It is my great pleasure to have been given the opportunity as President of the Republic of Croatia to be your guest and to address the parliamentarians of the first political organisation created after the horrors of the Second World War in order to preserve and promote individual freedoms, political freedom and the rule of law, the fundamental values of genuine democracy and political pluralism.
Address of the President of the Republic of Croatia Mr. Stjepan Mesic at the Fourth Part of the 2000 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Strasbourg, 28 September 2000
Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to have been given the opportunity as President of the Republic of Croatia to be your guest and to address the parliamentarians of the first political organisation created after the horrors of the Second World War in order to preserve and promote individual freedoms, political freedom and the rule of law, the fundamental values of genuine democracy and political pluralism.
Today, fifty-one years after its foundation, we are aware that the Council of Europe is the most European political organisation on our continent: almost all European states have become its members and thereby accepted the commitment to foster and disseminate our common values. One of the greatest examples of the noble activities of the Council of Europe is certainly the adoption of the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms, the fiftieth anniversary of which we are going to mark in November.
Let us be candid and admit that, in spite of the optimism inherent in human beings, few believed that the Council of Europe would undergo such a swift transformation from a Cold War institution into a forum for dialogue between the East and the West, and, eventually, into a truly pan-European organisation. We have thereby come close to fulfilling the wishes of the great British statesman Sir Winston Churchill, who publicly asked himself already in 1946: "And why should there not be a European group which could give a sense of enlarged patriotism and common citizenship to the distracted peoples of this turbulent and mighty continent? And why should it not take its rightful place with other groupings and help to shape the onward destinies of men?"
The openness, generosity and perseverance of the Council of Europe ought to be a model to other political organisations of a European character, too. In particular I have in mind the European Union, within which there is undoubtedly awareness of the necessity to accept new members, but there are also currents opposing, for economic and other reasons, expansion to some former socialist states on our continent. I am convinced that partial solutions, that is, the admission of only some countries to the European Union, would represent a major injustice to the already long-suffering nations at the rim of Western Europe. Indeed, I believe that all states which have seriously taken the road towards comprehensive Europeanisation should be given a genuine prospect of association with the European Union - to a political-economic-defensive Union in which small nations will have their place and be able to contribute to the common cause.
Among the countries which have seriously tackled this challenging project I can without any hesitation include Croatia, whose road to full-fledged membership in the international community, as we are all aware, has been extremely hard. As one of the six republics of the Yugoslav Federation, Croatia decided to turn its back on communist ideology and socialist self-management, and transform its society after the model of Western European democracy and market economy. However, the hegemonist and nationalist forces in Belgrade opposed Croatia''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s freedom-loving aspirations, and then resorted to armed aggression. Already at that time we knew that its aim was not the preservation of Yugoslavia but the creation of an ethnically clean Greater Serbia - an insane, anticivilisational and, fortunately, failed project. The war imposed by the Yugoslav National Army and the Belgrade leadership, the temporary loss of one-third of the national territory, massive ethnic cleansing, the unfortunate conflict between the Croats and the Bosniacs and the provision for hundreds of thousands of refugees significantly slowed down the continuation of the democratic transformation and thwarted the healthy economic transformation of Croatia. My last visit to the Council of Europe in the capacity of Speaker of the Croatian Parliament in late 1993 reflected all the complexity of the situation in Croatia at the time.
With major efforts, our country has nevertheless succeeded in emerging out of the armed conflict as a victor. With the establishment of territorial integrity - a process which took seven years (!) - the conditions were finally created for the liberalisation of the Croatian society. Unfortunately, the former Croatian government did not have the strength, and perhaps not even the will, to promote further democratisation of society and the required economic reforms badly needed by the impoverished and long-suffering Croatian population. The parliamentary and presidential elections in January and February have shown that Croatia''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s citizens are not prepared to follow a path focused on the past. Instead, they have shown that they look to the future, and they have clearly expressed their wish to see a rapid implementation of urgent social and economic reforms, demonstrating thereby the vast democratic potential of the country. Therefore, they have shown that they want a European Croatia, a Croatia of tolerance and human rights, prosperity and economic growth.
It gives me great pride to see that the citizens of my country are ready to bear the burden of the challenging comprehensive economic and social transformation. Unfortunately, the restructuring of the economy will result, in the first stage, in considerable layoffs; later, however, it will certainly generate new jobs and a more advanced working environment. The Croatian government is well aware of the gravity of this unrewarding and unpopular task, well aware that the development of a modern and efficient economy is correlated with the continued and successful democratic transformation of the country. Only prosperous societies, or those promising to become prosperous, can be a sound foundation for the strengthening of the democratic order and the rule of law, as well as a barrier against political extremism.
In this regard Croatia counts on foreign assistance, and this needs no particular emphasis. That is, although it does not suffer privation, Croatia will require the knowledge and the capital of foreign partners and international organisations for a fast and efficient transformation of its economy. Let me use this occasion in order to point out that Croatia does not expect any charity or gifts but direct foreign investments into its respectable natural and economic resources. The importance of such a support is also demonstrated by the example of Western European countries whose reconstructed and mutually connected economies have made it possible to strengthen and, in some cases, to create political systems inspired by the values of liberal democracy. It is no wonder, therefore, that Croatia expects much from the new CARDS Program of the European Union and from the mechanisms of the Stability Pact for South-eastern Europe, in which it is playing an increasingly important role. We are grateful, obviously, to the Bank for Social Development of the Council of Europe for the approved loans intended for the recovery of the social infrastructure in the war-affected areas and for supporting the return of persons who had to leave their homes. We also hope that it will play -as in other countries - an important role in the development of medium and small enterprises, and thereby at least partly help in resolving the unemployment problem.
