an opportunity to look to the future
denied to the people of Yugoslavia for so long.
There are still vestiges of the past, which Yugoslavia will want to
address. Many political prisoners were imprisoned by the former
regime, including nearly a thousand Kosovo Albanians still being held.
All of these prisoners should be released and all of the missing - on
both sides - should be accounted for. As part of its pledge to
respect its obligations under the charter, Yugoslavia, I hope that
Yugoslavia will understand that it should cooperate with the
International Criminal Tribunal [for] the former Yugoslavia, and I was
encouraged greatly on this issue by my talks with President Kostunica.
We all know that talks between Montenegro and Serbia are vitally
important and are at a delicate stage. Both sides have expressed their
disapproval of the illegal constitutional changes made by the previous
regime in July of this year. We welcome this and we welcome the fact
that preliminary talks, under the rule of law and in a spirit of
conciliation, have begun.
And I can say on behalf of my government, and I am sure on the behalf
of everyone here, that the international community will accept any
decision that is reached mutually and in accordance with democratic
procedures.
In closing, let me reiterate on this happy day and, as the President
of the General Assembly has said, historic day, my country's strong
commitment to working with Yugoslavia in the United Nations, in the
spirit of the historic friendship between us, and between Americans
and the Serbian people for many decades, to address the problems
remaining in the Balkans and the global challenges of the future.
On a personal note, this is a day that means a great deal to me and my
colleagues in the United States government, and we're proud to join
the rest of the world community in welcoming Yugoslavia to its
rightful place in the world organization. Thank you very much.
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