Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs Knut Vollebæk

OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting

Colleagues,
distinguished delegates,
ladies and gentlemen,

Let me start by thanking our friend and colleague Bronislaw Geremek and his team for their leadership over the past eleven months, and for their continued efforts in the remaining weeks of the Polish chairmanship.

The Polish term of office has been filled with challenges. The crisis in Kosovo comes to mind as a prime example. Through it all Professor Geremek and his colleagues have acted with professional competence, combining political astuteness with hard work and plain good sense. Yours will indeed be a hard act to follow. I would like to add, Bronislaw, that we owe you personally a debt of gratitude. Your experience has made you uniquely qualified to appreciate the importance of basic OSCE standards and principles. Your wisdom and moral conviction have been great assets to this organization. I look forward to next year's cooperation in the Troika, where we will be joined by our Austrian friend and colleague, Wolfgang Schuessel.

Norway is acutely aware that the chairmanship is a heavy responsibility. We underestimate neither the complexity nor the magnitude of the task we will be taking over in less than four weeks. We have always been strongly committed to the OSCE and the values for which it stands. Hence, we are committed to doing our utmost to maintain the high standards set by the Polish and preceding chairmanships. While it is a daunting task, the chairmanship also represents an opportunity to make a difference in shaping solutions to the major challenges today facing the OSCE area.

The role of the Chairman-in-Office is, of course, a unique feature of the OSCE. Through the rotating chairmanship the foreign ministers of the participating States have delegated the executive tasks of the organization to one of their peers. This ensures a continuing political involvement in the direction and running of the organization. The OSCE Chairman-in-Office has some latitude, and needs it. It is essential that this freedom of manoeuvre is not circumscribed. But it is equally important that it is used judiciously.

That is why we will aim to make ours an open and inclusive chairmanship.

We will strive to stay in touch with our partners. We will endeavour to be proactive and lead the way whenever initiatives are called for. But we will do this in consultation and close cooperation with other members of the organization, and particularly with the parties directly involved or affected. Building consensus is an important part of the responsibilities of the Chairman-in-Office. At times this may make the process of reaching decisions more time-consuming. But that will usually be a price worth paying if it ensures the political cohesion and ultimately the political decisiveness of the organization.

Ours will also be an open and inclusive chairmanship in two other ways. Firstly, we intend to maintain and further develop ties to other organizations engaged in the OSCE area. This of course is part and parcel of the ongoing document-charter negotiations. But we also want to explore further opportunities for intensifying practical cooperation in the field. We see considerable scope for enhanced practical cooperation with organizations such as the UN, NATO and, not least, the Council of Europe.

Secondly, we wish to explore the possibilities of further developing the OSCE's partnership and cooperation with non-governmental organizations. Particularly in the human dimension, the role of NGOs such as Amnesty International, Helsinki Watch, the Red Cross/Red Crescent and others is a great asset to this organization. The OSCE is a community of values. We are all committed to upholding and respecting basic human rights and the rule of law. The fundamental task of this organization is to ensure that these shared values are part of the daily lives of the men and women in our countries. The NGO community has been immensely helpful in this regard and can become even more so in the future.

Kosovo is by far the greatest challenge this organization has ever faced. Up to 2000 personnel are to verify the progress of peace in the province. It is essential that we get it right, for the sake of the hundreds of thousands of Kosovars who have been displaced, who have been deprived of their livelihood and whose homes have been destroyed. A successful mission will contribute to stability and security not only in Kosovo, but in the entire region.

The cessation of hostilities is an achievement in itself. It has staved off a humanitarian catastrophe. I am uneasy, however, at the recent indications of growing tension in Kosovo. The parties must refrain from any act that could threaten the peace process and place the security of KVM personnel at risk.

Now the OSCE and the KVM must do everything in their power to support the quest for a political solution. But essentially this is up to the parties themselves. It is they who must have the necessary political will. It is they who must be willing to make compromises. It is their children's future which is at stake.

Kosovo will necessarily be at the top of the OSCE's agenda next year. It must not, however, be allowed to overshadow other challenges facing us, either elsewhere in the Balkans or in other parts of the OSCE area. In Bosnia and Herzegovina we must stay the course. The process of transferring responsibility for building democracy must continue. There will, however, be a significant role for the OSCE in 1999 as well. In Croatia the return process and police monitoring will remain primary concerns. With regard to Albania, the OSCE, in cooperation with the European Union, must actively pursue its function as co-chairman of the Friends of Albania group.

At the same time, we must continue and strengthen our efforts to come to grips with the conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and Nagorno Karabakh. This Ministerial Council has rightly focused on these so-called "frozen" conflicts. We are committed to doing everything we can in the search for mutually acceptable political solutions. But in the final analysis the responsibility for finding a way out lies with the parties themselves. Given the necessary political will and courage, 1999 could be the year when the frost begins to thaw.

Last, but not least, the Document-Charter on European Security will remain a top priority for next year. The incoming Norwegian chairmanship will do its utmost to provide leadership for this process. We must proceed as soon as possible to the drafting stage. Time is short indeed before the Istanbul Summit.

Colleagues,
distinguished delegates,
ladies and gentlemen,

We have no way of knowing exactly what next year has in store for the OSCE. What we do know is that the challenges will be numerous and complex.

The Norwegian chairmanship will do its best. But we need, and we count on, your support.