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President Drnovšek at the meeting of World Economic Forum
Davos (Switzerland) , 01/25/2003 | press release
President Drnovšek today participated in a meeting of world economic leaders in Davos, Switzerland, that took place as part of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
Talks focused on the economic and geo-strategic implications of the fight against international terrorism. Participants in the meeting included the General Secretary of the OECD – Donald J. Johnston, the General Secretary of OPEC – Alvaro Silva-Calderon, the General Secretary of Interpol – Ronald Noble and the Dean of the Harvard School of Government – Joseph Nye.
President Drnovšek holds the position that the fight against international terrorism will have a significant influence on the direction in which international relations develop, although it remains unclear whether this will lead to a strengthening of international cooperation within organisations such as the UN and NATO or if it will be more focused on unilateral action.
The global nature of the threat posed by international terrorism brought the world together in a unified response to the events of 11 September. The issue of how to resolve the Iraqi crisis is severely testing that solidarity. Whether the coalition against terrorism continues is very much dependent on whether or not a wider international consensus on how to resolve the crisis is reached. In other words, the future of international cooperation and crisis management depends on whether the members of the international community agree on the legitimacy or justification in international law of any intervention against Iraq. Clearly the action taken to date to address the Iraqi crisis has taken place under the auspices of multi-lateral mechanisms, with the support of the UN Security Council. President Drnovšek emphasises the fact that Security Council members must be aware that the manner in which the current situation is resolved involves not only Iraq, but also the future of international relations. This means that everything must be done to reach a consensus on the resolution of the Iraqi issue.
President Drnovšek also believes that although the Iraqi issue is very important at the moment, in the long-term one the international community’s most important task in the fight against terrorism is to remove its root causes. At a time of globalisation and increasing interdependence, economic, interethnic and religious tensions have potentially global effects and are no longer confined to individual countries or regions, as is demonstrated by the threat of international terrorism. Eliminating the causes behind the tensions that lead to terrorism must encompass economic assistance to less developed countries and achieving solutions through dialogue.
President Drnovšek considers that within this context the stability of countries affected by internal conflict is of immense importance. The President here draws particular attention to South-Eastern Europe, as although after 11 September it might seem that the threat of international terrorism in some way replaced the threat of regional instability, we must not overlook the fact that these two threats are connected and by no means mutually exclusive. Countries that are unstable or unproductive due to internal divisions or unsuccessful post-conflict rehabilitation are fertile ground for the development of terrorist threats. President Drnovšek therefore emphasises the exceptional importance of post-conflict rehabilitation of affected regions and the international community’s role in that rehabilitation, although this work is often a difficult and thankless task, requiring substantial resources and providing results that are often indeterminate or only visible in the long-term.
Although South-Eastern Europe is currently peaceful, the success of its consolidation is still heavily dependent on the active role of the international community. The international community must provide sufficient attention, funding and expertise to allow the economies of the region to flourish and to engender political and social consolidation. Slovenia is very involved in the economy of the region and President Drnovšek also underlines Slovenia’s commitment to seeing the countries of South-Eastern Europe included in the European Union and other Euro-Atlantic structures, as this prospect is an essential element in the region’s long-term stability.
President Drnovšek also wants to draw attention to a further aspect of the fight against international terrorism: respect for human rights. It is imperative that in the fight against the universal horror of terrorism we uphold the great gains our civilisation enjoys, and respect for human rights is one of the values we cherish most. Although sometimes we cannot avoid a difficult and unenviable choice between security and freedom, we must nevertheless do everything in our power to fulfil every international commitment to respect human rights.
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