OSCE Magazine focuses on changes in Ukraine, challenges facing Slovenian Chairmanship

VIENNA, 4 April 2005 - An insider's account of the dramatic events behind the scenes during the recent political crisis in Ukraine and an overview of the first hectic months of Slovenia's OSCE Chairmanship are the lead items in the latest issue of the OSCE Magazine, now available online.

In the cover story, OSCE Spokesperson Richard Murphy describes the full agenda of the 2005 Chairmanship as the new year ushered in a difficult period for the Organization.

Oleksandr Pavlyuk, Acting Head of the External Co-operation Section in the OSCE Secretariat, describes what it was like for a Ukrainian national to participate, on the Organization's behalf, in momentous talks on his country's future.

Continuing the Ukrainian theme, Urdur Gunnarsdottir, Spokesperson for the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), recounts developments leading to the largest-ever OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission. More than 1,300 observers from 44 countries monitored the re-run of the second round of presidential elections in December.

The Magazine also carries a tribute to Ambassador David R. Nicholas, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, whose sudden death in Kyiv came just as the Organization's activities in the country were being strengthened.

Other contributors include former New York Times foreign correspondent Chrisopher S. Wren, who shares his impressions of his encounters with young regional journalists all across Kazakhstan, and Polish lawyer Krzysztof Drzewicki, who explains how a seemingly insignificant clause in the Constitution for Europe was cause for celebration by the OSCE's High Commissioner on National Minorities.

This issue marks the start of the second year of the OSCE Magazine. Published in English and Russian, it can be accessed on the OSCE website. Readers can also subscribe to the print version at www.osce.org/publications or at osce-magazine-at@osce.org.