July 16, 2004
East of the Oder
By ADRIAN NASTASE
June was a month of unity for the international community. The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1546 on Iraq's future. Romania was proud to co-sponsor -- along with the United States and United Kingdom -- the resolution which paved the way for the restoration of full sovereignty for independent Iraq.
Last month also saw world leaders meeting in four key summits. In Normandy 60 years after D-Day, Europe and America celebrated an alliance that liberated a continent. In Sea Island, the G-8 leaders joined to promote a vision of democracy and prosperity that includes the Middle East region.
In Dublin, the newly-enlarged European Union (EU) further defined its future and agreed to a new Constitution. In Istanbul, the newly enlarged NATO expanded its commitment to Afghanistan and agreed to begin training future Iraqi security forces at the request of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
This month, Romania holds the presidency of the U.N. Security Council. The last time my country had this honor, in 1991, the Council unanimously approved taking action against Saddam Hussein's regime after the brutal invasion of Kuwait. Serving as foreign minister of Romania at that time, I was pleased to play a role in shaping the international unity that supported, first, the liberation of Kuwait and, then, the creation of a UN-led monitoring system meant to deprive the Iraqi dictator of the weapons of mass destruction he had used against his neighbors and against his own people.
In 2004 during Romania's presidency of the Security Council, we are not preparing for war against Iraq but consolidating peace in Iraq. The new Iraqi government is the most representative the country has ever seen. Its members are Shiite, Kurd, Sunni, Turkomen, Assyrian; male and female. This government will lay the groundwork for democratic elections in six months.
The historic achievement of Iraqis deserves the unqualified support of the international community. For our part, we will use the U.N. Security Council presidency to broaden and deepen international support for the new Iraqi Interim Government.
Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana was the first foreign government official to pay a visit to Baghdad, just days after the new Iraqi government assumed power. He set a message of support for a sovereign and democratic Iraq, both on behalf of the Security Council, as well as on behalf of Romania, a country that went through a difficult but successful process of transformation from dictatorship to democracy and a free market economy over the least 15 years. We were glad to see the interest showed by the Iraqi leaders, both in the engagement and support of the international community for Iraq and in the experience of democratic institution building, from a country such as ours, which went recently through such a process of transformation.
Next week, I will chair a special session of the Security Council designed to increase coordination between international organizations. In Southeastern Europe, we have seen the U.N., the EU, NATO and the OSCE cooperate effectively in Macedonia, Bosnia and Kosovo. New horrors in the Darfur region of Sudan vie for attention and resources with existing challenges in West Africa, Congo, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The U.N. special session will bring together the global U.N., the trans-Atlantic NATO and OSCE, and regional organizations including the EU, Arab League, African Union, Organization of American States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The goal will be to share lessons and devise new cooperative ventures as the international community deals with crisis management and stabilization missions around the world.
We hope to increase coordination and efficiency both within and between international organizations. In a world filled with uncertainty, we can certain of one thing: The international community will be called on again to deal with ethnic conflict, weapons proliferation and violent instability.
We will highlight the need for securing lasting freedom in Iraq. Each of us in Europe has a direct stake in the fight against terror there. Despite the negative news, the continuing coalition casualties, and the persistent terrorism, we are convinced that Iraq can be a success. Our conviction stems not from unbridled optimism but from the lessons of our own national history.
For decades, Romanians lived under the most savage dictatorship in Eastern Europe -- one that was not coincidentally very close to Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime. In 1989, Romanians faced many of the same challenges Iraqis face today. True, we did not have a violent insurgency dedicated to restoring the old regime. But we did face the need for institutional and economic reconstruction in a country ruined by a bizarre and brutal megalomaniac.
Like Iraq's government today, Romania's initial National Salvation Front was an interim government until elections could be organized after six months. It took us almost two years after our first election to draft and approve a new Constitution based on the universal values of democracy, human rights, rule of law and free markets. We had our share of painful economic reforms, inflation, unemployment and declining GDP in our transition.
It is in our experience that we find hope for our friends in Iraq. In the 15 years since the demise of dictatorship, we have held four free and fair elections. We have seen power transfer peacefully and seen extremist parties marginalized. We have recovered economically, with last year finally bringing higher GDP than in 1989. We have joined NATO and are poised to join the EU.
As a European country and a new NATO member, Romania has a vital interest in a strong trans-Atlantic partnership. The threats we face require our cooperation in defense of our common values. The summits of June have put most, if not all, of the divisions of the past behind us.
Now is the time for unity in facing the challenges of our time. No challenge is more important than expanding the frontiers of freedom beyond Europe by securing the peace in Iraq and Afghanistan, and bringing democracy and prosperity to the broader Middle East and North Africa. For it is only in liberty that we will find lasting security.
Mr. Nastase is the prime minister of Romania.