Stalni predstavnik RH pri Ujedinjenim narodima, veleposlanik Neven Jurica, održao je govor na javnoj raspravi Vijecu sigurnosti UN-a o metodama rada Vijeca sigurnosti.
Mr. President, I would like to welcome the presence of the Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon to this debate, and thank him for his statement.
The United Nations Security Council today is by general account a remarkably more robust and intensive body than was the case a mere decade ago. Nowadays, the UN is becoming involved in an ever increasing number of conflicts, there is an ever increasing demand for UN peacekeepers and monitors and sanctions and other restrictive measures are being applied to more and more cases world wide.
Added to this is the modern scourge of terrorism and new threats like the potential spread of weapons of mass destruction, all of which require special and detailed attention by the UN organization, its subsidiary bodies and its member states, and in particular the Security Council. When taking all this into consideration, the question remains how to comprehensively and adequately as well as effectively address these issues and at the same time not detrimentally affect the work of this unique international body in the implementation of its mandate.
As we have just mentioned, the agenda of the Security Council has become increasingly more active in past years, it is only natural that the interest of the general membership in its working methods has also increased. Questions have already been put forward on issues such as transparency of work, the Council's effectiveness and efficiency, as well as interaction, cooperation and general participation in the work of the Security Council by members and non-members alike, including troop contributing countries, and the evolving role of regional organizations vis-a-vis the UN. Moreover, like was emphasized in the World Summit Outcome document of 2005, achieving greater transparency and better and more effective implementations of sanctions regimes by the Security Council is another issue that merits continued debate.
Croatia welcomes the good work and progress that has thus far been achieved in approaching these questions by both elected and non-elected members of the Council. We especially thank the Delegations of Japan, Slovakia and Panama for their excellent stewardship of the Council's Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions, as well as the so-called Group of Small Five (S5), whose efforts have gone a long way to stimulating this Debate. We would like to especially offer our appreciation to Ambassador Kenzo Oshima of Japan, whose efforts while chairing the Working Group led to the Council approving its note S/2006/507, which is the subject of our debate today.
Croatia supports the recommendations contained in note S/2006/507, although similarly believes that the implementation of the certain points contained therein need to strike a balance between desirability and expediency.
We welcome the achievement of greater transparency in the work of the Council through briefings by the Presidency to non-Council members, including regular meetings with troop contributing countries, as well as an increasing number of open meetings of the Council.
Even though my Delegation supports having more open meetings, this idea should be tempered with a sense of what Council members wish to achieve with those meetings. While some may recall that prior to the 1990's the Council held more of its business in open rather then closed meetings, one needs to keep in mind that the Council's agenda at that time was far less ordered or indeed full.
We must not lose sight of the fact that the Security Council's primary mandate is the upkeep of international peace and security, and this and only this should be the driving force in deciding on the format of its meetings. Any reflections of possible reform of working methods must be conducted in this light, in order to help facilitate a more efficient and effective functioning of the Security Council as a whole.
Conversely, the Council may wish to make better use of consulting with and the participation of particularly affected countries in its deliberations, including with possibly host countries of peace-keeping operations [or neighboring states] or even countries that are targeted for or are having sanctions implemented against them. My Delegation has long believed that including or consulting with a host country to a peace-keeping operation during discourse amongst Council members on the future of that country can be beneficial in the Council's decision making process.
Included in this are regional and sub-regional organizations. These organizations are often ideally placed to help with or advise the United Nations Security Council on overcoming crises erupting on a local or regional level. Using their expertise or having them pronounce on various crises should become common practice not only during open meetings of the Council but should also be taken up during consultations amongst Council members, possibly by having them brief one or more interested Council members upon request.
Mr. President, Presidential note S/2006/507 and its recommendations were designed to improve the efficiency of the work of the Council. We believe that through its practical implementation this goal shall be to a large extent achieved. At the same time, we believe that the question of reforming or improving working methods is not a static process and that further modifications to the above mentioned note through the Council's Working Group [on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions] may be appropriate some time in the future.
Priopćenja
