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Date: 08/31/98

Albright, Tudjman Press Conference in Zagreb

Zagreb, Croatia -- Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman held a press conference August 30 following their meeting here.

The United States believes "that Croatia belongs in Europe," Albright said, adding, "we believe that with the benefits of membership in Western institutions comes responsibilities Croatia must meet."

She cited progress in refugee returns, cooperation with the war crimes tribunal, and the reintegration of Eastern Slavonia. "But we still have important concerns, including about the state of democracy in Croatia.... What we urge is political reform and respect for a free media so that there is a level playing field for all. We also believe that ethnicity cannot define the state, that in a modern Europe a country is not an ethnic group. A modern Croatia should welcome home all the people who lived here before the war, and we look forward to working with Croatia to fortify the development of a strong single state of Bosnia-Herzegovina."

TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN
AND DEPUTY-SECRETARY-GENERAL LOUISE FRECHETTE
AT HEADQUARTERS, 30 JUNE

QUESTION: About economic development, Secretary Albright reiterated today her contention that the Belgrade Government does not warrant receiving economic aid as long as the current leadership is in power. I was wondering whether you believe that, especially given the size of Serbia's economy and its importance in the region, whether economic reconstruction of the region could begin for Kosovo or for the region as a whole, without including Belgrade.

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL: That is going to be a real challenge. I think almost everyone we have spoken to believes that one should reconstruct and try to provide assistance to South-Eastern Europe and that whole part of the Balkans, and when one talks of reconstruction, as was made clear today by several ministers, one is not just talking about bricks and mortar, but democratic reconstruction, reconstruction of institutions, encouragement of rule of law and establishment of respect for human rights. But you raise an interesting point. If Governments maintain that they will not provide economic or development assistance to Belgrade as long as President Milosevic is in office, and if that situation persists for a long time, then we are going to have a real challenge of reconstructing the economy of South-Eastern Europe with the big hole of Serbia in the middle.

QUESTION: Is there any possibility that the KLA could be among those policemen, because they are well-informed about their country and have been there for many years?

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL: We will set up criteria for recruitment, we will set standards for recruitment and we will also have a police training academy where the recruits will be trained. People who have served in the KLA and have good records no criminal records, should and will be considered.

QUESTION: Going back to the issue of "no penny for Mr. Milosevic", no money for Belgrade, as long as he is in power, you were talking about the big challenge of reconstructing Europe with a big hole, Serbia, in the middle: would you consider this policy to be a recipe for a new catastrophe and more human suffering?

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL: Some of you may have read the comment I made in London, saying basically that we should try, as far as I am concerned, on the humanitarian front to define humanitarian needs as broadly as possible to cover electrical repairs and water systems, because, quite frankly, in my judgement, they are humanitarian, and it is pointless to take in loads and loads of medicine if people are going to drink dirty water and fall sick. I think this is an issue the Member States will have to work out among themselves, and I am sure they are discussing it. Some have already taken positions. After all, it is their money and their decision, but I hope that in taking that decision they will have a broader view. Because my concern is that if we do not tackle some of these issues and tackle them early, and have a broad and long-term view, we will be creating problems for ourselves down the line, because if these systems are not repaired, my fear is that, come the winter, the Serbs may be the ones on the move, just to keep warm or to look for jobs. I hope that we will take the broader and longer-term view of these issues.

QUESTION: Is Kosovo now a United Nations protectorate? What is the future there? How many years?

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL: There is a United Nations interim administration. How many years? I cannot really answer the question. We got into Eastern Slavonia and we were out in less than two years. I think here it is going to take a while, and I think the whole reconstruction of the region and what we are talking about; in my view, one should take a longer-term view, and perhaps it will take about 10 years. This does not imply that I am saying that we will be on the ground in Kosovo for 10 years, or that reconstruction efforts will take 10 years. It will depend very much on developments from here on. I hesitate to give you a timetable, but we are determined to go ahead and do as good a job as we can, regardless of how long we stay there. But of course, we will also be relying on local talent. The local people have to participate, and as you know, Sergio has already set up an advisory counsel including people from all aspects of society.