54th Session United Nations General Assembly

New York Headquarters

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary

Mr. JANOS MARTONYI

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Hungary, said the most urgent task facing Member States was to end the ever-growing inequities that existed between the various regions of the world, especially Africa, which was fraught with conflicts and crises. The persistence of poverty was another major concern, and intolerance threatened the foundations of civilization. He called upon Member States to exploit the advantages of globalization, while being aware of the risks. There was also a need to be aware of the paramount importance of dealing adequately with global problems. It was necessary, as well, to act in the face of massive and flagrant violations of human rights. The international community could not shirk giving a valid response to that major dilemma. He said the traditional concept of the principle of national sovereignty was going through various developments. Thanks to international law, national sovereignty was becoming less and less of a retreat where governments could hide. Thus, in a global context, the

collective interest was beginning to represent the national interest. In the vicinity of his own country, a regime had based its actions on extreme nationalism and the international community had taken the necessary measures to restore peace, albeit a relative and fragile one. The international community was again being put to the test in the case of East Timor in the wake of recent events there, which were a brutal violation of the rights of East Timorese to self-determination and a serious blow to human rights.

He said the tragic events in both Kosovo and East Timor could only confirm the necessity for human rights and the resolution to prevent conflicts. Sustained attention should also be paid to the question of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. The Ottawa Convention on anti-personnel mines would contribute greatly to the humanitarian and special problems caused by the use of those devices. It was also important to accelerate negotiations for a verification protocol to accompany the Convention on biological weapons. Hungary would contribute to any political initiative that would help the implementation of such. The establishment of

the international criminal court would act as a deterrent that would contribute to regional and international peace and security. The recent acts of terrorism sadly recalled the immense challenge to fight such phenomena, and underscored the need for new methods. He said reform of the United Nations was a vast undertaking comprised of various interconnected stages. While achievements so far were valuable, they were still inadequate. There was a long way to go to revitalize the Organization, including reform of the Security Council. He expected that the Millennium Summit would provide the necessary impetus for the dynamic issue of United Nations reform. The paramount task today was to make the United Nations capable of preserving the values of "our civilization" in a twenty-first century which promised to be a very turbulent one. It was up to all to make the planet a decent and inhabitable place for future generations.