However, the reform-focused undertakings of the new Croatian government are not limited to the economy. Croatia''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s citizens also expect social transformation. That is, they have shown that they want to live in a community whose identity is based primarily on the will of its members to share the same destiny. The new, Croatia, self-confident and full of of the spirit of victory, does not fear the return of those Croatian citizens, ethnic Serbs, who left the country and who sincerely want to integrate themselves in Croatian society and share the destiny of their fellow citizens, i.e., who truly experience Croatia as their homeland. Obviously, the transformation of our society is not a painless process and it is meeting with the resistance of certain parts of the Croatian population. At present this is most evident with respect to the re-examination of certain events related to the Patriotic Defence War, one of the constituent elements of the identity of the Republic of Croatia. However, a Croatia turned to Europe must have enough strength and maturity, and face the potentially negative phenomena of our positive struggle for freedom and independence. It is the task of the Croatian judiciary, of course, to investigate possible crimes and, should they be established, to appropriately punish those guilty of such crimes. Any other conduct would not comply with the principle of the rule of law and it would take Croatia away from the European family embodied primarily in the Council of Europe.
However, the changes which have taken place in Croatia do not refer only to the internal policy sphere. The most spectacular results of which the new Croatia can be proud have been achieved in foreign policy. In line with the principle of the rule of law, we have established comprehensive cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. We have substantially redefined our policy towards neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina and we fully respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, which implies the transparent financing of the institutions of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Croats. We support the return of all refugees without any discrimination - Croats and Bosniacs to Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as Croatian Serbs to their homes which they had abandoned owing to the defeat of Milosevic''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s imperialist policy. We have started to play an active and constructive role within the Stability Pact for South-eastern Europe by availing ourselves of the mechanisms for financing the returns of refugees and the reconstruction of war-devastated areas. Finally, due mention should be made of our truly exemplary relations with our three north-western neighbours, Italy, Slovenia and Hungary, with which we have recently started to co-operate within the scope of the so-called Quadrilateral. The close co-operation and the degree of mutual trust are illustrated, for instance, by the border regime according to which the citizens of these four countries can cross state frontiers with the presentation of their identity cards only, as well as by the agreements, highly appreciated by the international community, on the mutual protection of minority rights which Croatia concluded with Italy and Hungary.
Like the international community, at large, Croatia follows with great attention the current political events in the neighbouring Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. We would like her to abandon as soon as possible the path of nationalism and isolation, and board the train of genuine democracy and tolerance, so that we can establish good neighbourly relations and thereby contribute to the stabilisation of the region. We expect from a democratised Federal Republic of Yugoslavia a constructive attitude in the resolution of the problem of succession in the former Yugoslav federation, i.e. the respect of the principle whereby all successor states enjoy equal rights and obligations. This, of course, implies that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia cannot automatically inherit the place of the former Yugoslav federation in the United Nations and other international organisations, and that it has to undergo the same admission procedures applied to other successor states.
The new foreign policy orientation of Croatia has met with the approval of the international community, which has not waited long in rewarding the efforts of the Croatian government. In late May, at the ministerial meeting of the members of the North Atlantic Council in Florence, Croatia was admitted to the Partnership for Peace, the antechamber of the major present-day defensive alliance. A few weeks later the Ministerial Council of the European Union accepted the Feasibility Study concerning the negotiations of the Agreement on Stabilisation and Association between Croatia and the European Union, which are to start in November. In July Croatia signed the protocol on admission to the World Trade Organisation, thereby becoming member of an organisation which covers almost ninety percent of world trade.
The latest achievement is the decision of this assembly, adopted two days ago, to end the monitoring process in Croatia. Let me take this opportunity to thank the Rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mrs. Maria Stoyanova and Mr. Jerzy Jaskierna, for their effort in preparing a balanced and comprehensive report which emphasises the continuous progress in the development of democracy and the rule of law without omitting the still outstanding problems. Obviously, the successful activity of these two rapporteurs was facilitated by the involvement of their predecessors, Mrs. Hanna Suhotska and Messrs. Gunnar Jansson and Jan Figel.
Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Croatia experiences the end of the monitoring by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as passing of another maturity test. But we will not by any means stop strengthening our democratic order and the rule of law. On the contrary, our sleeves will remain rolled up so as to meet, as soon as possible, our remaining commitments and bring our legislation in line with European standards. In this effort we count, as we have done so far, on the precious help of the experts of the Council of Europe. In this context, allow me to mention that Croatia has recently enacted two laws on national minorities, and is currently preparing a third one, which, like the two preceding ones, has been forwarded to the Venice Commission for opinion. All this demonstrates that Croatia is experiencing the international community as a genuine partner.
The relation towards national minorities is indeed one of the best indicators of our commitment to democracy, tolerance and the principle of good neighbourly relations. National minorities must be a precious element for promoting international co-operation and never a pretext for territorial claims over parts of other states. Are not the lethal implications of such a way of thinking illustrated best by the recent tragic developments in the former Yugoslavia?
The international community and the international public, I would dare say, have discovered a new Croatia which, in spite of understandable difficulties, continues to blaze its trail towards a better future. All our friends and well-intentioned sceptics may rest assured that our strong reforming drive is not flagging. Croatia remains determined not only in the implementation of its own democratic and economic transformation but also in its influencing the democratic transformation of the region, which, unfortunately, has suffered from aggressive wars, intolerance and economic regression for too long.
Dear friends, members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, I believe I need not stress in particular that Croatia continues to count on your help so that we can together contribute to accelerating the process of stabilisation and Europeanisation of the long-suffering South-eastern Europe, sticking thereby to the noble and unselfish thought of the French philosopher Montesquieu: "If I knew that something benefits my homeland and harms Europe, or benefits Europe and harms humankind, I would consider it a crime."
Thank you for your attention!
Press releases
