Introduction
Senators, Congressmen: I am pleased to be here to discuss the Organization
for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and its role in furthering U.S.
foreign policy objectives. Since we met last September, the OSCE has made a
major contribution toward promoting democracy, peace and stability across
Europe and Eurasia. The OSCE's successes would not be possible without support
from Members of Congress. I want to thank you for your work through the
Helsinki Commission and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. They have been key
to
building a consensus for our shared agenda among the legislatures and publics
of the OSCE's 55 participating states. Allow me to congratulate Congressman
Hastings on his election as President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. We
greatly value his continued activism on OSCE issues and the involvement of the
parliamentary assembly in election monitoring and other important work.
I share your enthusiasm for the OSCE and its work. The OSCE's support for
Georgia's democratic transition over the past year demonstrates how the OSCE
and its field missions contribute to creating a democratic and stable Europe,
a
key U.S. foreign policy objective. Strong U.S. leadership within the
organization has advanced fundamental objectives set forth in the President's
National Security Strategy of 2002: to promote security through the development
of democratic and market-oriented societies, respect for human rights, and
tolerance of religious, national, ethnic and racial diversity.
The OSCE is crafting an ambitious agenda for the future, an agenda the United
States supports. With U.S. leadership, the OSCE is doing more to promote human
rights and democracy, to expand efforts to combat anti-Semitism and
intolerance, and to combat trafficking in persons. This month, the OSCE will
send its first election assistance team outside Europe and Eurasia to
Afghanistan for that country's historic presidential elections.
Today, I would like to address in detail the OSCE's value to the United States,
the OSCE's recent accomplishments and plans for the future, and calls to
refocus and restructure the OSCE.
Value of the OSCE for the United States
U.S. participation in the OSCE advances U.S. interests in promoting democracy,
strengthening respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and advancing
arms control, economic prosperity and sustainable environmental policies. The
OSCE also has a role to play in helping to win the global war against
terrorism, and it is a vehicle for the kind of "effective multilateralism"
of
which President Bush spoke last November in London. Promoting these interests
collectively through the OSCE allows the United States to share both costs and
political responsibility with other states and, at the same time, to coordinate
actions to avoid duplication and maximize success.
The United States continues to make effective use of the OSCE's flexible and
comprehensive approach to security, which recognizes human rights, as well as
economic and environmental issues as integral factors in fostering security
and
stability. Common principles agreed by consensus give the United States and
other OSCE participating states shared values and commitments on which to act.
The OSCE can bring the weight of 55 nations acting together to bear on problems
that no one nation can solve alone. Over the past year, the U.S. has again led
the way in proposing practical new issues for the OSCE agenda.
The OSCE has made a significant contribution in the post-Communist era toward
achieving America's goal of a free, whole, and peaceful Europe, though much
still needs to be done. The OSCE is adapting to new challenges and providing
models for addressing tough issues such as intolerance, border management and
destruction of Small Arms and Light Weapons, models from which the United
Nations and other international organizations draw. At the same time, OSCE
resources are modest. Any new initiatives must represent the top priorities
of
the United States and other participating states.
Assessment of Recent and Future OSCE Activities
The Chairman-in-Office plays a crucial role to the OSCE's success, providing
political direction while maintaining the organization's flexibility. In 2003,
The Netherlands set a commendable standard for the conduct of the OSCE
Chairmanship. This year, the United States is working closely with the
Bulgarian Chairman-in-Office. The Bulgarian Chair has worked to implement
decisions taken at the Maastricht Ministerial and has been receptive to new
ideas -- many proposed by the United States. We are looking forward to seeing
these initiatives come to fruition during the Sofia Ministerial in December
and
to working with the Slovenian Chairmanship in 2005.
Among the OSCE's most important assets are its 17 field missions on the front
lines of democracy and human rights from the Balkans to Central Asia. The U.S.
strongly supports OSCE field work and believes that the day-to-day efforts of
OSCE missions are critical to promoting OSCE commitments, especially democratic
values and international human right standards. Field missions work with host
governments, non-governmental organizations and the public to promote
pluralism, prosperity and peace. Their work is varied and complements the
efforts of U.S. and like-minded European embassies. In some countries, OSCE
field missions work with authorities to help them build the capacity to govern
more effectively (by training new generations of officials), efficiently (by
helping plan and implement administrative reforms) and democratically (by
helping to develop legislation, conduct elections and encouraging civic
participation in the political process). In other countries, OSCE field
missions are the linchpins for international efforts at conflict prevention
and
post-conflict rehabilitation.
