COUNCIL OF OSCE FOREIGN MINISTERS STARTS WORK IN MADRID

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Nov 29 2007

MADRID, November 29 (Itar-Tass) – The 15th annual meeting of the
Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe started its deliberations at the Madrid Palace of
Congresses. The foreign ministers will examine OSCE operation during
the two days and pinpoint ways of raising its efficiency on the basis
of a consensus. Spain transfers chairmanship in the organisation
to Finland.

The work of the forum is attended by 45 foreign ministers and
representatives of foreign ministries from 56 countries of Europe,
Central Asia and North America. The Russian delegation is led by
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The American – by Under-Secretary
of State Nicholas Burns. Condoleezza Rice has not attended a single
meeting of the Council in contrast to her predecessor Colin Powell,
Itar-Tass learnt at the forum’s organising committee.

Spain experienced a difficult load of responsibility during its
chairmanship in the OSCE in the current year for "lending an impetus to
the organisation, in cooperation with all member countries, to raise
its effectiveness in countering challenges of the 21st century and
opening new vistas for prosperity and security of our countries",
stressed Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos in his
greeting speech.

According to the foreign minister, forum participants have a chance
to express their different opinions, to share and bring to the
attention of interested countries their concerns so as "to reach a
new consensus through a dialogue and concentration of efforts". "I’m
deeply convinced that constructivism, responsibility and accord will
be guiding principles of our work in Madrid," the minister concluded.

Lavrov will discuss on Thursday with his OSCE colleagues problems
of Kosovo, the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and
the air defence system. No less important topics are questions of
reforming the OSCE, development and agreement of the operation rules
of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
in the sphere of monitoring election processes.

Spain reported that the forum gives attention to the situation in
Kosovo, a settlement of "frozen" conflicts in the Dniester area,
Georgia and Nagorno-Karabakh as well as an application of Kazakhstan
for chairmanship in the OSCE in 2009. Spain which chaired in the OSCE
this year, is worried over the level of efficiency of the organisation,
the fate of its mission in Kosovo and the situation in Afghanistan.

The Council performs the role of the main ruling and executive body
of the organisation at intervals between summits of the OSCE heads of
state and government. It serves to orchestrate decisions of summits
of the OSCE with its everyday activities. The Council was established
in Paris in 1990 and was granted broader powers in 1992 in the sphere
of preventing conflicts and settling crises.