Statement

Mr. Chairman,
Dear Colleagues,
First of all, I would like to congratulate the North Atlantic Cooperation Council on the fifth anniversary of its foundation. The creation of this Council was a first decisive step taken by NATO to vanquish the division of Europe and to overcome the legacy of the Cold War.

As outgoing Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, I presented a detailed balance-sheet of the OSCE and its activities on 22 November in Vienna and at the recent Summit Meeting in Lisbon. You have received copies of both these reports. I would like to limit myself today to just a few aspects.

This year, the OSCE's operations were extensively marked by the implementation of the Peace Agreement for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The supervision of the preparation and conduct of the general elections, as well as human rights issues, not to mention the measures for the military stabilization of the Region, were the greatest operational challenges the OSCE had ever had to face. At the same time, they were also a rather remarkable example of the possibilities of which our Organization, with its nevertheless very limited means and its modest, non-bureaucratic structures, disposes.

The 14 September elections were a first step down the long, rough road towards reconciliation and democracy in Bosnia. They would have been impossible were it not for the direct assistance of IFOR. My thanks go out to IFOR for its close, successful cooperation. In the consolidation phase now to follow, the OSCE's first priority is the supervision of the quite rightly postponed municipal elections. They will be the next test of progress in the peace process. Here too, the only way to succeed is through the close collaboration of all organizations in the planning and implementation of the election process. I thank the new Stabilization Force (SFOR) in advance for its support, which will be indispensable. But, of course, all of the international community's efforts will be in vain if the Parties concerned are not disposed to cooperate in good faith. Yet at the same time, it turns out - and I make no effort at concealing from you my disappointment - that certain Parties, I am refering in particular to Pale, while paying lip-service to the desire to implement the Dayton Agreement, are in fact pursuing the goal of ethnic separation.

In addition to Bosnia, the OSCE was able to make an important contribution to the peace process in Chechnya by means of its Assistance Group in Grozny. This was possible only thanks to the constructive attitude of the Russian Federation. The resolution of conflicts and of tensions between national majorities and minorities remains a foremost task of the OSCE. The Long-term Missions and the High Commissioner on National Minorities have been able to register progress for instance in Latvia, Ukraine, and Moldova.

We regret that it was impossible to reach any progress in the efforts aimed at a resolution of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Nevertheless, the foundation for a political solution was able to be set down in Lisbon with the support of all but one participating State. This is embodied in the principle of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and a large degree of autonomy for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

In the discussion on a Security Model for Europe for the 21st Century, a first stage was brought to conclusion with the adoption of the Declaration of the Lisbon Summit. To be more precise, collective European security cooperation shall be enhanced by the following, concrete measures:

by means of the common implementation of democratic values, by reacting in solidarity to threats to and violations of OSCE commitments, by assisting to improve the protection of minorities, and by further negotiations in the field of arms control.
Specifically, it was decided to elaborate a Platform in which the principles and modalities for future cooperation shall be defined. Security cooperation is to be manifested in a Charter on European Security.

Naturally, this first substantial exchange of views among the Heads of State and Government in Lisbon could not give a response to all of the questions regarding the realization of the Model. Should the OSCE be vested with a legal status, should its decision-making procedures be reinforced perhaps by the creation of a Security Committee, should additional legal instruments be created? What concrete form should be given to peacekeeping operations, and how should cooperation and the division of labor with the other organizations be specifically arranged? These are some of the questions which will be dealt with in the dialectic exchange of the future discussions since, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Discussion is not over. It will be conducted further as a kind of process. The results largely depend on developments which will take place in other organizations, such as NATO, too. One of the main points also to be treated when speaking about the Security Model is the involvement and the participation of Russia.

There are, and we are well aware of this, indeed other ways in which to consolidate security on our continent. The Security Model is but one of many possibilities. As Chairman-in-Office, I have nonetheless given myself a priority duty: to leave the way open for the most broad and comprehensive debate possible on a topic which is fundamental for the future of us all. The fate of the OSCE depends on the unanimous desire of the participating States. The OSCE remains an Organization which is flexible and knows how to adapt to different situations. Only time will tell whether the function of the OSCE in future security cooperation will be one which is merely complementary or whether the OSCE will have a more important role to play.

It has been an honor for Switzerland to head the OSCE. This Chairmanship was meant to bear witness to the fact that my Country, given the great strategic changes which recent history has brought, desires to face the new challenges both openly and in a spirit of solidarity. We intend to pursue our engagement. And as yet another sign of this, sometime later today I will sign the Framework Agreement of the Partnership for Peace, and am delighted to do so.