OSCE ADMITS NEED FOR ADAPTING TO 21ST CENTURY THREATS-EXPERT

ITAR-TASS News Agency
August 31, 2007 Friday
Russia

The administration of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE) has publicly admitted the need to adjust to the
threats and challenges of the 21st century, Russian Central Elections
Commission member Igor Borisov told Itar-Tass on Friday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has been insisting on this adaptation for
years, he said. The first confirmation to that process has recently
been given by OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Spanish Foreign Minister
Miguel Angel Moratinos, who paid a visit to Moscow.

"The OSCE political evaluation of the recent parliament elections in
Armenia and Kazakhstan confirmed this guideline," Borisov said. "If
the tendency of adaptation to the new challenges of the 21st century
persists, it will have a positive influence on the OSCE assessment
of the upcoming State Duma elections," he said.

The OSCE will be invited to the international monitoring of the
December 2 parliament elections in Russia, Borisov said. The law
allows for sending an invitation to election observers after the
official posting of the presidential ordinance on the ballot, he said.

"The Russian president, the Foreign Ministry, the parliament and the
Central Elections Commission may send an invitation to that effect,"
Borisov said. "In contrast to the majority of states, the Russian
law does not set a deadline for the invitation of international
observers. This means that we may accredit international observers
at any phase of the election campaign, up to the day of the ballot,"
he said.

"From the point of view of international laws, our country could have
refused from inviting international observers to the elections.

However, the domestic electoral process is democratic and transparent,
and we have nothing to conceal. Europe is our common home, and we do
not want to build a new iron curtain," he added.