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  • Sofia: Opening Address to the OSCE Forum Participants

    Sofia News Agency, Bulgaria
    Dec 6 2004

    Opening Address to the OSCE Forum Participants


    "The scourge of terrorism is emerging as a most dangerous threat for
    all of us," Minister Passy said in his OSCE meeting opening speech.
    Photo by Bulgarian Foreign Ministry

    For the Record: 6 December 2004, Monday.

    S T A T E M E N T

    by Mr. Solomon Passy, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
    Bulgaria and Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE


    Time of Change: Towards a transformed OSCE for the 21st century

    12th Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the OSCE
    Sofia, 6 December 2004


    Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

    As I look back in time, I recall with emotion that 15 years ago - in
    1989, a CSCE Meeting on the Protection of the Environment was held in
    this same building. The event focused world attention on the
    totalitarian regime's record of repressing environmental activists.
    It stimulated open demonstrations by human rights advocates and the
    Bulgarian Ecoglasnost environmental group, to which I then belonged.
    That was a clear manifestation of the influence of the Helsinki
    process on the democratic emancipation of my generation. And this
    CSCE meeting in Sofia was the strongest catalyst of the democratic
    processes in Bulgaria. A week later the communist regime collapsed.
    In October 1989 many of my friends were outside this building. Today
    they are here in this hall assisting the Bulgarian Chairmanship to
    fulfil its duties. And I see the finger of destiny in that metaphor.
    Today I am proud that my country is chairing the OSCE and we are
    discussing in the same venue the future and way ahead for this great
    Organization.

    For thirty years the CSCE and OSCE have worked hard to overcome
    divisions that have separated people in Europe. United by shared
    values, today we have come to the conviction that security
    increasingly transcends national borders. Present-day geopolitical
    realities, related to NATO and EU enlargements, along with the
    dialogue and co-operation between the countries to the East and West
    of the Black Sea, stress the importance of the OSCE as a bridge of
    mutual confidence.

    The OSCE has a rich history, innovative missions and institutions, an
    inclusive membership and a dedicated staff. However, if it is to have
    an impact on the lives of citizens from Vancouver to Vladivostock, it
    has to stand firmly by its principles and ensure that its
    institutions and review mechanisms provide implementation of OSCE
    commitments. Guided by this vision, the Bulgarian Chairmanship has
    focused on implementation as a main priority this year.

    We have also kept continuity with the priorities and work of previous
    Chairmanships. I was privileged to have the invaluable support of
    Minister Scheffer and Minister Bot in the OSCE Troika and to draw on
    their rich experience.

    Dear colleagues,

    The scourge of terrorism is emerging as a most dangerous threat for
    all of us. Terrorist attacks, most recently in Madrid and Beslan
    resulted in numerous innocent victims, including children. This evil
    needs our joint and firm response. During 2004 we have held numerous
    result-oriented events and adopted concrete measures aimed at
    countering international terrorism.
    This year the OSCE has increased its efforts to achieve a better
    balance between the politico-military, the economic and human
    dimensions.
    In the politico-military dimension, substantial efforts were made on
    the OSCE Border Security and Management Concept. The follow up to the
    Ohrid Border Conference resulted in a series of workshops for
    training border officials from South Eastern Europe. Another
    important input was provided by the Border Conference jointly
    organized with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which
    focused on strengthening the co-ordination between relevant
    international organizations in their activities related to border
    issues, training and assistance.

    It is our conviction that we have to bring the OSCE activities in
    these areas much closer to those participating States that need them
    most.

    The Bulgarian Chairmanship made an effort to bring the OSCE economic
    and environmental activities in conformity with the commitments
    agreed to in the Maastricht Strategy Document for the Economic and
    Environmental Dimension. The Organization provided and mobilized
    advice and expertise to develop incentives for small and medium-sized
    enterprises, foreign and domestic investment and to improve legal
    frameworks. Special attention was paid to facilitating dialogue
    between governmental agencies and the business community and to
    private and public partnership initiatives. The issues of good
    governance, fight against corruption and money laundering stayed high
    on the agenda.

