Address to OSCE Summit

At this summit we share a vision of Europe

• where all European states have endorsed a comprehensive approach to security including economic, social and environmental concerns;
• where all European states respect OSCE-principles of democracy , basic human rights and the results of free and fair elections;
• where all European states support a more efficient OSCE with reliable arms control mechanisms, better implementation and monitoring of agreements, better crises management and a variety of tools for conflict prevention;
• where all European states are included in a European market that comprises the whole of Europe, not only the West;
• and finally - where all European states are knit into a variety of security organizations that are mutually reinforcing.

Mr. Chairman, this is more than a vision. It is a concrete project and we realize it by taking concrete steps on the regional level.

Let me visualize the regional approach by inviting you to look northwards. The five Nordic countries form a region of political stability, a common market of mutual trust and extensive people-to-people cooperation.

But as of today you will still find a variety of security affiliations. All countries are members of the UN, the OSCE and the Council of Europe. Some are NATO members, others are NATO partners through Partnership for Peace. Some are members of the European Union. others are members of the internal market through the European Economic Area.

This is the same diversity that we now see in the broader European-Atlantic region. Should it not be our vision that the stability of the Nordic region be made applicable to the rest of the OSCE area?

Today the Nordic countries look beyond their own region by taking actively part in two of the most promising arrangements for regional cooperation in Europe. In the far North we engage with Russia in the Barents cooperation. We reestablish the pattern of trade, cultural exchange and civil cooperation that flourished in the Barents region before 1917.

Further South, together with the other states around the shores of the Baltic Sea we build the Baltic Cooperation - reestablishing old trade routs, assisting in the strengthening of democracy, the market economy and multiple projects of people-to-people cooperation.

This regional approach is comprehensive security in practice. Take the environment as an example. Norway the United States, France and other European partners assist Russia in the handling of radioactive waste.

We even go further into uncharted land for environmental cooperation. Today the dismantling of decommissioned nuclear submarines must be addressed with the same determination as we pursue arms control and disarmament.

Beyond the regional approach we must make our democratic organizations inclusive. We have begun the gradual process of opening NATO and the European Union to new members. In this process the legitimate interest of every country - large or small - will be kept in mind. Our common enemy is not any specific country, but fear and suspicion.

In the new security architecture the CFE Treaty continues to be of vital importance. New patterns of cooperation are added to the list. Partnership for Peace is a crucial instrument and IFOR is a unique learning experience.

We have agreed to extend the mandate of the OSCE mission in Bosnia. A few weeks from now the follow-on force to IFOR will be deployed.

Together we must continue to rebuild war-ravaged Bosnia, its infrastructure as well as its economy and political system. But time has come to ask for a more sincere contribution by the peoples of Bosnia and their leaders. They must build democracy. Nobody else can do it.

Respect for democracy is the cornerstone for stability in Europe. The present constitutional crises in Belarus cause sincere concern. We urge the President of Belarus to contribute to a solution in full conformity with basic OSCE norms and commitments.

We have learned that today's threats to peace come from conflicts deeply embedded in the history of states, regions and peoples. All too often, intervention by the international community comes too late when the conflict has erupted and battles have been fought.

We still lack efficient procedures for dealing with emerging conflicts, both in the UN and in the OSCE. We need better procedures, clearer mandates, more realistic missions and available funds. We cannot run our activities on painfully collected ad-hoc budgets, as we have experienced in Bosnia.

To this end, Norway proposes to establish an OSCE emergency fund for preventive diplomacy and crisis management. The Chairman in office should have the ability to act rapidly in timely endeavors to de-escalate conflict. We are ready to contribute and we invite others to join.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Switzerland for its efforts during 1996 and Portugal for hosting this Summit. We wish Denmark every success in its important mission as Chairman in office in 1997.

Norway will continue to contribute to the work of our common organization. As a part of this effort, it is an honour for me to announce that Norway would be available to assume the task of Chairman in office of the OSCE in 1999.