Statement
by Mr. Tahir KOSE Leader of the Turkish Delegation and Special Envoy
of the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Mr. President, Mr. Speakers,
dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
First of all, I would
like to apologize for being unable to be with you at the beginning of
this conference, and I ask you to interpret my presence here as a sign
of the concern we share, at the NATO PA , at the worrisome developments
that have been shaking this country for the past two weeks.
Let me also present the
apologies of our President, Rafael Estrella, who is on a long-planned
visit to Croatia - another sign that the Assembly does pay close attention
to what is happening in this region.
This is a moment of great
strain for Macedonia. The solidity of your institutions is being tested,
and the very fabric of your society risks being torn apart.
Your Parliament, Mr. Andov,
has been a partner of our Assembly for many years, and one of its most
active, I must say. We have held no less than four Rose-Roth seminars
in the beautiful resort of Ohrid here in Macedonia in the last four
years. No other member or associate member has hosted so many of our
seminars. We have also welcomed many of your staff and members in our
seminar and training programmes.
Today, as you are going
through this national emergency - in a literal sense - we are determined
to stand at your side.
How can we do this as
Parliamentarians?
First, we can demonstrate
our solidarity by being here, to reassure you that you will not face
this peril alone. This is important. But it is evidently not enough.
More importantly, we can
bring our collective influence to bear on our governments for them to
take the kinds of decisions that will really help solve this crisis.
KFOR has already reinforced its presence on your border with Kosovo.
This will quench one of sources of support for the rebellion, but obviously,
again, this is not enough.
We all remember that for
many years your country was protected by a preventive military deployment
under a UN mandate. UNPREDEP played an important role in sheltering
Macedonia from the successive wars of Yugoslav disintegration, enabling
you to shape a kind of political agreement that did go some way in meeting
the claims of the Albanian minority for their fair share of power and
economic benefits.
NATO and the European
Union are currently watching very closely what is happening in this
country and on its borders. They are, I am convinced, ready to get more
involved in helping you overcome the present crisis, just in the same
way as they are now accompanying the search by the Serbs and Albanians
for a peaceful solution next door, in the Presevo Valley.
As Parliamentarians,
we can help relay your expectations and your demands to our governments,
as they work through those organisations. And at this point, I have
to ask you, our Macedonian friends: how can we do better at helping
you?
- is what you need stronger
policing of your border by KFOR?
- or is it the deployment
of international forces, NATO or EU, military or police, in Macedonia
itself, so as to create a buffer zone and to reassure the population?
- would this be more acceptable
if the UN Security Council were to authorize such a deployment?
- would more direct assistance
in the training of your troops and police be helpful, particularly in
the long term?
These are just ideas that
come to my mind. Forgive me if they are inappropriate. My concern, and
the concern of all those around this table, I am certain, is to help.
But to do this in a meaningful manner, we need to know clearly and precisely
what the message is that you would like us, as parliamentarians, to
convey to our governments.
We are talking here, of
course, of the immediate response demanded by the crisis you are going
through. But military responses, as we all know, only buy time. In the
long run, as the title of this conference eloquently indicates, security
and stability require positive developments in the fields of economy,
democracy-building, and cooperative relations with neighbours.
We are ready to assist
in those fields too. But you will understand that a greater involvement
of the international community in your country will also mean that we
will be even more closely watching your own contribution. This means,
in particular, that you have to build further and faster on the policies
on minorities and ethnic dialogue that have been put in place by the
previous and present governments. You have provided a model in this
field, and you must continue to do so. This is your contribution to
regional stability.
You know better than I
do that, in this region more than elsewhere, national security is intrinsically
linked to regional security. The quality of relations between you and
your neighbours is directly related to the quality of relations among
various groups within your borders. We, outsiders, and in particular
we, at the Assembly, are willing and ready to help foster friendly relations
among neighbours in this region. But our action can only build on the
national efforts carried out in each of your countries.
There are positive developments
happening in this region, such as the change of Government in Serbia,
which makes the goal of stability and prosperity for the whole of Southeastern
Europe, encompassed in the title of this conference, no longer a distant
dream, but a realistic objective.
We must not let this chance
pass.
The NATO Parliamentary
Assembly is determined to remain involved in this region through parliamentary
visits, seminars, training programmes, and our collective action to
influence NATO's policies. We can help you, but we need you to show
the way and inspire our efforts.
Thank you.
