Address
by the President of the Republic of Albania,
Mr. Rexhep Meidani
Distinguished
colleagues,
The security challenges we face today are quite different from those
confronted during the Cold War, but the tragic fact is that more Europeans
have died violently, particularly in Balkans, since the Berlin wall
fell than during the 28 years it was standing. The entire political,
economic, and democratic development of the region is to a considerable
extent being kept hostage and greatly hindered by 4 wars and instabilities
in the territory of the Former Yugoslav Federation, caused by the Belgrade
criminal regime. The crisis in this territory started in Kosova in 1989,
with Milosevic's advent to power and went on with the exercise of an
expatriation and antihuman policy in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosova. However,
the mobilized international democracy . and humanity have strongly beaten
and given the right lesson to the isolated antidemocratic and chauvinist
regime of Miloshevic, which has to be condemned clearly, openly and
officially by the new political forces, as an apology for wartime atrocities,
on their difficult path towards the democratization.
Actually,
the most part of these instabilities is over, including Bosnia and Kosova.
Thus, in.Kosova, UN Interim Administration Mission is very adequate
as an intermediate solution, as a de facto international protectorate.
At present, however, there are still crucial problems to be resolved
in Kosova, considering their synergy of tension and conflict production,
such as the question of Albanian prisoners in Serbia or missing persons.
A quick response to this question is absolutely necessary: The first
concrete step and tlie most indispensable one is to release the political
prisoners in Serbia; a second step would be the information the new
Serb authorities should provide in order to enable in defining tlie
fate of people missing in Kosova; another step would be the explicit
declaration condemning that sinister policy which gave rise to genocide
and ethnic cleansing as well as (lie condemnation of all Yugoslav officials
involved in the application of tins policy who should be sacked from
state jobs and brought to trial under international law. The positive
engagement of tlie international community which led to tlie Croatia
turnaround id cooperation with The Hague, should serve as a valuable
model.
It is also
important now that the international community has realized that without
Kosovar participation, international efforts to build the democratic
society and the right institutions in Kosova could fail. Municipal elections
arc scheduled on the 28-th of October. These elections and the next
year general elections in Kosova are a vital milestone on the Kosova
population's path to self-government and self- determination.
Only when
this multinational presence and multidimensional contribution has yielded
the right results in the development of political, institutional, social,
and economic life of Kosova, can we talk about a stable final political
solution that is in accordance with the will of the Kosova people expressed
by referendum and the principles of international conventions, which
will open up new paths for Kosova's and probably Montenegro's interdependence
with the EU, as new sovereign entities of South-East Europe, in the
framework of European integration. I see in this perspective the future
of Southeast Europe and of the European Federation or the United States
of Europe. This would also be a concrete application of the integral
concept of the Stability Pact, through the path of tlie interregional
co-operation opened and consolidated by different regional initiatives.
I think this is the path to make compatible the principle of self-determination
with the principle of interdependence within the United States of Europe.
Furthermore,
I think that the fragile situation will go on existing in the Balkans
region if international community does not contribute to the realization
of the important priorities of economic development of the whole region,
which will help eliminate or bridge the present gap between South-East
Europe and the EU. I also believe that the quick implementation of the
Stability Pact, taking into consideration also the numerous differences
existing in the region, will have a positive impact on promoting radical,
democratic, political, social and psychological changes in Serbia too,
which, on its side must actually elaborate a real concrete strategy
of having all the old structures out of power, thus helping tlie efforts
to stabilize this country. Tlie Albanian government, too, considers
tlie honoring of international obligations by the new Serbian leadership
as a sign of its commitments to international law and democracy; not
only as an effort to avoid instantly the isolation . Therefore, (lie
Albanian government hopes (lint the Serbian government will remunerate
Albanian people fo the damages it caused by shelling civilian targets
within the Albanian territory, by mining a 120km .long borders line
as a result of which 120 civilians were maimed and some 20 others killed.
The Albanian
State is determined to fully carry out its role in the implementation
of regional policies and joint programs. The creation of a free trade
zone and the gradual process of a common fiscal legislation and customs
unification, which will lead to a common market among the countries
of the region, will provide an important momentum to rapid integration
with the European Union. It is my belief that it would be very positive
and encouraging to have regional free trade rather than simply continuing
under bilateral terms. The removal of the barriers to trade and investments,
joined by a harmonization and unification of VAT, will lead to opening
up and liberalization of national economies as an important element
of our common effort towards this integration. The free movement of
the people, cultures and goods in the region, a kind of "Balkans Shengen",
like a new philosophy, is very important.
There is
actually a positive regional movement, but I would like to attract the
attention to the evidence that the Stability Pact has been rather slow
in advancing from conferences to concrete commitments and now needs
a clear jump start to realize in a concrete way the "Near Term" initiatives,
within the defined limits, and to follow up with more ambitious "Medium
Term" projects being advanced by the region, as it was defined in the
Conference in Brussels by the "quick-start" package. It is quite necessary
that the international financial institutions undertake quicker and
less bureaucratic procedures than in the past, to show that the Stability
Pact. is working. The Pact should not fail, it must be a success. In
this sense, I consider very important and absolutely necessary, the
participation of the representatives of Montenegro and Kosova, without
prejudgments, as it was in Sarajevo Summit, in all our regional activities,
conferences and round tables. This was the main, clear and great philosophy
of the summit. President Clinton has rightly pointed out that "an undivided,
democratic and peaceful Europe can only be built when the countries
of Southeast Europe are integrated with the rest of the continent".
So. after the long experience in Bosnia, I think, it is now clear for
us that isolated programs to assist individual Balkans' countries proved
insufficient. What our entire region needs is the pooling of resources
and promotion of real integration within the region, throughout Europe
and across the Atlantic, affecting also the international investment
community.
Thank you
for your attention.
