CROATIAN PRESIDENT TUDJMAN'S ADDRESS TO THE CSCE

BUDAPEST, Dec 5, (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman at the CSCE summit in Budapest gave an address in which he warned that aggression on the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina is not only of regional but of global scope and relevance. He proposed that the CSCE be more active in its efforts to find a fair and lasting peace in the region of the former Yugoslavia. Below is the full text of President Tudjman's address: "It is my great honour and pleasure to address the Summit Meeting of the CSCE on behalf of the Republic of Croatia. I would like, at the beginning, to express our appreciation to the host country - the Republic of Hungary - for the warm hospitality and excellent facilities provided for our work in Budapest, an old European capital of great beauty and charm, the capital of the country with which the Croatian State had for eight centuries been tied in a personal dynastic union. Over thaw past two and half years since the 1992 Helsinki Summit new pages have been written in the book of history. This has been a period, on the one side, of further stabilization of international relations after the tectonic changes which occurred between 1989-1991, but, on the other side, the efforts of the international community to bring peace and stability have produced mixed results. The last foreign troops have left the territories of European States, and economic, political and security cooperation is gradually shaping up, but a number of armed conflicts which followed the dissolution of some of the former multinational states (e.g., the Soviet Union and former Yugoslavia) are still raging. In one of them, unfortunately, against its own will and the expectations of its people, Croatia is also involved, after having fallen victim to the aggression waged initially by the Yugo- Communist army and by Serbia and Montenegro more than three years ago. Two and a half years have passed since the adoption of the (1992) Helsinki Document. During this time the international community has devoted considerable efforts and means to the peace- keeping mission focused on ending the savage and genocidal war in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results have been meagre! More than one hundred thousand persons, mostly civilians, are dead, and more than 1.5 million of refugees and displaced persons from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are trying to find shelter away from their ancestral homes. A number of young men, members of the UN peace-keeping forces, have lost their lives attempting to secure peace in the region. All this is the outcome of the hesitant and luke-warm response to aggression which is taking place in the last decade of this century, in the heart of Europe, as if the tragedy the world witnessed in Munich on the eve of the World War Two were already forgotten. In order to end this dreadful war, in which Croatia and BiH, members of United Nations and of CSCE, are being attacked, and in order to reach lasting peace and stability in the region, the international community should take firm and effective measures, combining political pressure and economic sanctions with a serious threat of armed intervention, and if necessary, of resorting to the use of military force against the aggressor. Croatia has done its utmost to contribute to the peaceful, but also just solution for all in the conflict. We have accepted the UN peace-keeping forces, we have constructively negotiated in the International Conference on former Yugoslavia and accepted all formal peace proposals, we have accepted the Contact Group proposal, we have for more than two years negotiated directly with the rebel Serb forces in Croatia and with Belgrade. We have enacted the Constitutional Law which specifically provides for ample rights of ethnic communities and national minorities in Croatia, based on the highest European standards, and have offered to CSCE and other international bodies a proposal to monitor the implementation of those provisions. So far no outstanding problem has been resolved. This situation is intolerable for Croatia, and the continued occupation of part of Croatian territory and the proliferation of the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina, might force the Croatian Government to reconsider its policy of preference for the political solution and force it to use means that are within the prerogatives of every sovereign State. Croatia believes that, although CSCE has not had a major role in what have been, so far, unsuccessful international efforts to stop this war, there are steps that could be taken by the CSCE. We believe that the CSCE could contribute more actively to the search for just and lasting peace by offering expertise to the Contact Group in elaboration of a comprehensive peace settlement, monitoring the implementation of that settlement, assisting all countries in the former Yugoslavia in the implementation and verification of human and minority rights legislation, and, when the war is over, extend mechanisms of collective security to provide a set of confidence building measures and arms-control arrangements together with a gradual admission of States in the region to existing defence arrangements. The Republic of Croatia pays great attention to the observance of human rights and other CSCE documents and is willing