OSCE Chairman issues statement after CFE Treaty Conference ends in Vienna

MADRID, 15 June 2007 - Following the conclusion of the Extraordinary CFE Conference in Vienna today, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, called on the States Parties to the Treaty to overcome existing differences.

"I would remind you that during the Extraordinary Conference, Spain reaffirmed the importance of the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe as a cornerstone of European security and stability, and expressed its desire that the Adaptation Agreement enter into force as soon as possible," said Minister Moratinos.

"We are resolved to work with the other States Parties to create conditions that will lead us to that objective."

Minister Moratinos stressed that in the view of the Spanish Presidency the political-military side of the OSCE is still an area of crucial importance for dialogue, and that its validity is undeniable.

"I firmly believe that the existing political-military instruments operating under the umbrella of the OSCE, among them the CFE Treaty, have satisfactorily helped, and can help even more in the future, to consolidate the climate of security and mutual trust that we currently enjoy in Europe, North America and Central Asia."

The Chairman-in-Office called on the States Parties to the CFE Treaty to make use of every possible channel of negotiations and exert the sincerest political will in order to arrive at a common ground where they could resolve the issues still outstanding with regard to the CFE Treaty and the obligations deriving from it.

"If this happens, at the 29 and 30 November Madrid OSCE Ministerial Council, we shall hopefully be able to congratulate ourselves on having maintained the CFE system as a genuine cornerstone of security and stability in Europe."