It is vital for the continued effectiveness and credibility of the Security Council that Iraq comply fully with the agreement it signed on Monday with the UN Secretary General. We cannot rest until Iraq has accounted for and destroyed all of its chemical and biological weapons. This must be a paramount national interest of not only my government and Sweden's, but of all UN member states. These words could equally apply to all of the Baltic Sea states. Similarly, democracy reinforces security and stability.
Democratic nations are more peaceful and more reliable as partners.
Anchoring the democratic and free market reforms in the Baltic states, Poland and Russia are a vital national interest. Likewise, flourishing free markets and prosperity in the region is crucial to securing democracy and constructing an inclusive security structure. It will be much more difficult for these other goals to gain widespread public support without the solid base of economic growth and widely-shared prosperity. Let me elaborate on how we are trying to advance these varied but coherent interests. It has proven its continued relevance by its performance in Bosnia.