WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Jan 27(Hina) - Croatia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vladimir Drobnjak, on Monday addressed a UN Security Council session that discussed the role of the UN in post-conflict national reconciliation.
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Jan 27(Hina) - Croatia's ambassador to the United
Nations, Vladimir Drobnjak, on Monday addressed a UN Security Council
session that discussed the role of the UN in post-conflict national
reconciliation. #L#
Citing the experience of Croatia, Drobnjak said that reconciliation
among people in areas that had emerged from conflict required time and
patience, and that the international community lacked both in its
approach in efforts to achieve too many things in too little time.
The Croatian ambassador said that one of the crucial preconditions for
reconciliation among the parties to the conflict was confidence
building. Only when two parties gain confidence in each other can the
process of reconciliation begin, he said.
He stressed the importance of giving the people in areas that emerged
from war prospects for better life.
A clear prospect of integration into the European Union without
changing the criteria and setting new conditions strongly encourages
all countries of the former Yugoslavia to implement economic, judicial
and democratic reforms that lead to confidence building and
reconciliation, Drobnjak said.
Drobnjak also stressed the importance of bringing to justice all those
responsible for war crimes, saying that it was necessary to encourage
domestic courts to deal with this matter and to transfer as many cases
to them as possible.
He said that the return of refugees and displaced persons, the
exchange of information on missing persons, the strengthening of
stability along borders and the promotion of economic cooperation were
important for confidence building.
The Croatian representative also mentioned amnesty as an important
part of the process of confidence building and reconciliation. Noting
that forgiving did not necessarily mean forgetting, he said that
denying the past and causes of a conflict should be avoided.
Croatia supported a European Union declaration presented by Richard
Ryan, the ambassador of the Republic of Ireland which currently holds
the EU presidency.
Ryan said that reconciliation in areas such as Kosovo, Afghanistan,
Burundi and Sierra Leone required the involvement of all population
groups in the process, the social and economic integration of the
parties to the conflict, respect for human rights and bringing all
those responsible for war crimes to justice.
(Hina) vm