Crisis in Georgia, Roma and Sinti focus of OSCE Magazine

VIENNA, 13 October 2008 - The OSCE's role in stabilizing the situation in Georgia under the chairmanship of Finland is the theme of the latest OSCE Magazine, now available online and in print.

Contributors include OSCE Chairman-in-Office Alexander Stubb, who discusses the opportunities presented by talks with the United Nations and the European Union on the situation in Georgia, scheduled to start tomorrow in Geneva. OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut describes his meetings with refugees immediately after the hostilities in South Ossetia.

The Magazine features a timeline tracing the Organization's intensive diplomatic and political activity and on-the-ground efforts starting early this year and during and after the conflict, including negotiating a ceasefire, increasing the number of military monitors in the region and promoting a peaceful settlement.

"The tragic events in Georgia marked a turning point: They challenged the existing security structures in Europe and put the role of regional and international organizations alike to the test," writes Special Envoy Heikki Talvitie in the Magazine's introductory message. "The Chairmanship is convinced that the most feasible option at our disposal now is to create a common forum to consider both the South Ossetia and the Abkhazia conflicts together. This is our hope and this is what we will try to explore in Geneva, working closely with the United Nations and the European Union."

The Magazine also examines the situation of the Roma and Sinti population in Europe five years after OSCE participating States adopted an action plan to alleviate their plight. Contributors include the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Contact Point on Roma and Sinti Issues, the OSCE Mission to Serbia, the European Roma Rights Centre, the office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, and the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma.

The Magazine also features feedback from students at the first Model OSCE Conference, who describe the event as "intense and dynamic and exciting from beginning to end".

The OSCE Magazine, published in English and Russian, can be accessed at: //www.osce.org/item/33333.html

To subscribe, please write to osce-magazine-at@osce.org

An online version in French and in Spanish will also be available.