AMBASSADOR FINLEY OUTLINES U.S. POLICIES ON SOUTH CAUCASUS
US Fed News
September 1, 2005 Thursday 4:54 AM EST
WASHINGTON
The U.S. Department of State’s International Information Programs
issued the following press release:
U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) Julie Finley briefly outlined basic U.S. policies on
several issues relating to the South Caucasus at a meeting of the
OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, Austria, September 1.
Among the policies she reiterated U.S. support for:
* Free and fair elections in Azerbaijan;
* Support for the territorial integrity of Georgia and “peaceful
settlement of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia conflicts in Georgia;”
and
* The work of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to facilitate a peaceful,
negotiated settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Finley noted that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had called the
presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and “encouraged each president
to make the compromises necessary to reach such a settlement.” (See
related article.)
Finley noted that this was her first Permanent Council intervention
as the new U.S. ambassador to the OSCE.
Following is her statement to the Permanent Council:
(begin text)
United States Mission to the OSCE
STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO AMBASSADOR TALVITIE, EU SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE SOUTH CAUCASUS
As delivered by Ambassador Julie Finley
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
September 1, 2005
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
It almost goes without saying that this is my first Permanent Council
intervention as Ambassador of the United States to the OSCE. Allow me
to take a moment to thank you and your colleagues for the very warm
welcome I have received this past ten days. I look forward to meeting
those I have not yet met in person and working together in a spirit
of consultation and cooperation to address the many, many challenges
ahead.
I have long appreciated and valued the important role OSCE plays, and
can play. It is an honor for me to represent my country at this
important time when citizens in so many places are embracing the
principles enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act. In doing so, they
reap the benefits of secure, democratic futures. Still, we have
promises yet to keep, and the OSCE can help to bring bright futures
to places where people still yearn to be free and equal.
I can assure you, my friend President Bush shares my enthusiasm for
what OSCE has done and especially for what OSCE can do.
Mr. Chairman,
The United States warmly welcomes the return of Ambassador Talvitie
to the Permanent Council. We welcome the news that the European Union
extended his mandate for another six-month period, until February
2006. The Ambassador’s extraordinary experiences give him a unique
perspective on this region. We are heartened by his optimistic
report.
The United States is watching the election process in Azerbaijan with
great interest. We appreciate the progress made to date. As we have
stated on many occasions, the United States strongly supports free
and fair elections in Azerbaijan. Secretary of State Rice spoke with
President Aliyev about this just last week. We look for guarantees
that those who campaign will be free of harassment and intimidation.
We look for guarantees that parties and candidates will have equal
access to the media. And we look for guarantees, that in the
post-election period, the voters of Azerbaijan will see the honest
results of their voting – in the cities, towns, and villages.
Mr. Chairman,
We support fully the continuing work of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to
facilitate a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. In her recent phone calls with Armenian President Kocharian
and Azerbaijani President Aliyev, Secretary Rice encouraged each
president to make the compromises necessary to reach such a
settlement. The Minsk Group Co-Chairs have indicated a desire to
brief the full Minsk Group in the near future on the progress of the
negotiation process.
Mr. Chairman,
The United States supports Georgia’s territorial integrity and
continues to support peaceful settlement of the South Ossetia and
Abkhazia conflicts in Georgia. We remain concerned that the situation
in South Ossetia is tense. We call on both sides to fulfill previous
agreements to bring greater stability to the situation on the ground.
We urge both sides to engage in a direct dialogue to restore
confidence and begin discussions toward the resolution of the status
of South Ossetia within Georgia. We believe that economic cooperation
and confidence-building measures have an important role to play and
are encouraged by progress in this regard. We urge the international
community, and particularly the Russian Federation, to lend support
to such efforts.
Thank you.