UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
4:12 P.M. EST WEDNESDAY
MARCH 24, 1999
SEC.-GEN. ANNAN: I speak to you
at a grave moment for the international community.
Throughout last year, I have appealed on many occasions to the Yugoslav authorities and to the Kosovar Albanians to seek peace over war, compromise over conflict. I deeply regret that in spite of all the efforts made by the international community, the Yugoslav authorities have persisted in their rejection of a political settlement which would have halted the bloodshed in Kosovo and secured an equitable peace for the population.
It is indeed tragic that diplomacy has failed, but there are times when the use of force may be legitimate in the pursuit of peace. In helping maintain international peace and security, Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter assigns an important role to regional organizations. But as secretary-general, I have many times pointed out, not just in relation to Kosovo, that under the Charter, the Security Council has primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, and this is explicitly acknowledged in the North Atlantic Treaty. Therefore, the Council should be involved in any decision to resort to force.
Thank you very much. END