YouSaid · the spoken record

Mate Granic

lines on the record

87

first

1996-09-24

most recent

1999-09-24

sittings or episodes

4

sources

un-general-debate

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1. “The Government of the Republic of Croatia intends to continue to deal with all these issues in keeping with its international human rights obligations as well as its legitimate concerns for the security of the State and the safety and welfare of all its citizens. As a victim of aggression, Croatia advocates the need — and has even come up with its own initiatives — to set up an international tribunal for the prosecution of war crimes committed in Croatia and Bosnian and Herzegovina. Croatia has been cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia since its foundation. The Tribunal’s Office has opened in Zagreb. The Croatian Government has established its own Office for Cooperation with the Tribunal and appointed observers to the Tribunal.”

   1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

2. “Despite the trying circumstances of its inception, the Republic of Croatia has managed to build the foundations of a democratic society based on respect for human rights. In this regard, I can announce that in the coming month of October Croatia will ratify the European Convention on Human Rights. There are, of course, many outstanding issues, largely stemming from the war of aggression waged against Croatia. These include the return of displaced persons and refugees; identification of missing persons; the rights of ethnic Croats in neighbouring States; and the return of all Croatian Serbs who left Croatia at the instigation and under the orders of their leaders and who wish to return to Croatia.”

   1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

3. “Protection and promotion of human rights — a cause in which the United Nations has played an indispensable role — is necessary in order to guarantee international stability and security. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has successfully enhanced the role of the United Nations in this important field and, at this juncture, I would like, on behalf of the Croatian Government, to congratulate Mrs. Mary Robinson upon her appointment to this post. Because of her excellent qualifications and personal integrity, we are confident that she will perform her duties admirably. Croatia’s own human rights situation should be evaluated in the context of the exceptional circumstances of its recent history.”

   1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

4. “Unfortunately, a lack of specialized equipment means that the process cannot move any faster. Having said this, allow me to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all those who have thus far provided financial and other aid towards alleviating the landmine problem in my country, and to make a further appeal for any aid — material, financial or professional — which could help us expedite the mine- clearing process. In this context, I would like to express my Government’s appreciation for the efforts of the United Nations Mine Action Centre in Zagreb and the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs for their efforts in helping us launch this process. Quality of life, today and in the future, will greatly depend on success in the protection of human rights it both international and national levels.”

   1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

5. “Croatia, which has played an active role during the Ottawa process from the beginning, and which has already put in place its own unilateral moratorium on landmines, fully supports all the efforts which ultimately led to the decision at the recent Oslo conference to adopt the text of a global treaty banning anti-personnel landmines. Croatia’s preoccupation with the global landmine problem is also motivated by personal affliction. Millions of mines laid in the formerly occupied territories of Croatia during the war continue to pose a direct threat, especially to the most vulnerable: civilians. It is also a great impediment to the reconstruction of war-affected areas. The clearing of mines in these areas is a painstaking process, and, in spite of our best efforts, it will take many years to complete.”

   1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

6. “My country was pleased to note that during this year’s NPT Preparatory Committee sessions some progress was achieved with regard to the principle of non-first use, especially against non-nuclear-weapon States, and it calls on the nuclear States to give due consideration to proposals to have this principle codified in a legally binding document. In May 1996, the Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or To Have Indiscriminate Effects amended Protocol II on landmines.”

   1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

7. “Croatia supports the idea of granting permanent member status to Germany and Japan, with the right to permanent membership being kept in mind for those parts of the world, primarily Africa, which for more than 50 years, without any justification, have been deprived of permanent Security Council representation. Furthermore, my country supports the idea of assigning one more seat on the Security Council to the Eastern European Group. Croatia strongly supports the reaffirmation and full implementation of the universality of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).”

   1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

8. “As for the need to rationalize the work of the General Assembly and reduce its huge agenda, Croatia has put forward a proposal to delete the item on the General Assembly’s agenda entitled “The situation in the occupied territories of Croatia”, as its title and topic no longer correspond to the situation on the ground, which makes it obsolete. In view of the geopolitical realities, Croatia advocates an increase in the number of Security Council members, both permanent and non-permanent. Half a century of old stereotypes ought to be phased out.”

   1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

9. “Here and now I can confirm the readiness of my country to join the roster of United Nations Member States whose troops participate in international peace endeavours. The fifty-second session of the General Assembly is taking place against a background of great obligations and equally great expectations regarding the reform of the United Nations system. The timely and far-reaching proposals put forward by the Secretary-General have opened the door for reforms. Croatia gives its firm support to his proposals, and we are ready to render any assistance needed in introducing the kind of changes we owe both to those who laid the foundations of this Organization and to future generations.”