    The human dimension remained crucial in our work this year, and is
    the backbone of the OSCE. Human rights commitments should be strictly
    adhered to. One of the priorities of the Bulgarian Chairmanship has
    been education, particularly in the context of human rights and
    conflict prevention. It is encouraging that many participating States
    responded positively to my appeal to support financially the OSCE
    Academy in Bishkek and an amount of more than 400 000 Euro has
    already been raised.

    The three high-profile OSCE events in Berlin, Paris and Brussels this
    year on tolerance and non-discrimination reminded us of the danger of
    being complacent about racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism,
    discrimination against Muslims and other forms of intolerance. We
    need to do more to prevent these phenomena from causing divisions
    within our societies. I look forward to appointing three Personal
    Representatives in this field.

    2004 was a busy year for election monitoring. The Organization has
    been involved in observing elections throughout its area - in North
    America, Europe and Central Asia, which is indicative of the
    geographical scope of these activities.

    The most recent elections in Ukraine, and the events that followed,
    were a clear manifestation of people power and show the maturity of
    democracy in this important European country. The victors in Ukraine
    should be democracy and the rule of law. I am glad that a "made in
    Ukraine" solution to this crisis is emerging and that the OSCE played
    a key role in election monitoring and as a facilitator. I hope that
    by the end of this Ministerial meeting the response of the OSCE in
    supporting the re-running of the second round of the presidential
    elections will be clear and generous.

    During this year we continued the efforts to finding lasting and
    viable political solutions to the existing conflicts in the OSCE
    zone.
    The Organization rendered essential support for the conduct of the
    presidential and parliamentary elections in Georgia. I am glad that
    the tensions in and around Ajara were resolved peacefully, with the
    involvement of our Organization. We welcome the progress recently
    achieved in the dialogue on a peaceful comprehensive resolution of
    the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. The measures now in hand to secure
    the demilitarization of the zone of conflict need to be implemented
    as rapidly as possible and the focus has to shift to genuine
    political negotiations.

    The OSCE follows closely the developments related to the Nagorno
    Karabakh conflict. The Chairmanship actively supported the efforts of
    the Co-Chairs of the Minsk group in seeking reinvigoration of the
    dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We note with satisfaction
    the meetings conducted during this year between the Presidents and
    the Foreign Ministers of the two countries and hope that the process
    will be moved forward.

    The involvement of the Bulgarian Chairmanship in active search for
    solutions to the conflicts in the South Caucasus was reconfirmed by
    the designation of two prominent Bulgarian statesmen - former
    President Zhelju Zhelev and former Prime Minister Philip Dimitrov, as
    CiO's envoys respectively for Georgia and Nagorno Karabakh.

    The Bulgarian Chairmanship looked actively for solutions in the
    Transdniestrian conflict. The Chairman-in-Office asked former
    Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov to act as his envoy for Moldova.
    President Stoyanov's visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol in September
    demonstrated the Chairmanship's commitment to seeking an overall
    settlement of the dispute. However, despite the continuing efforts of
    the mediators and some positive developments during the first half of
    the year, there was lack of progress towards comprehensive political
    settlement. The Chairmanship calls upon the parties to the conflict
    to establish and strengthen a working dialogue that can lead more
    effectively towards a lasting solution. Additional efforts are still
    needed to find a formula for a comprehensive settlement on the basis
    of strengthening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the
    Republic of Moldova while providing a special status for
    Transdniestria.

    In 2004 the Western Balkans continued to face complex challenges such
    as the break out of violence in Kosovo in March. The parliamentary
    and presidential elections in Serbia and the Macedonian referendum on
    decentralization were key events in shaping the future development of
    these countries. Due to the continuous persistent efforts exerted by
    the OSCE, developments in the region have been forward-leaning.
    Bosnia and Herzegovina has made progress in achieving interethnic
    tolerance, in strengthening state institutions and in resolving the
    problems with returnees and their property. We are pleased to note
    Albania's commitment to finalize the overall implementation of the
    electoral reform in order to organize free and democratic elections
    in 2005. Croatia's performance in fulfilling OSCE commitments also
    deserves our esteem.

