Special Meeting of the UN GA (General Assembly) on the UN Year of Tolerance (1995)

(Читается с американским акцептом)

Mr. President,

The General Assembly's choice of a theme for this year is certainly not fortuitous. By adopting the UN Charter 50 years ago the member states of the organization solemnly declared in the preamble their determination "to practice tolerance and to live in peace with one another as good neighbors..."

Today we can state with confidence that the Organization has been able within a relatively short period of history not only to produce substantive norms of international law in the area of human rights, but also to create a mechanism to monitor implementation by states of their commitments under agreements in the human rights field. Equally important are the moral and political obligations undertaken by states in the form of UN declarations and resolutions. Constant implementation of these documents is designed to prevent situations leading to conflicts and to promote a lessening of tensions.

Unfortunately, however, the last few years have shown that the collapse of totalitarian regimes and the transition to democracy do not alone lead to the creation of peace, stability and security. A growing wave of intolerance and violence, and of political, religious and national extremism has engulfed entire regions of the world. We are particularly concerned by the fact that along with such "traditional" forms of discrimination new and more sophisticated forms are emerging. This involves first and foremost so-called "subtle discrimination," in which arbitrary will and lawlessness regarding ethnic minorities is presented as the legalization of "historic justice." Examples of this include measures taken by individual states to deprive part of their own populations of the right to citizenship, in

order subsequently to restrict access to the management of affairs of state, their right to hold office in the state civil service,' their right of association, to reduce the quantity volume of social benefits given these people, including pensions, to discriminate regarding privatization of housing, and many other aspects of daily life, including freedom of movement.

The global situation over the past year, which we have proclaimed as the Year of Tolerance, has not become more peaceful. However, some trends do allow us to say that the efforts of the international community to create a climate of tolerance are not in vain: the Middle East peace process has maintained its momentum, the parties to the conflict on the territory of the former Yugoslavia are holding difficult negotiations regarding post-war (living) conditions, and progress has been made regarding the repatriation of refugees.

From our point of view, this allows for hope that in the future, too, an attitude of tolerance towards opponents both at home and abroad will serve as a basis for seeking mutually acceptable compromises to bring about peace and security on our planet. Dialogue, as a way to reach mutually acceptable decisions for a huge range of individuals, or for states which have different life styles, or for ethnic, religious and linguistic groups and various political parties and movements within a country continues to gain acceptance.

Tolerance must be considered not as a kind of doctrine of universal forgiveness at the end of the XX century, but as one of the ways to reaffirm universal standards regarding human rights and freedoms, and to advance the establishment of equality and non-discriminatory relations in the struggle of ideas. Moreover, we would like to emphasize that in our understanding the principles of tolerance cannot and must not be seen as a kind of passive guarantee of the ideals of peace and democracy in dealing with those who sow discord, fan the flames of hatred and call to violence. These principles must be the guidelines for action for the mass media and the state institutions, the system of education, NGOs and political parties. And violations must not only be condemned; in specific cases they must be stopped, bringing to bear the authority of the international community, and the power of the law enforcement agencies of the individual states.

Mr. President,

The principle of tolerance is particularly important for multinational states. In today's conditions of democratization and the development of pluralism, within the framework of the political systems of these states a large number of political parties and

movements are active, their territories are home to various peoples and ethnic groups, and the population as a whole professes a wide range of religions. And it is precisely for those individuals, who so clearly reflect the problems of the international community, that the concept of tolerance and equality in all spheres of life is not only of theoretical significance, but must also be implemented in all spheres of life including social relations, ways of building the state system and of conducting domestic policy. What destabilizing processes can lead to in these states is clearly visible in such cases as the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, where society has fallen into the abyss of a humanitarian collapse.

The peoples of these states — and there are a plethora of multiethnic states on our planet — need — and sometimes badly need — assistance from the international community in such areas as establishing programs to overcome and counteract xenophobia and extremism, recommendations to prevent the use of the mass media for the incitement to violence which comes from extremist groups, protection against terrorism, the strengthening of the rule of law, and the development of activities on public information in the human rights field. In particular, in situations of radical changes in political systems it is critically important that states be able to abide by norms of tolerant political behavior and simultaneously maintain their responsibility to all citizens and to the legal system.

Mr. President,

In our complex times the dangers of interblock tensions have been replaced by the danger of the destabilization of social systems as a result of domestic factors. It is in fact internal conflicts within states which are now posing a particular challenge to global security. But internal contradictions are completely natural to any society. The only situations which are abnormal are those in which the sides take a decision to make use of violence, discrimination and resort to the use of force. The principles of tolerance are countered by these trends, and we have agreed to develop them in cooperation with the broadest possible range of international backing.

In conclusion, I would like to express our confidence that the ideas which have emerged during the Year of Tolerance will be developed through initiatives designed to serve the cause of peace, progress and social development. On the threshold of the third millennium all that remains is to reaffirm our commitment to achieving these objectives and to uniting our efforts.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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