Croatia interested in strengthening OSCE, Foreign Minister says

VIENNA, 5 November 2009 - Croatia finds the OSCE-anchored dialogue on the future of European security useful and expects it to reinforce the effectiveness of the OSCE, Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic told the Permanent Council today. 

"Croatia is actively following the security discussions which are taking place within the OSCE in Vienna and is keenly interested in making existing security institutions and mechanisms more efficient in addressing current and new security threats and in mitigating insecurities felt by some states," he said.

The Corfu Process - as the dialogue on the future of European security is known - was launched at an informal OSCE Foreign Minister meeting in June on the Greek island of Corfu.

"We find the Corfu Process extremely useful in terms of identifying and articulating problematic areas of common concern and in finding answers to the existing security vacuum with full engagement of all key actors," he said.

"The key to improving a dialogue and to fashion it into genuine security partnership will lie in restoring the viability of the CFE Treaty, and in mastering the political will to find solutions for protracted/frozen conflicts on the European continent in accordance with the international law."

Jandrokovic also discussed the OSCE's field operation in Croatia. The OSCE Office in Zagreb, which was established in December 2007, replaced the OSCE Mission to Croatia, which had been operating since 1996. The Office in Zagreb is mandated to monitor court proceedings involving war crimes and to report on residual aspects of the implementation of the housing care programmes.

"We have been the 'beneficiaries' of the OSCE presence for no less than 13 years now," Jandrokovic said. "The co-operation was, without doubt, extremely important, irrespectively of the ups and downs or occasional mutual criticism.

"I am, therefore, calling on you to join us in finding a good and responsible solution to this matter that will be a success story for the OSCE and for the Republic of Croatia. After 13 years of presence in Croatia and all recognized achievements, Croatia believes that we should now start defining the framework for the final phase."