Fight Against Intolerance
OSCE's pioneering work in fighting racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of
intolerance has become the standard by which other organizations' efforts --
including those of the United Nations -- are measured. The OSCE's work on
confronting the roots of intolerance, strengthening respect for freedom of
religion and speech, and providing an environment free from fear of persecution
or prejudice, are top priorities for the U.S.
The Anti-Semitism Conference in Berlin in April was a spectacular success.
The
political will harnessed by the Berlin Conference should energize
trans-Atlantic cooperation in tackling anti-Semitism and lead to fruitful
follow-up for years to come. We are indebted to the German Government for
hosting the Conference and to the Bulgarian Chairmanship for its strong
support. We are equally thankful to those Americans -- the NGO community and
Chairman Chris Smith, Congressman Ben Cardin and other Members of Congress --
who, along with Secretary Powell and the U.S. delegation led by Ed Koch, took
part in the proceedings. The Berlin Declaration, which stated that
international developments or political issues, including those in Israel or
elsewhere in the Middle East, never justify anti-Semitism, has become a
blueprint for future OSCE efforts to combat anti-Semitism. We look forward to
the Declaration and the action plan outlined in the April 22 Permanent Council
Decision on Combating Anti-Semitism being endorsed by Foreign Ministers in
Sofia.
The Conference on Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, which has just
concluded in Brussels, was equally successful in galvanizing political will
within the 55 OSCE participating states to step up efforts to strengthen
religious freedom and to combat intolerance. A top notch U.S. delegation, led
by Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson, demonstrated
the importance that the United States attaches to this issue. The OSCE
demonstrated its commitment to further action by adopting a series of measures
that, we hope, will be endorsed at the Sofia Ministerial.
The Paris Meeting on the Relationship between Hate Speech on the Internet
and
Hate Crime in June offered experts a chance to share views on hate speech. The
U.S. delegation, under the leadership of two Assistant Attorneys General,
advocated the need to continue to protect freedom of expression and information
and, simultaneously, to confront and denounce the ideas of bigots in the
marketplace of free ideas. While some delegations differed on government
regulation, there were also broad areas of consensus about strengthening
education on combating bias-motivated speech and increasing training for
investigators and police to address bias-motivated crimes on the Internet.
Next Steps in Combating Intolerance
The Berlin and Brussels conferences and the Paris meeting have laid the
foundation for an ambitious, long-term OSCE effort for dealing with the roots
of intolerance. At the two conferences, fifty-five nations committed to collect
hate crime statistics, share that information with the OSCE's Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), strengthen education to
combat intolerance and, consider increasing training for law enforcement and
judicial officials on hate crimes legislation. ODIHR has been tasked to track
incidents of intolerance and anti-Semitism, report on its findings, and to
disseminate best practices for combating acts of intolerance. At the Paris
meeting, the U.S. put forward a "Ten-Point Action Plan" that could
serve as a
basis for combating hate speech on the Internet while protecting freedom of
expression and information. We strongly support each of these initiatives and
will work to see that they are endorsed at the Sofia Ministerial.
The success of these tolerance initiatives, of course, will depend on their
full implementation. There is much to be done: many OSCE participating states
do not have hate crime legislation or systems for tracking hate crime, and
ODIHR has had to start almost from scratch in developing its new tolerance
program. The U.S. believes that ODIHR is the right institution within the OSCE
for promoting tolerance. To ensure that anti-Semitism receives the attention
that it merits, we are considering whether to support the establishment of a
Special Representative for Anti-Semitism. This would be a senior person with
a
mandate to travel and make recommendations. Our view is that such a Special
Representative should be modeled on the OSCE's Special Representative for
Central Asia with neither dedicated staff nor salary.
Anti-Trafficking Efforts
As President Bush said before the United Nations General Assembly last
September, "There is a special evil in the abuse and exploitation of the
most
innocent, the most vulnerable of our fellow human beings . And governments that
tolerate this trade are tolerating a form of slavery." I am pleased to
report
that, in response to the sustained efforts of the Administration and the
Helsinki Commission, the OSCE has expanded its efforts in the fight against
trafficking in human beings. At last December's Maastricht Ministerial,
ministers approved an Action Plan on Trafficking and the creation of a Special
Representative of the Chairman-in-Office on Trafficking.