   1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

10. “It has been proven beyond any doubt that a peace operation can be successful only if its mandate is clearly defined, in terms of its goal as well as its time- frame, and if it is actively and fully supported by the 12 Security Council and the Secretary-General, and spearheaded by an uncompromising leadership explicitly determined to use all means required for the completion of its mission. This knowledge has been gained at a high political, material and, worst of all, human price, so it is to be hoped that it will be wisely exploited in the future. For its part, Croatia is anxious to step out of its role as a country hosting peacekeeping operations and instead assume the role of an active participant in such operations elsewhere.”

    1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

11. “Jacques Klein, until recently Transitional Administrator in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium, whose vigorous work, leadership skill and successful cooperation with the Croatian Government have been instrumental in the peaceful reintegration of these areas into Croatia. During the many months of the United Nations presence in Croatia and elsewhere in the area of the former Yugoslavia, my country had a chance to see for itself all the potential and the weaknesses of peacekeeping operations.”

    1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

12. “I should like to take this opportunity to reiterate my Government’s sincere gratitude for all the efforts that were made by the United Nations to stop the war in Croatia and alleviate its consequences, as well as to express my country’s sincere sympathies to the families of the “blue helmets” who have fallen while attending to their lofty duties. I am very grateful for the opportunity to express our appreciation and thanks to the United Nations Secretary- General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his peace efforts in Croatia. As a United Nations official in the field and as Under- Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations he made a major personal contribution to overcoming the crisis. Our great thanks go to UNTAES and Mr.”

    1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

13. “Today I can point out with satisfaction that Croatia has concluded dozens of bilateral agreements with its neighbours, and relations with each of our immediate neighbours are being fully regulated and are steadily improving. Croatia hosted two large-scale United Nations peace operations: the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) and the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation in Croatia (UNCRO). The United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES), in the Danubian area, and the United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP) are still present. Croatia has also played an important role in facilitating the Stabilization Force (SFOR) operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

    1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

14. “As a Central European and Mediterranean country, Croatia highlights as its strategic priorities overall stability in the region, full integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions and the assertion of its position in the new post-cold-war Europe. Hence the special attention my Government pays to the policy of good neighbourliness and the development of stable relations with all neighbouring countries, based on the principles of full respect for the existing internationally recognized borders, for minority rights and for the peaceful resolution of existing and possible disputes in the spirit of the United Nations Charter.”

    1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

15. “It is a special privilege and honour for me to address the General Assembly at the beginning of its fifty-second session. At the outset I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to you, Sir, as the new President of the General Assembly, confident that your extensive and proven diplomatic experience and skills will play an important role in the work of the Assembly. I should also like to express our gratitude to the President of the General Assembly at its fifty-first session, His Excellency Mr. Razali Ismail, whose devoted and vigorous work has shown that United Nations reform is much more than mere rhetoric, and who set a new standard of performance in the General Assembly.”

    1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)

16. “We will be one of the sponsors of a draft resolution calling for the timely establishment of this institution. The world we live in is entering a stage of national individualization but also of ever-closer functional cooperation between States in creating a stable and interdependent new order. Croatia, as a young State that still harbours painfully fresh memories of its struggle for its identity, freedom and right to economic development, sincerely wishes to contribute to the establishment of this new order by actively helping to find solutions to other crisis points, development problems, and disproportions in contemporary societies around the world.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

17. “We are pleased to note that apart from the trend towards institutionalizing regional development and functional cooperation, we are entering an era in which States are increasing their level of cooperation, through multilateral diplomacy, on basic development questions, such as: the environment; developing the laws of the sea; enforcing international humanitarian law; protecting human and minority rights; protecting the rights of women and children; promoting disarmament and non-proliferation; and sharing knowledge and resources to help the development of the Third World. We are, therefore, passing over old ideologies, religious or regional affiliation and loyalties. One area in which Croatia will be especially active is the establishment of the international criminal court.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

18. “In its post-war foreign policy and economic activities, Croatia will firstly associate with countries on its continent, but will also strive towards diversification of its relations. Croatia wishes actively to contribute to the promotion of the common interests of small and, especially, new States.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

