OSCE's role will be recast to meet new threats to security

PORTO, 6 December 2002 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Portugal's Foreign Minister Antonio Martins da Cruz, called today for the adoption of a Charter on Preventing and Combating Terrorism to reaffirm the Organization's strong commitment in this area.

In his speech to the Ministerial Council of 55 OSCE States, which opened today, the Chairman recalled that the Organization had immediately recognized the need to adapt and update its instruments and commitments to meet the increasingly sophisticated dimension of this global threat.

Portugal had made the prevention and fight against terrorism a central theme of its Chairmanship in 2002. He recalled that in June, he had hosted a high-level meeting of international organizations in Lisbon, at which the OSCE articulated its activities alongside those of the United Nations, NATO, the European Union, the Council of Europe and others.

"Taking note of the need to avoid duplication and considering the OSCE's comparative advantages, four priorities were identified: policing, border security, anti-trafficking and countering the financing of terrorism", the Chairman-in-Office said.

Another key focus of the Portuguese Chairmanship was fostering political dialogue within the OSCE, by re-balancing the Organizations three dimensions of security, the politico-military, the human and the economic and environmental. "The concept of security cannot be an empty one. It must be concretely achieved through a balanced development of (these) three dimensions," he added.

The Ministerial Council is expected to take several important decisions with regard to improving this balance, including introducing an Annual Security Review conference from 2003 on and strengthening the economic and environmental dimension.

The focus on the human dimension will be reinforced with key decisions on trafficking in human beings, tolerance and electoral standards.

The Ministerial Council, which was opened today by Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, will continue in Porto's Edificio da Alfandega conference centre until Saturday, with a final press conference scheduled for 12:45.