OSCE Chairman welcomes pledges of 670,000 Euro for police assistance programme in Kyrgyzstan

VIENNA, 16 June 2005 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, today welcomed pledges by four OSCE participating States to provide rapid support for the Organization's police assistance programme in Kyrgyzstan.

The United States, Norway, Belgium and France have said that they will make available a total of 670,000 Euro to support the programme, which is aimed at ensuring stability in the Central Asian state, especially in the run-up to the presidential election on 10 July. In addition, France has offered to send additional public order trainers and senior police advisers to the country, especially to areas where public unrest remains a problem.

"These pledges represent a very welcome first step to ensure that this important assistance programme can move forward in Kyrgyzstan," Minister Rupel said. "Security and stability are crucial for the holding of democratic elections in any country."

The OSCE has developed an unrivalled expertise in assisting participating States in building modern, democratically accountable police services which are effective in fighting crime while respecting the human rights of citizens.

The ground-breaking OSCE Police Assistance Programme in Kyrgyzstan - a first in Central Asia and the Organization's largest activity of its kind - began in August 2003. It introduced community-based policing, improved the quality of criminal investigation and strengthened the emergency response capacity of the police force.

The programme is not just one of technical assistance but contains elements explicitly aimed at creating a constructive partnership between the police and the population.

"The value of the OSCE police assistance programme in Kyrgyzstan was clearly demonstrated by the restraint shown by the police in Bishkek in March 2005, despite the real threat of violence," the Chairman-in-Office said. "This was in marked contrast to the behaviour of some police units during previous incidents in the country."

Minister Rupel thanked all OSCE participating States which have already pledged funds to support the Organization's programmes in the Central Asian state, and encouraged others to join them. "We now have staff who can implement the police project in Kyrgyzstan. What is urgently needed are the funds to support them," he said.

The OSCE's police project is one of several initiatives the Organization has identified for Kyrgyzstan and forms part of a larger work-plan agreed with the Kyrgyz authorities. Other projects include an election assistance programme, good governance and economic development initiatives, and conflict prevention activities.