United Nations

NEW YORK, 1 November (UN Headquarters) -- This is the text of remarks by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the flag raising ceremony for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, upon its admission to the United Nations:

 I am pleased to join you for this solemn ceremony to mark the admission of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the United Nations.  This is a moment of satisfaction to the people of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and a milestone in the long and difficult passage of the Balkans toward becoming a truly free and democratic region. 

 As Secretary-General of the United Nations, I wish on this historic day to make a special mention of the many people of the region who have suffered so much during the past decade, and in whose name a free and democratic Balkan region must be built. 

 The future of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is profoundly tied to the future of all its neighbours, to their freedom, their prosperity, their human rights.  I hope that this moment, and this day, will mark the beginning of a period where the peoples of the Balkans themselves finally join forces to rebuild their own lives by building a common future.