The criminal practice of trafficking is transnational, requiring engagement
with foreign governments and NGOs. The responsibility to combat human
trafficking lies first and foremost with individual governments. But, no nation
can fight this problem alone. The OSCE's pan-European membership and broad
range of tools can help build practical transnational cooperation in the fight
against trafficking.
The Maastricht Action Plan on combating trafficking in human beings envisions
police training, legislative advice, and other assistance, which are already
being provided by ODIHR and by the OSCE's 17 field missions. As the new Special
Representative for Trafficking and her support unit advance their efforts, we
expect they will provide the framework and coordination to expand our combined
efforts.
The OSCE has taken the lead in the international community in establishing
a
strong code of conduct for its mission members to ensure that they do not
contribute to trafficking. We are pleased that NATO and other international
organizations are looking at OSCE policies as a model to address this as well.
The OSCE has also crafted an economic component to its anti-trafficking action
plan. It is directed toward at-risk individuals in source countries and at
businesses that might be abused by traffickers (hotels and tour operators
exploiting the sex trade). The aim is to reduce demand in destination countries
by raising awareness about trafficked laborers and sex industry workers.
Election Observations
This electoral year is a challenging one, even for an organization with as
much
experience and capability as ODIHR. We commend ODIHR for its excellent and
impartial conduct of election observation missions in Georgia, the Russian
Federation, Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro. I want to single out ODIHR's
Herculean efforts in mobilizing resources and personnel on short notice for
two
seminal national elections in Georgia. ODIHR assisted with programs to organize
presidential and parliamentary elections and to provide robust election
observation missions that documented notable progress over previous elections.
ODIHR's election observation methodology, based on sound, standardized criteria
applied in an objective fashion, enjoys world respect. Upcoming elections in
Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus will be key tests of those countries'
commitment to democracy. The degree to which these elections are judged to be
free and fair will be a critical element for the international community. The
ODIHR monitoring missions will play an important role in determining their
fairness and we call on all countries in the region to fully support all of
ODIHR's election observation and other democracy promoting activities
Afghanistan is an OSCE Partner for Cooperation and has scheduled its historic
first presidential elections for October. The U.S. and other OSCE participating
states, three of which share a border with Afghanistan, have a direct interest
in seeing democracy, peace and stability take root there. We have strongly
supported an OSCE observation role in the upcoming Afghan elections to respond
to requests from the Afghan authorities and the UN. The U.S. will contribute
to
the election support team efforts, and hope others will match our financial
support for ODIHR election activities.
To set an example of transparency, we have again invited ODIHR to send an
election observation mission to the U.S. for the November elections. U.S.
invitations to ODIHR to observe our elections are part of a longstanding
policy. In 1990, the CSCE, the OSCE's predecessor, held a landmark conference
to promote human rights. The U.S. and the participating states agreed at that
conference to the Copenhagen Document, which included a commitment to invite
observers from other participating states to observe national elections. The
U.S. was a major advocate of that commitment, since the Berlin Wall had just
fallen and many nations were about to hold their first real elections in
decades. OSCE participating states reaffirmed this commitment at the OSCE's
1999 Istanbul Summit.
In accordance with this commitment, the U.S. has set an example by inviting
ODIHR to observe several past U.S. elections. We believe that election
observers from emerging democracies, like the former Communist states of
Eastern Europe, who participate in observation missions in the U.S. and other
longstanding democracies become more powerful advocates of better election
practices in their own countries. ODIHR has monitored two U.S. elections and
other established democracies, including the United Kingdom and France, have
also hosted ODIHR election missions. We expect each member country to adhere
to
these principles.
Conflict Prevention/Resolution and Turkmenistan and Belarus
The OSCE also plays a critical role in the so-called frozen conflicts, as
well
as in a few states of concern.
Moldova and Transnistria
The OSCE, and in particular the OSCE Mission in Moldova, are working to find
long-term solutions to the situation in the breakaway region of Transnistria.
