Conflict resolution re-energized, OSCE Chairman tells UN Security Council

NEW YORK, 26 September 2008 - The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is re-energizing its work on conflict resolution and crisis management, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, told the UN Security Council today.

"Recent events highlight the fragility of the rules-based international order that the UN, with the support of the OSCE, strives to build," said Stubb. "The crisis in Georgia has underlined the critical importance of co-operation between the two organizations."

Stubb noted the OSCE had swiftly decided to send an additional 20 Military Monitoring Officers to Georgia and he hoped a deal on deploying a further 80 could still be reached.

He said a new platform involving the UN, the OSCE and the EU, and other stakeholders, should be used for a comprehensive approach to security and stability in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The October 15 talks in Geneva would be an important step in this direction.

Stubb emphasized to the Security Council that he believed there was no such thing as a 'frozen conflict', adding: "It is time to banish this term from the political lexicon and act quickly to settle outstanding conflicts in our region."

On Kosovo, the Chairman-in-Office said the OSCE's mission - the Organization's largest - was an essential pillar of UNMIK and its role crucial, notably in promoting grassroots democratic values and protecting the interests of all communities.

On Afghanistan, he said the OSCE´s intention was to launch projects related to policing and the fight against drug trafficking to bolster regional stability. The OSCE looks forward to working together with the UN in Afghanistan, Stubb said.

The Security Council meeting was attended by high-level representatives of OSCE participating States, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.