19. “Therefore, Croatia firmly supports the expansion of the Council to 25 members in both categories of membership. Greater transparency in the work of the Council is also essential, and should be achieved through the adoption of new rules of procedure. The Organization will also be strengthened by the present 25 discussions on changes in general procedures, that will, inter alia, reduce and rationalize the costs of overlapping activities of various United Nations institutions. We especially support efforts to rationalize and restructure the socio-economic sector of the United Nations so that it can continue to achieve its rightly ambitious goals around the world.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

20. “We are following with particular interest the process of resolving the financial crisis of the United Nations. As a small State that has experienced exceptional financial needs and shortfalls over the past five years, Croatia supports efforts to find a more equitable scale of assessment for Member States that are experiencing extraordinary situations and whose capacity to pay has, accordingly, changed significantly. Croatia has already spoken in favour of reforming and strengthening the United Nations system, and especially the Security Council. Our position takes into account new realities in which economic powers such as Germany and Japan, but also individual regions and States — and their views — must be more justly represented.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

21. “We should now like to become active in the other regular activities of the United Nations and regional mechanisms, to which we offer our experience and experts, to further the common interests and ideals of the Charter of the United Nations. Croatia is actively following the reform process of the United Nations system, and actively participates in some aspects of reform. We fully recognize the need to reorganize the system and adapt it to the changing international system. New objectives are already clearly defined in the socio-economic sphere, and the area of human rights in particular. The United Nations is faced with new realities and problems centred around its goal of promoting the rights of the individual while preserving the identity of groups and nations and respecting the sovereignty of Member States.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

22. “Croatia’s extraordinary openness to the innumerable institutions that monitor developments on our soil, especially in the field of human rights, attests to the transparency of our policy and to our deep commitment to democratic values, tolerance and individual rights. In renewing our expressions of gratitude to the United Nations for its contribution to the successful resolution of an act of aggression against a Member State, we should like to express the readiness of our country, which now has a wealth of experience in peace-mediation efforts behind it, to contribute actively to similar United Nations efforts outside our region.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

23. “Any territorial adjustment at the expense of Bosnia and Herzegovina or its two entities shall be viewed as highly detrimental to the stability of the region in general and considered a threat to Croatia’s security. As Croatia continues to move to reestablish its European way of life, while at the same time bringing its young democracy and its governance into conformity with the new European democratic reality, constructive criticism of its actions and attitudes will continue to be taken in good faith. By now, we have accepted the fact that, owing to the needs of the multilateral crisis-management process in the region, the standards set for Croatia in many areas of democratic development are much higher than for other countries in transition.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

24. “Croatia, fully supportive of a properly balanced Federation as defined at Dayton — the 1—2—3 formula: one State, two entities, three constituent peoples — seeks not only to ensure the survival of the Bosnian Croats as a constituent people in all respects, but also to avoid any situation that could lead to a threatening instability in the region as a whole. In that sense, any attempts to change the constitutional definition of the Federation or to achieve the same results through institutional or power-sharing arrangements are unacceptable to the Republic of Croatia as a party to the relevant Agreements. The same applies to any attempts to change the present entities settlement through an over-centralization of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

25. “The process of the internal stabilization of Bosnia and Herzegovina will take years and, in this regard, Croatia is fully open to cooperation and collaboration with the international community. The community’s presence and assistance there has been significantly less costly to it thanks to Croatia’s resources and contributions. Following the initial reconstruction assistance for Bosnia and Herzegovina, an economically viable Croatian State can make the greatest contribution to the viability of the Bosnian Federation and to Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole. Croatia is prepared to recognize the results of every democratic political process between the three constituent nations and the two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and will continue to give its full support to the successful implementation of the Federation Agreements.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

26. “Therefore, there shall be no further raising of the question of territorial adjustments between Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on the Prevlaka peninsula, the five-century-old boundary line between Croatia and Montenegro. However, there is a need to establish a security regime there through peaceful negotiations with a view to the mutual benefit of cross-border economic cooperation. 24 On the basis of the new reality, Croatia’s foreign and internal policy priorities will now aim at compatibility with and timely integration into European regional organizations. At the same time, we remain cognizant of our responsibilities in respect of the peaceful and successful stabilization of neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which Croats are one of the three constituent peoples.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

27. “The continued lack of tangible progress in this area could induce internal and external instability; this is a matter which my Government and the international community should seek to avoid at all costs. For this reason, the clear stance of my Government is that the peaceful integration of the region under the present UNTAES mandate should be completed on schedule. With the signature of the normalization agreement between Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the small United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka, Croatia, will also become obsolete in the foreseeable future. Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have agreed that the issue of Prevlaka is to be dealt with and fully resolved as a security matter, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the policy of good-neighbourliness.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

