Statement
by
Dr. Jelena Grcic Polic
Deputy Permanent Representative
in the
Security Council
Maintenance of peace and security and post-conflict peace-building
New York, December 23, 1998
Thank you, Mr. President.
Mr. President, I thank you for organizing this exchange of views. We sincerely hope that today´s deliberations shall help us better understand and therefore build on existing methods in maintaining or restoring international peace and security. The recent action taken in Iraq is direct proof of how thorough discussions on how to maintain peace and security are needed. There are just too many open, even controversial questions concerning the role of the United Nations and the Security Council, compared to the role of regional organizations, especially NATO, which have to be resolved.
Mr. President,
It is a well known fact that the world is becoming ever more interdependent. A crisis in today´s day and age -- be it financial, humanitarian or other – embodies a potential to affect entire regions, and beyond. The most recent example includes the Asian financial crisis, where the collapse of markets in Indonesia and Korea was felt from Japan and Australia to Europe and the United States. The Rwandan conflict, whose intensity waned many years ago, has now affected much of central Africa.
Experience teaches us that any crisis can be better handled in its early stages. In this sense, one might ask whether optimal use of potentials following the fall of the Iron Curtain and the democratization of central and eastern Europe has been achieved? Could we have moved more quickly to help countries in transition push through reforms? And, what kind of assistance could have been earmarked to do so? Could the early identification of and reaction to problems faced by countries in transition have a positive effect on their later development, and what would ignoring the signs mean in the long run?
Mr. President,
In essence, what is the end of a conflict? Is it the cessation of active hostilities, or the resolution of its underlying causes? Croatia believes that identifying and addressing the root causes of a problem which can have regional or global repercussions is the most important factor in securing international peace and security. Just patching up a situation and not resolving fundamental antagonisms in a society can have the effect of leaving a wound to fester. This is equally important before, as it is after a conflict or crisis has arisen. Before, because it can help avoid a conflict, and after, because it can help cure open wounds. Let me remind you of a negative example. Seven years following the dissolution of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the aggression against Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the succession issue of the former SFRY is yet to be regulated and the new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia still refuses to accept existing borders and the equality of all successor States.
The next phase -- post-conflict peace-building -- is just as important as bringing a conflict or crisis to an end. A post-conflict society is usually weak. Its infrastructure is destroyed or damaged, its people are needy, resources are scarce, human rights are not efficiently protected and painful memories are still fresh. In addressing these issues, Croatia supports the views presented by Secretary-General in his report on renewing the UN - a program for reform. In that report the Secretary-General obliquely stated that successful peace-building requires a mutually reinforcing political strategy and assistance program, incorporating human rights considerations and humanitarian and development programs. The importance of mutual reaffirmation of these two approaches to peace-building cannot be overemphasized.
Building peace, as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has required not only the rebuilding and strengthening of civilian government and civil institutions and infrastructure, but also stimulating investment and restarting the economy through financial donors. The complete recovery and creation of a self-sustaining society however shall occur only once root causes have adequately been addressed and resolved. Although it should be reiterated that the parties themselves must bear the primary responsibility in sustaining the achievements of the international community, continued support, especially from countries in the region concerned, shall be an important element in assisting states such as Bosnia and Herzegovina to fulfil their obligations.
The post-war reconstruction and reconciliation processes which are taking place in Croatia are processes that necessarily take time, but can be accelerated through international support. Conditions for the return of displaced persons and refugees have been established, even though the economic and social situation in war-affected areas remains difficult. There is a significant shortage of capital for new investment, job creation and specific projects, such as demining. Therefore, the already invested political, human and financial resources of the international community in Croatia should be coupled with development assistance, if the desired results are to be achieved. Investment in peace, followed by investment in development, is part of the same continuum. Accordingly, we hope that the Conference on development held in Zagreb this month shall have a successful follow-up.
The establishment of truth about a conflict and the punishment of perpetrators of conflict-related grave breaches of humanitarian law is another prerequisite for the reestablishment of peace and security. On the global level, the establishment of the International Criminal Court should serve to aid and expedite the healing and reconciliation process. However, one must take heed of a serious warning: if we intend to develop the ICC into a credible institution, we must avoid the traps and shortfalls discovered in the practice of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The Security Council cannot afford to allow the lack of cooperation of any state or entity -- in this case the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina -- to distort the true picture of the conflict and thereby betray the fundamental objectives for which the Tribunal was founded. The process of reconciliation hinges upon bringing people like Šljivancanin, Mrkšic, Radic or Martic, Karadžic and Mladic to justice.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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