Ministar savjetnik RH pri Ujedinjenim narodima Vice Skracic održao je govor na raspravi Vijeca sigurnosti UN-a u svezi situacije na Haitiju.
Croatia would like to join others in thanking the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Mr. Hedi Annabi for his briefing and insightful comments. Allow me from the onset use this opportunity to commend both Mr. Annabi and the civil and military components of MINUSTAH for the tremendous work they have undertaken in the overall stabilization of the situation in Haiti. I would also like to welcome the presence of the Permanent representative of Haiti, and thank him for the hospitality provided to Council members during our recent visit to Haiti headed by Ambassador Jorge Urbina of Costa Rica last month.
Mr. President, Croatian believes that political stability in Haiti is a prerequisite for any long lasting solution in that country. When we last met in October 2008 we welcomed the forming of a new Haitian government under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis, who together with President Preval was immediately set with the difficult task of trying to bridge the gap between the Executive and Legislative, whose deepening divisions were demonstrated by as stated in the report repeated parliamentary summons of government officials, modest progress on the legislative agenda, in particular, the inability to adopt a budget.
It was encouraging that during the Council's visit to Haiti last month that many interlocuters, in the government and the parliament, as well as in civil society and the private sector, expressed genuine willingness to overcome these divisions in order to work on issues of crucial importance for the future of the country. We welcome this encouraging sign of readiness to work together for the common good, especially on those issues of indisputable importance for Haiti, like customs and policing, the strengthening of the rule of law and constitutional reform, education, socio-economic development and investment.
The first real litmus test for the political cohesiveness of Haiti comes in a few short days time – the April 19 elections for one third of the country's Senate. Despite the short term risk of further political attention, it is our understanding that these senatorial elections will be of crucial importance for any planned discussions on constitutional reform on needed improvements to Haiti's democratic institutions, as without the election of these senators the Senate will continue to lack the required numbers for successfully promulgating these required reforms. These senatorial elections are also important if the timetable for further senatorial and other elections in the country scheduled for 2009 is to be kept. We welcome the readiness of the government and the Provisional Electoral Council to fulfill this goal, and also welcome the Electoral Council's commitment to ensure that all elections are free, fair and inclusive, and held on time.
Naturally, political stability comes hand in hand with physical security. We are encouraged by the steady recruitment of and strengthened professionalism of the Haitian National Police, whose numbers have now increased to just over 9,000 officers, two thirds of the 14,000 officers foreseen to be recruited by 2011. While these officers may not yet be in a position to face the many challenges to Haiti's stability by themselves, for which they have the able and robust support of MINUSTAH, we do believe that they are on the right track to achieve just this. Strengthened public confidence in the HNP is also a good sign. We hope that with MINUSTAH's assistance, the HNP will be able to better address burning issues such as drug trafficking and organized crime, including kidnappings, which are recognized threats to Haiti's stability and development.
This also holds true for the work that needs to be done to effectively manage and control Haiti's borders in general, which seriously lack even the most basic infrastructure and equipment. Regional partners could contribute to greater stability in the area by complementing the Mission's enhanced land and maritime patrolling duties with more bilateral border cooperation. More importantly, the next six months will serve as an important test as to whether the Haitian authorities have met prerequisite stabilization marks prior to the Mission's current mandate expiring in October.
Judicial reform is another important step in strengthening the rule of law in Haiti, which in turn is a requirement for socioeconomic development. Croatia welcomes the inauguration of the School of Magistrates on March 12, which we had the honor to witness. We look forward to the successful implementation of the national plan for justice reform as well as the speedy establishment of the Superior Council for the Judiciary, which will go a long way towards guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary. The continuing support of MINUSTAH towards strengthening administrative and governance capacities to ensure further government reform efforts is vital for the long term stability of Haiti.
Mr. President, one of the most important tasks left before the Government of Haiti is socioeconomic development. The reduction of poverty, the promotion of development and food security, the environment and job creation are all national priorities. While there is broad consensus amongst national stakeholders, including in the private sector, that the government should take the lead in promoting these priorities, we regret that the government has yet to produce a focused action plan outlining the country's priorities in this regard. Taking in the lessons from the devastating hurricanes from 2008, and the fragile stability of Haiti, where one third of the population is still dependent on emergency aid and where uncertainty of the future is a way of life for many Haitians, we sincerely hope that the government take this into consideration so that the gains being made towards consolidation of security front will not be jeopardized by lack of progress on socioeconomic development or by renewed natural disasters.
Finally Mr. President, we hope that international assistance for Haiti, including at upcoming donor conference planned in Washington DC for later this month, will make a difference to Haiti's future by addressing possible shortfalls so that the pitfalls of destabilization in Haiti can be avoided. We welcome the recent visit by the Secretary-General and former U.S. President Clinton in order to throw the spotlight on Haiti's needs and to demonstrate the international community's solidarity.
The role of the donor community is of particular importance given the extremely worrisome economic and social statistics in Haiti, as personified by the 3 million people threatened with food insecurity.
It is our hope that the international response will result in the establishment of a genuine and coherent compact geared towards developmental projects and investments, which will carefully balance the essence of national ownership with an integrated stabilization process. The Haitian government for its part needs to seize upon this opportunity by continuing to embrace a collaborative and inclusive approach in steering its country towards long term economic security. Moreover, the government needs to support international partners by removing obstacles to private investment, including but not limited to establishing an inter-ministerial committee on land management, drafting a new law on co-ownership and identifying state owned land for the establishment of possible export zones.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Priopćenja
