Talking points for the address by the Minister of Foreign Affairs
of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Dimitrij Rupel, at the Meeting of the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the "Vilnius Group", Skopje, 8 March
2002
We thank our host, Foreign Minister Casule, for the invitation to
attend this meeting and for the opportunity to exchange views on our
common future activities within the Vilnius Group. There is no doubt
that today's meeting of the Vilnius Group in Skopje is a proof of the
endeavors of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia to find a
peaceful solution to the crisis in the Republic of Macedonia, and
invaluable assistance to the stability of South-Eastern Europe.
From the very beginning, Slovenia has firmly supported the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Macedonia as
well as the endeavours of its policy-makers to find a political
solution to the crisis. The implementation of the Framework Agreement
is currently in the crucial stage. We therefore believe that the
international community must continue to provide its full support to
the Republic of Macedonia in order to implement the Agreement and
alleviate the consequences of the crisis.
The extension of the area of security and stability to the
southeastern part of Europe is in the interest of all European
countries. The nations of South-Eastern Europe have in the recent
years made some very courageous steps on the way towards peaceful and
friendly co-existence.
More than 10 years have passed since the iron curtain, separating
Eastern, Central and South-Eastern Europe from the rest of the
Continent, was torn down. NATO has been more active than other
organisations in embracing the countries waiting outside 'in the
cold', 'in the half-way house', in the 'purgatorium'. The intention of
NATO to continue its enlargement later this year has released positive
energy in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern European nations. MAP is
contributing to European optimism while some other plans and delays in
implementing them go against this optimism. Groups like NATO Vilnius
Group and the EU Helsinki group are an expression of optimism, common
action, solidarity. They compel the transatlantic organisations to
release positive energies.
What we miss in joining NATO is a more encouraging, hospitable and
transparent process of accession. With such a process NATO would
support positive, friendly and democratic forces in Central, Eastern
and South-Eastern Europe. While in the "purgatorium", our
societies and governments are under the pressure of forces from the
opposite side - the side which is not enthusiastic about
NATO. Slovenia will spare no effort in the process of Euro-Atlantic
integration. We have no intention to hide our affinities and we shall
not change them.
That is why Slovenia participates in NATO-led peace support
operations and in humanitarian missions within SFOR, KFOR and UNMIK
with 112 members from the Slovenian Armed Forces and 22 civilian
police officers. Recently, we offered to increase the Slovenian Armed
Forces SFOR contingent in Bosnia-Herzegovina by one combat company
(109 members) from the 10th Motorized Battalion, which will
additionally contribute to the stabilization of the situation and to
increased security.
Slovenia is a safe country which is not directly threatened by
anyone. Nevertheless the events of September 11 show that there are
other forms of threats and dangers which we can successfully fight in
particular within the Alliance. Slovenia severely condemns any form
of terrorism. There is no justification for terrorism. The fight
against terrorism requires broad action from democratic states. The
action must be comprehensive, thorough and determined. It must be
clearly emphasised that the fight against terrorism is the fight
between democratic forces, regardless of their religion and ethnicity,
and those who have chosen terrorism and the killing of innocent people
as a means to attain their goals. Broad international consensus on the
military action in Afghanistan is proof of the democratic
international community's determination in the fight against
terrorism. In this context, the countries of V10 can be especially
proud of their prompt and unanimous answer to the scourge of terrorism
while adopting the measures that have already qualified them as de
facto members of NATO.
Slovenia has also adopted a package of antiterrorist measures,
including measures for controlling its borders, and for the exchange
of intelligence information. We have adopted a new act regulating
money laundering, which enables adequate tracking and control of
financial transactions. In order to alleviate the consequences of
anti-terrorist actions, Slovenia has allocated funds within the
International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance for
middle management training courses of Afghan deminers and experts for
the rehabilitation of mine victims.
On the national level, both strategic political and security
priorities - membership in the EU and NATO - are drawing near. In its
two-year existence, the Vilnius Group has experienced extraordinary
political evolution and developed a flexible mechanism for mutual
cooperation, transparency and political solidarity. Thanks to its
activities we, the candidate countries, are today - eight months
before the NATO Prague Summit - on the threshold of the new,
historical enlargement of the Alliance. We must continue to harmonize
further efforts to ensure that the Vilnius Group will maintain the
same spirit of cooperation in the next few months.
We are approaching the final phase of the third cycle of the
Membership Action Plan (MAP) when the Alliance will present the
assessment of the progress made by each aspirant country. Although we
are aware that none of the candidate countries will be invited to join
NATO solely on the basis of progress made in the past years through
MAP we cannot count on the invitation to join the Alliance without a
favourable MAP assessment. In this context I would like to express our
expectation that Croatia will soon join the MAP process. Because of
the genuine friendship which has matured in this process, I firmly
believe that the success of any of our countries in joining NATO after
Prague - and I sincerely hope that we are all going to succeed -
should also be regarded as a result of solidarity during the MAP
process.
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