Andorran Foreign Minister urges OSCE States to pursue arms reduction through security forum

VIENNA, 21 January 2004 - The Foreign Minister of Andorra, Juli Minoves, today urged OSCE participating States to focus on implementing the politico-military security decisions taken at the recent Ministerial Council in Maastricht, including conventional arms reduction and non-proliferation measures, as well as an anti-terrorism strategy.

Addressing and presiding over the first meeting of the 55-nation Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) in 2004 under Andorra's chairmanship, the Minister signalled that its top priorities during the four-month period of office include encouraging and assisting States to reduce massive stockpiles of excess conventional weapons and munitions and take further action against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW), building on the OSCE's SALW Best Practice Guide published last month.

In particular, Minister Minoves called for the rapid follow up to decisions adopted last year at the FSC to prevent dangerous Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) from falling into the hands of terrorist groups, as part of wider efforts to combat terrorism.*

The Minister said that Andorra, a small mountainous state between France and Spain, had known uninterrupted peace for over 700 years: "This long peaceful period is all the more remarkable because we have never had an army and never produced any weapons. Although conflict surrounded Andorra during these centuries, our commitment to peace and our reliance on diplomacy, together with our geography, protected us more securely than arms."

Its history was the greatest gift Andorra brought to the deliberations of the FSC, he said. The country had contributed to the destruction of small arms in Albania through the United Nations and was firmly committed to the issue of tackling the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

"One proposal currently on the table calls for an FSC decision on End-User Certificates, which offers [the OSCE] an opportunity to take the lead in efforts to ensure tighter controls of small arms exports", he added.

The Foreign Minister disclosed that he planned to let the UN Secretary-General know of the FSC's priorities so that, through the United Nations, interaction between the two organizations would foster co-operation and reduce duplication of work on these issues.

The FSC's traditional mandate covers arms control, disarmament and achieving the adoption and improvement of confidence- and security-building measures.

*A closed-session workshop of experts on this issue will be held in Vienna on Friday 23 January, by the OSCE's Action Against Terrorism Unit.