5-6 Nov. 2003

Secretary General addresses OSCE Council in Vienna News 05/11/2003 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit Austria Opinions 06/11/2003 - NATO Speech by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson at the OSCE Permanent Council, Vienna, Austria Links OSCE website Photo: OSCE/Alex Nitzsche Speaking at the OSCE Permanent Council during his farewell visit to Vienna, 5-6 November, Lord Robertson said cooperation between NATO and OSCE is “a strategic imperative – today more than ever before.” A year ago, Lord Robertson was the first NATO Secretary General to address the OSCE’s top decision-making body. Today, he said, there is even greater scope for cooperation, building on joint efforts in the Balkans. “ Terrorism finds a fertile breeding ground where there is bad government, where there are dysfunctional institutions, and where there is no respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The OSCE is the standard bearer of these norms, and it has a critical role to play in the new security environment, alongside with NATO and others,” the Secretary General said. Issues such as border security, organised crime, and small arms and light weapons are examples of areas in which NATO and OSCE can enhance their cooperation, he said, and also extend it beyond the Balkans to the Caucasus, Central Asia and even the Mediterranean. Lord Robertson was speaking during a two-day farewell visit to NATO partner country Austria. During the visit, he met for talks with President Thomas Klestil, Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, Minister of Defence Günther Platter and the President of the National Council Andreas Khol.