Greek Chairmanship priorities, dialogue on European security featured in OSCE Magazine

VIENNA, 18 February 2009 - The latest OSCE Magazine, now available online, highlights the Greek OSCE Chairmanship's challenging start to the year and the results of the 16th Ministerial Council in Helsinki.

"Greece is assuming the Chairmanship at a challenging time for the OSCE. From the outset, we have sought to translate our pledge to act as an honest broker into action, and thanks to the goodwill and co-operation of our fellow participating States, I believe we have made a promising start," writes Ambassador Mara Marinaki of Greece in the introduction.

In this issue, Ambassador Aleksi Härkönen, who was Head of the Finnish OSCE Chairmanship Task Force last year, gives his impressions of the "year that was", and the OSCE foreign ministers' informal discussion the future of security in Europe, held at the December Ministerial Council is also featured.

In addition, the Magazine presents discussions on the need for a legal personality for the Organization and OSCE work in Ukraine - including an initiative to dispose of thousands of tonnes of toxic melange which promises to be the OSCE's largest donor-funded project ever.

Published in English and Russian, with online editions in French and Spanish, the OSCE Magazine can be found on the OSCE website, //www.osce.org/item/36302.html.

Readers can subscribe to the hard copy version directly online or by e-mail, addressed to oscemagazine@osce.org