The U.S. strongly supports the work of the OSCE in Moldova, which forms part
of
our own strategy as well as that of the EU -- for finding a peaceful
resolution which respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova.
The situation in Transnistria has deteriorated significantly. The Tiraspol
authorities have prolonged their forcible closure and harassment of
Latin-script-language schools. They denied the OSCE Mission freedom of movement
and refused to allow the OSCE and UNICEF to deliver supplies to an orphanage.
Through the OSCE, we have strongly condemned these actions, and reiterated
our
demand that the Transnistrians reopen the schools immediately and restore the
normal movement of people and goods. The U.S. and the EU have added more
Transnistrian officials directly involved with the Latin-script-language school
crisis to our visa bans. Russia's engagement is also critical. We have urged
the Russian Government to make more of an effort to use its influence with the
Transnistrian leadership.
The United States has urged all sides to work transparently with the OSCE
to
make concrete progress toward a political settlement. We support proposals for
international monitoring of the Transnistrian segment of the Moldova-Ukraine
border and for an international conference on the Transnistrian conflict. We
have also urged the Russian Federation to resume, in cooperation with the OSCE,
its withdrawal of arms and ammunition from the region. None of these steps,
and
certainly no bilateral efforts by individual nations, can substitute for a
genuine commitment by all the mediators and the parties to work within the
framework of the five-sided talks facilitated by the OSCE. Only through the
close cooperation of the international community, including the OSCE, will we
reach such a resolution. Transparency in this process is in everyone's
interests.
Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia
The OSCE Mission to Georgia is another example of how the OSCE is contributing
to the President's vision for a Europe whole, free and at peace. We welcome
the
constructive roles played by the OSCE and its field mission there. The United
States supports a peaceful resolution of the South Ossetian conflict that
respects the territorial integrity of Georgia. Tensions in South Ossetia
escalated in August, but ended with a ceasefire and withdrawal of excess
Georgian troops. We have called on all sides to respect all existing agreements
and to refrain from carrying out any further military activities in or near
the
zone of conflict. Recent tensions underscore the need for the sides to move
forward with OSCE participation toward demilitarization and a political
settlement.
Progress toward a political settlement of the Abkhaz conflict is stalled,
with
the Abkhaz side withdrawing from the negotiating process in July. As we urge
the parties to resume progress toward a settlement, we need to use the OSCE
mission in Georgia to further assist the government and the people to
concentrate on democratic institution building and economic reform. We believe
that the OSCE Border Monitoring Operation should continue beyond the expiration
of its mandate in December.
Adapted CFE and Fulfillment of Istanbul Commitments
Regarding the Adapted Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, we welcomed
the
Russian Duma's ratification as an indication that Russia shares with the United
States and NATO Allies a commitment to CFE. However, the most important step
Russia could take to move the Adapted CFE Treaty closer to entry into force
is
fulfillment of its Istanbul commitments on withdrawal of forces from Georgia
and Moldova. Almost five years after the OSCE's Istanbul Summit in 1999, Moscow
still has not met those commitments. Russia should complete withdrawal of its
military forces from Moldova as soon as possible. Russia needs to reach
agreement with the Georgian Government on the withdrawal timetable for its
remaining forces on Georgian territory. Only when Russia fulfills its Istanbul
commitments will the U.S. and its NATO Allies will be prepared to move forward
with ratification of the Adapted CFE Treaty.
Kosovo
The March events in Kosovo remind us that the work of the OSCE's largest field
mission remains critical to developing the foundation for the democratic,
multi-cultural civil society in Kosovo that the United States wants to see.
The
OSCE is helping Kosovo implement the UN Security Council-endorsed Standards
for
Kosovo, which are strongly supported by the U.S., and prepare for the mid-2005
Review Date by helping to build democratic institutions and promote human
rights. The U.S. has made the conduct of free and fair Kosovo elections this
Fall a priority, sending some of our best people to staff OSCE election work
there. Participation by all the people of Kosovo ethnic Albanians, Serbs and
all other minorities will be vital to Kosovo's future. We also continue to
support the excellent work of the Kosovo Police Service School. In light of
the
ongoing security concerns in Kosovo, we envision a further role for the OSCE
in
police training.
Turkmenistan
In Turkmenistan, the expulsion of OSCE Head of Mission Ambassador Badescu
was a
grave disappointment. Ambassador Badescu and her staff have labored under
difficult circumstances to try to keep a line to the outside world open for
the
people of that country and to engage constructively with Turkmen authorities.