    In Central Asia the Bulgarian Chairmanship facilitated more
    co-operation among the participating States, both from in- and
    outside the region, and the specialized international organizations.
    All of us in the OSCE welcomed the moratorium on the death penalty
    introduced by the Parliament of Tajikistan following a proposal by
    the Tajik President.

    Ladies and gentlemen,

    This has been a challenging year for the Bulgarian Chairmanship. As I
    reflect on my time as Chairman-in-Office, I would like to share with
    you three convictions:

    First, solidarity is more needed than ever. That means no dividing
    lines. We should not lose sight of the vision of our predecessors who
    agreed three decades ago to improve and intensify relations among
    European States and to strive for peace, justice, security,
    co-operation and rapprochement. This is the imperative of global and
    regional security and, most of all, serves the interests of the
    people and their respective countries.

    This leads me to my second conviction: the OSCE should reach out.

    The OSCE's experience, capacities and good practices in preventing
    inter-ethnic conflicts, election monitoring, confidence-building,
    arms control and facilitating dialogue could be applied in other
    parts of the world. In this regard I would like to emphasize that by
    sending an Election Support Team to Afghanistan for the presidential
    elections in October - the first out-of-area operation of the OSCE,
    our Organization demonstrated its capacity to go beyond its original
    horizons. Mongolia has just become a new Partner for Co-operation. In
    my view the Mediterranean dimension deserves particular attention and
    I believe that the OSCE example could have a positive impact on the
    troubled Middle East. The successful Mediterranean Seminar organized
    in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt has highlighted the importance of
    fostering co-operation and interaction in this region.

    My third conviction is that the OSCE should be of more relevance and
    practical benefit to the man in the street and, to that end, try to
    overcome tendencies towards bureaucratization. Although the Permanent
    Representatives in Vienna are doing an excellent job, this phenomenon
    persists, due to insufficient efforts by the respective capitals to
    make ordinary people feel that the OSCE has a tangible bearing on
    their lives. It is our responsibility - as Ministers - to play a
    greater leadership role, to take more initiatives, and to bring
    knowledge about the OSCE closer to constituencies.

    I am confident that people in Bulgaria and around the world deserve
    to know more about the OSCE and its work. 2005 will be an excellent
    opportunity to raise our public profile by celebrating the thirtieth
    anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act and the fifteenth anniversary
    of the Charter of Paris.

    These three convictions - solidarity, outreach, and relevance - lead
    me to the expectation that we will be able to transform this
    organization. The OSCE needs to adapt, evolve and further improve its
    efficiency. This year witnessed a far-reaching debate on transforming
    the OSCE to ensure that it is even better suited to deal with these
    present-day challenges. I am confident that the decision on
    establishment of a panel of eminent persons on strengthening the
    effectiveness of the OSCE will provide additional momentum to this
    process and will contribute to improving the overall capacity of the
    Organization. The OSCE should be more accessible to its constituents,
    and seek to engage parliamentarians more actively in its work.


    Dear Colleagues,

    On the issue of reform I have tried to test the boundaries this year,
    and to challenge some taboos in the OSCE in order to shake things up
    for the better. I welcome the fact that others have contributed a
    number of thought-provoking views on reform. The future of this
    organization is in our hands: it will be as relevant and as effective
    as we make it.

    I would like to particularly thank the Heads of OSCE Institutions,
    the Heads of Field Missions and the OSCE Secretariat for their
    relentless and dedicated efforts throughout 2004. Let us build on
    this Sofia meeting and work even harder for peace and security. And
    let us challenge ourselves and each other to come up with bold
    initiatives and a vision for the political space from Vancouver to
    Vladivostock.


    Ladies and gentlemen,

    I wish you a fruitful and successful Ministerial Council Meeting.

    Thank you.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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