to contribute all it can to the work of the CSCE. We are supporting proposals for further strengthening of the CSCE, particularly those giving more authority to the Chairman in Office, and the 'Troika'. At the same time, we strongly uphold the ultimate importance of the basic principle of consensus. Consensual decision-making is one of the highest achievements in the history of international affairs, and definitely a fundamental one for not big and uncommitted Participating States, interested in preserving the unique role of the CSCE - the international body where they have an equal role and say on a daily basis. On the basis of its own experience and responsibilities toward the international community, the Republic of Croatia is particularly interested in contributing to CSCE peace-keeping activities. We were among the first Participating States to respond to the initiative for establishment of a Monitoring Mission in Nagorny-Karabakh, and are ready to continue to provide military personnel for the most complex and delicate tasks. Croatia's foreign policy, and its position in international affairs in general, at this moment is primarily determined by the following considerations and concerns: - the process and the program of peaceful re-integration of the occupied Croatian territories; - the developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, most particularly the acute crisis in and around the UN proclaimed safe area of Bihac; - search for a peaceful and lasting settlement in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina; - and last but not least, the normalization of relations with Belgrade authorities. Three days ago the Government of Croatia and the local Serbs authorities in Croatia have signed the second in a series of agreements leading to the peaceful re-integration of occupied territories into the political, legal and economic system of Croatia. This was achieved in cooperation and with the assistance of the international community. This was an important step forward in the search and peaceful resolution of this internal Croatian matter. In this regard, we highly appreciate the assistance provided by the international community. But a shadow has been cast over this positive development by the fact that the rebel Serb forces from the occupied territories of Croatia are taking part in a joint offensive with the Bosnian Serbs against the UN safe area in Bihac. The fact that in this latest phase of the Serbian aggression the Croatian territory under UN protection, as well as the Croatian international border are being grossly violated is absolutely unacceptable to my Government. For this reason we are ready and urging prompt consultations, as well as joint action and decisive measures, with the international community and all the relevant institutions in order to establish firm control over Croatian borders and to disarm the paramilitary Serb units as called for by the numerous UN SC resolutions. Thus an important and crucial contribution would be made to the overall stability in the region. The Republic of Croatia has so far actively contributed to the search for a just and comprehensive peace settlement in Bosnia and Herzegovina based on the Washington Agreements and the proposals developed within in the Contact Group. Regarding the current proposals and the on-going consultations among the member- states of the Contact Group, the Government of Croatia is ready and urges regular consultations in order to contribute even more effectively to the peace process. Let me strongly emphasize our firm belief that the acute crisis in Bihac, but also the overall crisis in the territory of the former Yugoslavia which was caused and provoked by the Serbian policy of expansionism and aggression, is not of regional but of global scope and relevance. Finally, may I reiterate once again the readiness and willingness of Croatia to normalize relations with the neighbouring Serbian state on the basis of full equality, mutual respect and common interest. However, the main prerequisite for this is the mutual recognition within the internationally recognized borders and cessation of all assistance to the secessionist proxy forces. From our side Croatia is ready to grant and ensure effective implementation of all the minority rights to the Serbian ethnic community, including local self-government. At this particular time, CSCE represents for a certain number of nations, besides their own defence potentials, the only international body in Europe which deals with security and stability of all Participating States. The Government of Croatia strongly believes that it is in the interest of all Participating States, including the big ones, to ensure that all States use and benefit from CSCE when security problems occur - for it is only then that the CSCE mechanisms for conflict prevention, crisis management and conflict solution will have chance to succeed. However, the credibility of CSCE has yet to be proven to those States, especially not big ones like Croatia. Let us start working towards this prospect at this Budapest Summit Meeting. Croatia welcomes the adoption of the Declaration on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Termination of the World War ll. The victims of this - and all other contemporary wars - oblige us to carry on the struggle for peace, freedom, democracy and above all - human dignity." 051624 MET dec 94