The OSCE is the only organization in which Turkmenistan is a full member that
is present on the ground in Ashgabat offering the government and people
opportunities for concrete cooperation to build a democratic future.
Belarus
In Belarus, we are gravely concerned by the government's intensified campaign
that restricts citizens from exercising basic human rights freely, such as the
right to assemble, speak and study independently of government control. We
welcomed the invitation from Belarusian authorities to observe parliamentary
elections this fall, but have made it clear that ODIHR must be given full
access in order to render an objective evaluation of any election. Furthermore,
given the government of Belarus' persistent violations of human rights and
democracy, President Lukashenko's recent decree calling for a referendum to
eliminate institutional term limits for the presidency and allow him to run
again for president in 2006 raises grave doubts whether the results will freely
and fairly reflect the views of the Belarusian people. We reiterate our call
upon the Government of Belarus to ensure that the Belarusian people are able
to
debate, vote and have their votes counted according to international democratic
standards on October 17 and thereafter by taking immediate steps to uphold
Belarus' international democracy and human rights commitments. We will view
any
election and referendum that does not meet international democratic standards
as another attempt to manipulate democratic procedures and the Belarusian
Constitution in contravention of democratic principles.
The U.S. strongly supports the OSCE Office in Minsk in its attempts to help
Belarusian authorities meet broader OSCE commitments and non-governmental
groups to work for the benefit of the country. While the attitude of
authorities toward the OSCE has been disappointing, the OSCE Mission is
reaching out to the next generation, helping prepare it to play a responsible
role in the future.
OSCE Adaptation to New Economic and Security Challenges
At last December's Maastricht Ministerial, the OSCE adopted a strategy to
address threats to security and stability in the 21st century and an economic
strategy to define concrete action in the "Post-Post Cold War era."
These
strategies are examples of the OSCE responding to new economic and
political-military security challenges. At the same time, the OSCE has promoted
practical cooperation to assist participating states in combating terrorism,
improving police and border management, controlling the availability of small
arms and light weapons, and coping with the task of securing or destroying
excess stockpiles of weapons and ammunition, as well as MANPADs.
Energizing the Economic Dimension
The Economic Strategy Document adopted in Maastricht focuses on steps to
improve good governance and transparency to maximize the benefits of economic
integration and globalization. This should advance our overall strategy for
integration of all European and Eurasian states into the global economy. With
the Strategy Document as a tool, OSCE field missions and the Secretariat are
developing activities and are working with participating states to continue
with anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing work.
On the environment, the OSCE has worked with partner organizations to map
environmental hot spots and to work regionally to address environmental
problems that could cause friction between states. One of the most successful
programs took place in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan where, despite political
tensions, scientists and others worked productively together. This is an
excellent example of the OSCE's ability to bring states together to work on
issues of mutual concern, where the exercise itself serves as a confidence
building measure.
Counter-terrorism
The United States has worked to have OSCE fill niches in the international
community's response to terrorism. The OSCE Action against Terrorism Unit has
worked to bring all 55 participating states towards compliance with UN
counter-terrorism commitments. There has been major progress by all
participating states to ratify and accede to the 12 UN terrorism-related
Conventions, as well as on a U.S. initiative to bring "the 55" into
compliance
with recommendations of the OECD Financial Action Task Force to combat
money-laundering and terrorist financing.
The Maastricht Decision on Travel Document Security launched a major OSCE
effort that helps U.S. and international efforts to close doors to terrorists.
The OSCE's seminar on Travel Document Security was a success in increasing
awareness on assistance available to help participating states meet the
deadlines for implementing stricter issuance procedures for travel documents
and for converting to machine-readable passports.
We were pleased with the Second Annual Security Review Conference. This year's
conference both reviewed the implementation of security commitments and
considered new ideas. Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Admiral
Loy's address to the session laid the groundwork for a series of measures that
participating states will, we hope, endorse in the coming months. Admiral Loy
urged the OSCE to join the U.S. in making a commitment to share information
on
lost and stolen passports through Interpol's database, a natural complement
to
the OSCE Travel Document Security decision adopted in Maastricht. He also
proposed that OSCE members take steps to tighten security on container
shipments.
