OSCE to discuss concerns raised by recent cartoon controversy and steps to ease discord

VIENNA, 13 February, 2006 - At the initiative of Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, a special informal meeting will be held to discuss possible short- and long-term steps within the OSCE to address the issues raised by the recent publication of controversial cartoons in the media of several participating States.

An invitation to the informal gathering, which will be held in Vienna's Hofburg on Thursday 16 February, has gone to representatives of the 55 participating States and their 11 Partners for Co-operation, which include Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.

The invitation is also being sent to the Chairman-in-Office's three Personal Representatives on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination (including the Personal Representative on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims), the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the High Commissioner on National Minorities and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, as well as the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Secretary General of the OSCE.

Announcing the invitation, the Chairman of the Permanent Council, Ambassador Bertrand de Crombrugghe, said: "From the Helsinki Declaration of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe in 1975 to later OSCE Decisions at the level of the Permanent Council and the Ministerial Council, the commitments undertaken by the participating States show a profound attachment to freedom of expression; but equally to tolerance and mutual respect between people of different opinions and beliefs."

Referring to the Chairman-in-Office's press statement on 7 February, he said that in this context he hoped the informal gathering would set the stage for a serious and unprejudiced dialogue about the issue.

"It will constitute an opportunity for voicing existing concerns and might allow us to identify further initiatives and actions to suitably address them."

As an informal meeting of the OSCE, it will not be open to the press or public. All further information about the event can be obtained through the Spokesman of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Belgium.