OSCE celebrates anniversary of Helsinki Final Act in Bosnia and Herzegovina

SARAJEVO, 1 August 2000 - Today the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrates the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) Final Act, better known as Helsinki Final Act.

On 1 August 1975, Heads of State or Government of 35 nations from Europe, Canada and the United States signed this important agreement, which set in motion a powerful process and significantly contributed to the collapse of the totalitarian regimes and the end of the division of Europe.

"At the early stages of the negotiations nobody had any idea that the OSCE would turn into what it is today," said Ambassador Robert Barry, Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH. "What started out as a conference to set international norms has turned into an organization with a field presence in eighteen countries throughout Europe. This year, we will see OSCE involvement in Southeast Europe, as election organizers in BiH and Kosovo, and as observers in the elections in Macedonia and Albania. And more remains for us to do in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the fields of human rights, democratization, military stabilization and the media. "

During his assignment to Moscow in the early 1970s, Ambassador Barry was involved in many of the discussions leading to the Helsinki Final Act. From 1985 to 1987 he led the US delegation to the CSCE on Confidence-Building Measures and Disarmament in Europe which produced a landmark document providing for on-site inspections to verify conventional arms agreements.

The Helsinki Final Act was considered a breakthrough in East-West relations, lessening tensions and building co-operation. The process involved military talks, leading to greater trust between the two adversarial blocs, and was matched by efforts at co-operation on economic, environmental and scientific matters. Probably the most significant provision of the Final Act was outlined in "Basket III" on human rights, which provided inspiration and encouragement to human rights movements in their struggle for fundamental freedoms.

Following the dramatic collapse of communism, the CSCE was handed a challenging role at the landmark Paris Summit of 1990 - that of steering the direction of a new Europe "whole and free". However, despite considerable progress toward compliance with the Helsinki principles, the emergence of devastating armed conflicts and the slow progress in many countries in adopting democratic practices soon dampened the optimism of the Paris Summit.

Renamed the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 1995, the now 55 participating states redirected and strengthened the Organization to face the new realities of Europe. As a regional arrangement under the United Nations Charter, the OSCE today serves as the primary instrument in its area for early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation.

The OSCE established its present Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 December 1995. In accordance with the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP), the OSCE Mission activities are to: promote Democratization and the building of a vibrant civil society, foster the development of professional journalism and monitor the rights of journalists, monitor and advance the Human Rights situation, supervise the conduct of Elections, and encourage Regional Stabilization through arms control and confidence and security-building measures.

The OSCE Mission continues to work closely with other international organizations and local institutions to implement the Dayton Peace Accords.

For further information on the 25th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, please refer to the official OSCE Mission website at www.oscebih.org