Border Management and Security
The work that the OSCE has launched to follow-up to last year's Ohrid Balkan
Border Conference, including training for border officials from Balkan
countries, is an impressive start to facilitate secure and free flows of people
and goods a key objective of the U.S. Homeland Security Strategy. The United
States has strongly encouraged the OSCE to increase its cooperation with other
international organizations where it can best provide value-added training and
expertise -- a central part of the development of an OSCE border management
and
security concept. In order to promote coordination, the U.S. took the lead in
proposing and defining the parameters for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime-OSCE
Border Conference, which took place in Vienna September 7-8. The OSCE does not
coordinate assistance, but it can bring together donors to avoid duplication
and help to build political support to address border issues among
participating states.
Under U.S. leadership, the Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC) has played
a
positive role as an instrument of the Political-Military Dimension of the OSCE.
The FSC made a significant step forward in combating terrorism when it adopted
stricter export controls on Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) in May.
There is much more to be gained as participating states share their experience
and best practices on effective implementation of stricter MANPADS controls.
The FSC also established principles governing End-Use Certification of small
arms and light weapons. Now that work is completed, the FSC is turning to
another important initiative to establishing principles to govern the
brokering of small arms and light weapons, an idea that came out of an Economic
Dimension seminar on trafficking in arms, demonstrating the value of OSCE's
cross-dimensional work. The OSCE's work in this area includes on-the-ground
assistance to Belarus under the provisions of the OSCE Document on Small Arms
and Light Weapons.
The Cold War left a legacy of excess conventional munitions and weapons,
particularly in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The U.S. supports
OSCE efforts to destroy these excess stockpiles. The OSCE has already received
requests from three participating states for assistance in dealing with excess
munitions: Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. The development and execution of these
projects represent a major task ahead for the OSCE.
Policing
Police training is another area of increased OSCE activity, particularly in
Central Asia. The OSCE's objective, which the U.S. supports, is to help
individual states put in place training and oversight programs that protect
citizens while safeguarding their rights and freedoms. Building on the success
of training in the Balkans, the OSCE's Special Police Matters Unit has stepped
up its efforts with assessment missions to Central Asia and a proposal on
conducting OSCE police training in the Georgian conflict areas of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia. The Special Police Matters Unit has been active in Kyrgyzstan,
where the U.S. has supported the establishment of a police academy. The U.S.
supports the work of the Special Police Matters Unit, and we look forward to
greater transparency and tighter financial oversight of its fieldwork.
Outreach
The U.S. supports demand-driven, practical OSCE outreach activities to deepen
security cooperation with its partners, whom we encourage to commit voluntarily
to implementing OSCE principles and commitments. A first step would be to add
substance to the relationship with the OSCE Mediterranean Partners for
Cooperation (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia), perhaps
through ad hoc seminars on human rights and democracy. The OSCE's Action
Against Terrorism Unit is also working to organize briefings for the
Mediterranean Partners, to encourage them to come into compliance voluntarily
with OSCE counter-terrorism commitments. The U.S. does not favor creation of
an
OSCE-like structure in the Middle East. We do support indigenous reform efforts
in the broader Middle East through the G-8 and bilaterally, in concert with
the
EU.
Sofia Ministerial
The Sofia Ministerial will take place in December, and the U.S. is working
for
a practical agenda focused on our top policy priorities. We hope to reach
agreement within the OSCE on further steps to combat anti-Semitism, racism,
xenophobia and discrimination, agreement on the role the OSCE can play on
gender issues, and additional measures in the fight against terrorism. At
Sofia, the U.S. will again strongly urge Russia to fulfill its Istanbul
commitments. We expect to adopt an OSCE border concept, and to endorse OSCE
work on shipping container security, small arms and light weapons, MANPADS,
and
the destruction of excess stockpiles of ammunition and weapons.
There is one major problem that we hope to resolve by the time of the Sofia
ministerial, namely how the OSCE funds itself. A debate has begun about
revision of the OSCE's two scales of assessment. Russia, supported by some
countries, is seeking a dramatic reduction in its contributions to the OSCE.