28. “The successful expansion of bilateral neighbourly relations based on internationally accepted principles cannot be replaced by the imposition of superfluous and ambitious regional associations. Taking account of this new reality, in which Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are prepared to resolve all their outstanding problems on a bilateral basis as two equal and sovereign States, the need for the continued presence of peacekeeping forces in Croatia has come to an end. Any further extension of the UNTAES mandate in Croatia can only encourage delays in its implementation and place at risk the most critical aspect of the mandate: the return of 80,000 Croatian and non-Serb refugees and displaced persons to the region.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

29. “Thanks in part to General Assembly support for the universal principles enshrined in the Charter and in part to the intervention of United Nations peacekeeping forces, the countries which emerged following the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia are now increasingly heading towards the objective of peacefully resolving mutual problems on a bilateral basis and through regular multilateral contacts, thereby lessening the need for international involvement and mediation. Those problems include the succession to the former State; regional security arrangements and arms control; the search for missing persons; reciprocal minority rights; and the reestablishment of bilateral economic, cultural and other forms of cooperation.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

30. “We are grateful to all Member States that supported our appeals and calls in the General Assembly for universal respect of international law — as reflected, for instance, in General Assembly resolution 49/43, which created the political conditions and legal framework for the peaceful reintegration of Eastern Slavonia. We are also grateful to Member States whose diplomats and soldiers are more directly involved in the successful implementation of the UNTAES mandate.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

31. “This operation just may become the most successful peacekeeping operation in recent history, and perhaps rightfully so, given our own and international frustrations with the unsuccessful attempt at peacekeeping and peacemaking in the region so far. The successful completion of the UNTAES operation is becoming ever more likely given the recent signing of an agreement on normalization of relations between the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the establishment of a new balance in the region, the same balance that helped the international community forge the Dayton Peace Agreement.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

32. “However, we believe that our experience has given a very positive impetus to the intrinsic need to reform the general concept of peacekeeping operations, the work of the Security Council and the changes in the regional, political and security systems in Europe as well. Even though the mandate of the joint peacekeeping forces in Croatia has not yet ended — 5,000 peacekeepers are still working in the Croatian Danubian area — I wish to convey to the Assembly the optimism of my Government for the successful completion of the mandate of the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) there.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

33. “Today, however, the war has ended, and we are finally coming to terms with all of the political, economic and procedural constraints which the international community had to overcome in order to 23 properly react to the aggression, the calamity of war and the diplomatic uncertainty resulting from the breakup of the communist federation of Yugoslavia and the security vacuum resulting from the closure of the cold-war era. Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina indeed paid a high price for their struggle to ensure their survival, alongside the progressive efforts of the international community to develop a new concept of the United Nations and other international mechanisms for the peaceful resolution of conflicts.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

34. “We are enormously grateful to this noble institution and its associated agencies, and especially to those Member States whose sons and daughters are exposed to risk, in some cases giving their lives, in a noble endeavour to assist us in ending the horrific war of aggression against our country and in the wider region. Croatia has played host to one of the largest, most expensive and complex peacekeeping operations in the history of the United Nations. Croatia’s Government and people, the hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and refugees in particular, have on many occasions been critical of the ineffectiveness and ambiguity of peacekeeping mandates.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

35. “It gives me great pleasure, therefore, to be able to lead the Croatian delegation at the fifty-first session of the General Assembly with the strong conviction that the time of war is finally behind us and that in the region of south- east Europe, Croatia is no longer a part of a larger crisis, but rather an active and decisive agent of introducing the final solution to the crisis and the emerging international order. In this connection, our external and internal policies are becoming increasingly peace-oriented and development-focused. So far Croatia has been successful in dealing with the question of its statehood and the right of small nations to full self-determination, as well as in defending these rights within the framework of and through the United Nations.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

36. “After having been the focus of the international community’s attention for a long time, due to its being exposed to aggression and to its being part of the most serious regional crisis since the Second World War, Croatia has now entered a new era of its history as a free, sovereign and fully independent State. Croatia is now in a position to deal with and resolve almost all its external and internal affairs with its own resources, and through close cooperation with the international community as an equal partner.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

37. “At the outset, allow me to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the President on his election to the high office from which he will guide the work of the fifty-first session of the General Assembly. I am confident that his diplomatic experience and commitment to the noble principles of the Charter will impress upon this session new commitment, determination and vigour. I would also like to express our gratitude to his predecessor, Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral of Portugal, for the skilful manner in which he presided over the work of the fiftieth session.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)