In the first speech by a Croatian Prime Minister before the U.N. General Assembly, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader highlighted the central role of the United Nations in the struggle against terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, adding that Croatia is ready to become more engaged in U.N. peacekeeping missions.
Croatian Prime Minister Sanader Speaks at UN General Assembly,
Meets With US President Bush
In the first speech by a Croatian Prime Minister before the U.N. General Assembly, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader highlighted the central role of the United Nations in the struggle against terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, adding that Croatia is ready to become more engaged in U.N. peacekeeping missions.
At the General Assembly, which brought together at least 89 heads of state and government, Prime Minister Sanader singled out terrorism and weapons of mass destruction as the greatest threats facing the world today, noting that the United Nations should have the leading role in dealing with these challenges.
During his address, Dr. Sanader said that weapons of mass destruction, if combined with terrorism, “could bring upon mankind a level of destruction on an unforeseeable scale. Therefore, we cannot relax our efforts in the fight against global terrorism”, said Dr. Sanader, warning that failure to address these issues appropriately and on time could have unforgiving consequences.
Speaking of the U.N., Prime Minister Sanader said that Croatia is determined to contribute to the best of its ability to the U.N.’s success and the principles on which it was established. Sanader said Croatia supported U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan''''''''s assessment that the U.N. "requires adequate security and institutional agility to adapt to changing circumstances in the world".
Noting that Croatia has filed for candidacy for nonpermanent membership of the U.N. Security Council in 2008-09, Prime Minister Sanader said that achieving this goal would be a great recognition of the efforts invested in peace and stability of Southeast Europe. Dr. Sanader said that he was proud of Croatia’s progress and accomplishments, since the country has grown into one of the key generators of stability in the region of Southeast Europe.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader briefly met with U.S. President George Bush, during a reception the U.S. President hosted on the occasion of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly. Referring to Croatia’s national priorities, Dr. Sanader underlined that the two main goals of Croatia are integration into NATO and the European Union.
Prime Minister Sanader has previously visited the United States and met with President Bush, as part of his focus on international relations and strengthening Croatia’s position in the world. Prime Minister Sanader has continually expressed interest in Croatia becoming a member of NATO as soon as possible, because Croatia shares in the common values of democracy, freedom, the rule of law, human rights and market economy that the NATO Alliance represents.
During his visit to New York, Dr. Sanader also held talks with Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano and representatives of Jewish associations B’Nai B’Rith, American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League, who expressed interest in Croatia’s national priorities and policies.
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