In
our view, proposals to reduce contributions radically cannot be the basis for
the kind of serious discussions that are needed among OSCE participating
states. The U.S. stands behind the criteria for adjustment of the scales
adopted in 2001 and 2002 ceilings and floors on contributions based on
capacity to pay. All participating states benefit from the OSCE and all use
the
organization to advance their national interests. The OSCE achieves results
at
a comparatively modest cost. We hope that other participating states will adopt
responsible approaches and negotiate constructively on this issue in order to
avert a budget crisis. We note that the OSCE budget process has improved
markedly over the past several years. Systems have been put in place to track
budget allocations and expenditures more efficiently, providing more
transparency and accountability.
The Sofia Ministerial will also consider the appointment of a new Secretary
General to succeed Jan Kubis, who has served ably since 1999. The Secretary
General plays a critical role in managing the OSCE, and the U.S. is committed
to ensuring that his replacement is the best possible candidate. We welcome
your suggestions for potential candidates.
Strengthening OSCE to Deal with Challenges Ahead
Bulgarian Chairman-in-Office Passy and others have suggested initiatives to
strengthen the OSCE to meet the challenges ahead. Some of these initiatives,
such as Foreign Minister Passy's idea to move the annual human rights and
economic dimension meetings, are good ideas that the United States supports.
Proposals that the OSCE Secretary General should be changed to give the
position more of a political role, however, need careful consideration. The
Secretary General manages OSCE operations. Political leadership is vested in
the rotating Chairman-in-Office, an arrangement that the U.S. supports. We are
concerned that changing the balance between the Secretary General and the
Chairman-in-Office could change the fundamental nature of the organization.
It
is essential to preserve the strengths that have set the OSCE apart from other
international organizations. Specifically, the OSCE's flexibility, which the
Chairman-in-Office system has done much to enhance by minimizing central
control and streamlining bureaucracy, has allowed the organization to respond
to problems creatively and effectively.
Russia and the other Commonwealth of Independent States also have called for
changes at the OSCE, most notably in a July statement that was highly critical
of the OSCE's field operations and ODIHR. We note that the U.S. has supported
efforts by Russia and others to strengthen work in the OSCE's economic/
environmental and political-security dimensions. For example, the U.S. has
worked closely with Russia on crafting the OSCE Strategy to Address Security
to
Stability in the 21st Century, adopted by ministers at the Maastricht
Ministerial. The Economic Strategy adopted at the Maastricht was also a Russian
initiative supported by the U.S.
The U.S., however, remains steadfast that the OSCE's core mission is helping
to
foster democratic change, and that two of the OSCE's greatest strengths are
its
field missions and ODIHR. By helping strengthen democratic institutions and
civil societies, OSCE field presences help to defeat the underlying causes of
instability.
The July CIS statement's claim is factually inaccurate that political dialogue
on democracy and human rights are internal affairs of the concerned states.
The
CSCE Moscow Document of 1991 states: "The participating states emphasize
that
issues relating to human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule
of law are of international concern, as respect for these rights and freedoms
constitutes one of the foundations of the international order. They
categorically and irrevocably declare that the commitments undertaken in the
field of the human dimension of the CSCE are matters of direct and legitimate
concern to all participating states and do not belong exclusively to the
internal affairs of the State concerned."
Conclusions
The bottom line remains that the OSCE has been a successful vehicle for
managing security challenges over the past three decades. Its record of
achievements over the past year is impressive, from Georgia election monitoring
to the Berlin anti-Semitism conference; from tougher travel document security
commitments to a new Special Representative on Trafficking. The year ahead
promises to be just as challenging and diverse, from Afghanistan election
monitoring to tougher measures to combat intolerance.
The value of the OSCE to achieving U.S. foreign policy objectives is clear.
In
promoting democratic development and respect for human rights, the OSCE is
second to none. On economic development, the OSCE promotes good governance and
helps countries put systems in place to fight corruption. On political-military
issues such as the fight against terrorism, border security, small arms and
light weapons, and excess stockpiles, the OSCE fills crucial niche gaps. It
has
proven to be an effective diplomatic tool that complements our bilateral
diplomatic and assistance efforts throughout Europe and Eurasia.
The OSCE does face new challenges ahead, both in its missions and in its
ability to adapt to changing circumstances. The U.S. will continue to work with
its partners within the OSCE to advance the shared objectives of the
trans-Atlantic community. Thank you.
[End]
Released on September 16, 2004
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