OSCE can actively shape development of wider European security, says new Chairman

VIENNA, 10 January 2008 - The new OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, said today that conflict prevention and crisis management would form the core of his country's Chairmanship and that the Organization would work with political actors to meet challenges expected during the year.

"I believe that this organization can and will continue to shape the development of security across wider Europe," he said in a speech to the OSCE Permanent Council, during which he outlined the Finnish Chairmanship's priorities. "It is both a forum for political discussion, as well as an instrument we can use to achieve our common goals. The OSCE provides us with a special kind of power, namely co-operative power."

He added that the 56 participating States needed to place the OSCE in a 'more global scale': "We are not living in an OSCE vacuum but in a world where a new era of risks and opportunities is emerging. We have not only common values and principles, but also interests."

Minister Kanerva said he intended to visit the countries in the region, with the first trip to Moldova next week. The OSCE has 19 field operations in 17 countries in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

He also said he was concerned about the dangerous deadlock in the negotiations on the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, calling it "a cornerstone of European military security".

"I urge the parties to continue a dialogue in order to seek resolution of outstanding differences. We should seek at all costs to avoid an erosion of the treaty regime," the Minister said.

He said he was worried about the deep differences concerning the future status of Kosovo, adding: "I have no doubt that the OSCE should remain active in Kosovo. It is the people of Kosovo, be they Albanians or Serbs, and the developing institutions that still need our help. Therefore the Organization should continue its essential work on the ground for their benefit."

Minister Kanerva said the Finnish Chairmanship would work hard to stop the illicit spread of small arms and light weapons, develop plans to improve the security and management of borders, including the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Other priorities would include battling intolerance, including discrimination against Roma and Sinti, combating human trafficking, particularly in the sphere of identifying and protecting child victims, deepening gender mainstreaming efforts, and maritime and inland waterways co-operation.

He also said the OSCE, and its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), should continue its valuable work in election-related activities but acknowledged that its election observations had highlighted divisions among some countries in the OSCE, adding that "it need not remain so."

"I appeal to all government concerned to cooperate closely with ODIHR," he said. "Every participating State can and should continue to work towards improving their democratic institutions, including those of elections, and in accordance with agreed commitments and established practices."

He called on the participating States to implement the Organization's political commitments based on the common values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Minister Kanerva encouraged the future chairmanships Kazakhstan (2010) and Lithuania (2011) to join the present Troika countries Spain, Finland and Greece in creating ideas for longer-term activities.

"I would like to invite the Foreign Ministers of this 'quintet' to identify possible common priorities for the purpose of better planning. I am ready to host a meeting of the five countries in Finland for these purposes," he said.

Minister Kanerva noted with concern that the OSCE still had not agreed on a budget for 2008, and said he hoped a solution would come soon. "This is vital for the good governance of the OSCE," he said.