SUGGESTS NEW TASKS FOR ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE
NewsBlaze, CA
Dec 6 2006
A senior U.S. diplomat has urged the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to play a larger role in ending "frozen"
regional conflicts, but also warned the 56-nation group that some
members seek to undermine their shared commitment to democratic values.
"The path to reform of the OSCE lies through action on the real
challenges of our time," R. Nicholas Burns, under secretary of state
for political affairs, said December 4 in Brussels, Belgium.
Addressing the organization’s 14th annual ministerial council, Burns
said the United States believes the OSCE has the ability to find
lasting settlements to the so-called frozen conflicts in southeast
Europe, where many ethnic minorities fought for independent enclaves
during and after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Burns visited Brussels as part of a three-nation trip. He traveled
next to Paris for talks on the Iran nuclear issue, and was scheduled
then to travel to India. (See related article.)
The OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organization, with
56 participating states from Europe, Central Asia and North America.
It is active in early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management
and post-conflict rehabilitation. The OSCE’s Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights observes elections and monitors human
rights.
Since its Cold War-era founding, the OSCE has played a significant
role in helping to "rebuild communities based on a model of tolerance
and respect for others," Burns said.
"Unfortunately, recent years have seen efforts to degrade these
principles by some signatories," Burns warned. "The very commitments
that are the bedrock of our shared values are increasingly brought
into question."
Burns said there are "too many examples of backsliding by some OSCE
states," particularly Belarus. Examples include using administrative
rules to keep candidates off ballots; denying access to public media
for opposition parties; restricting freedom of assembly and detaining
human-rights defenders; harassing nongovernmental organizations;
intimidating and attacking journalists; and using criminal court
systems to silence critics and limit freedom of expression.
"We should emerge from this ministerial [council] rededicated to
enlisting OSCE to affect positive change," Burns said.
The United States over the past year has offered numerous ideas aimed
at reinvigorating the OSCE’s core missions, he said.
In Georgia, the OSCE should expand its activities in South Ossetia
and press authorities in that breakaway region to take demilitarizing
steps matching those taken by the government of Georgia. OSCE should
increase the number of monitors with access to the entire region,
including the Roki Tunnel, currently controlled by South Ossetian
separatists and a Russian peacekeeping force. Burns invited Russia to
"play a major role in the search for confidence and peaceful resolution
of these frozen conflicts. (See related article.)
On Nagorno-Karabakh, Burns thanked Russia and France – co-chairs
of the Minsk Group – for working with the leaders of Azerbaijan
and Armenia to develop "a reasoned approach which promises to lead
to a negotiated settlement." Burns urged OSCE to call on leaders
to implement a peaceful settlement based on those discussions and
agreements. (See related article.)
In Moldova, the United States has called for an immediate resumption of
talks on the region of Transnistria. The OSCE should support Moldova’s
unilateral disarmament steps and demand similar reductions from the
Transnistrian side, he said. The United States continues to call for
a resumption of Russian military withdrawal. (See related article.)
The United States also has proposed strengthening the OSCE’s Personal
Representatives on Tolerance, and has called for an OSCE conference
on anti-Semitism in 2007.
The United States and other OSCE members have pushed for OSCE
involvement in fighting the sexual exploitation of children.
Russia and the United States have proposed that the OSCE embrace a
concept for fighting terrorism through public-private partnership.
(See related article.)
The OSCE mission in Kosovo should be given a clear mandate to continue
to support the transformation of Kosovo, Burns said. He added that
OSCE should contribute wherever possible in the implementation of
a future-status settlement for Kosovo, expected to be proposed by
the United Nations following Serbian elections in January 2007. (See
related article.)
The full text of Burns’ remarks is available on the U.S. Mission to
the OSCE Web site.
Source: U.S. Department of State
op.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html