Portugal Takes Over OSCE Chairmanship

Visit the new 2002 JANUARY 2002 OSCE Chairman-in-Office Vol.IX No. 1 website: www.osce.org/cio

NEWSLETTER Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Bishkek conference : strengthening counter-terrorism measures ...... 3 Missions to Latvia and Estonia close ...... 5

OSCE/Alexander Nitzsche OSCE/Alexander Ambassador Bota reflects on 2001 ...... 6 Serbia: campaigning against pollution . . . . .8 Kosovo: taking care of special voters ...... 8 Central Asia: stemming the spread of small arms and light weapons ...... 10 Central Asia: promoting free debate ...... 11 News from the field ...... 12 In brief ...... 14 Press profile ...... 16 Update from the ODIHR ...... 17 News from the HCNM ...... 19 Report from the OSCE PA ...... 21 News from the RFOM ...... 23 New OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama (right), Report from the Secretariat ...... 24 with the Chairman of the Permanent Council, Joao de Lima Pimentel Portugal takes over OSCE Chairmanship Fighting terrorism is the OSCE’s priority in 2002, says the new Chairman-in-Office, Portugal’s Foreign Minister Jaime Gama, in his first speech to the Permanent Council

he new Chairman-in-Office of Action Plan”, he told the 55 OSCE dele- to strengthen the comprehensive approach the OSCE, Portuguese Foreign gations. Mr. Gama also announced that of the Organization for Security and Co- TMinister Jaime Gama, singled Portugal was contemplating the elabora- peration in Europe by promoting a out the fight against terrorism and the tion of a draft proposal for a possible greater articulation and complementarity implementation of the Action Plan OSCE Charter on Terrorism. between the three OSCE dimensions: adopted at the Bucharest Ministerial human, politico-military and economic Council meeting as the top priorities for Troika changes and environmental. the 2002 Chairmanship. The Chairman-in-Office (CiO) com- “The concept of a comprehensive “In my capacity as OSCE Chairman- mended his predecessor, Romanian For- approach to security has been proven in-Office, I plan to appoint a Personal eign Minister Mircea Geoana, for the right and has become ever more signifi- Representative on Terrorism”, he said in excellent Romanian Chairmanship in cant vis-à-vis the new challenges we are his inaugural speech to the OSCE Per- 2001, and welcomed the Netherlands all faced with and are responsible for manent Council in Vienna on 17 January. into the OSCE Troika. The Netherlands overcoming”, Mr. Gama said. “We will “This Personal Representative will will take over the OSCE Chair in 2003. count on the assistance of the High Com- be responsible for driving forward the In his speech, Mr. Gama said that the missioner on National Minorities, of the initiatives laid out by the Bucharest Portuguese Chairmanship would strive Office for Democratic Institutions and

1 Human Rights (ODIHR) and of the Rep- involvement of citizens in OSCE activi- would offer political support to the resentative on Freedom of the Media.” ties would be a fundamental objective. Russian authorities in their efforts to The human dimension constitutes the “In this spirit, we will work with repre- find a peaceful solution to the conflict. basis of all of the OSCE’s activity. It should sentatives of the civil society and with be interpreted in its vast sense: the right of OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly, as this all citizens to live in democratic societies institution plays a key role in bringing “Our goal is to which are guaranteed by the rule of law. the OSCE closer to the people. I look ensure that the OSCE “As for the economic and environ- forward to attending the first winter ses- mental dimension, we shall seek to sion of the Parliamentary Assembly in is capable of adapting advance the role of the Organization in Vienna, in February.” to the evolving identifying threats to security that evolve The development of all these goals from economic and environmental fac- would also certainly contribute to the security environment tors. In this context, we believe that the discussion on the reform of the OSCE, and to continue to be theme which has been retained for the Mr. Gama said, and informed the Perma- Economic Forum, ‘the co-operation for nent Council that the Chairmanship the efficient tool as the sustainable use and the protection of aimed at presenting a report on the evo- proved so far.” the quality of water’, will allow all par- lution of this issue to the Ministerial ticipating States to share their experi- Council, which is scheduled to take As for the OSCE’s engagement in ence on a very topical issue for security place at the end of this year in Porto, Por- Central Asia, Mr. Gama told the 55 in the twenty-first century. tugal. “Our goal is to ensure that the OSCE delegations that the OSCE had an OSCE is capable of adapting to the excellent opportunity in the region to evolving security environment and to strengthen its activities in all three “The concept continue to be the efficient tool as proved dimensions and to implement the princi- of a comprehensive so far”, the CiO said. ples identified under the concept of the Turning to the OSCE field activities, Platform for a Co-operative Security. “In approach to security Foreign Minister Gama stressed that his this respect, further co-operation with has been proven right Chairmanship would closely follow the other international organizations and Organization’s ongoing conflict preven- institutions is to be encouraged”, he said. and has become ever tion and resolution efforts in the Cauca- more significant sus as well as developments in Central Closure process Asia, in Eastern Europe and in the Baltics. Mr. Gama underlined that the Por- vis-à-vis the new “As far as Moldova is concerned, tuguese Chairmanship would pay partic- challenges we are Portugal has had the overall responsibil- ular attention to the closure process of ity of conducting negotiations on behalf the missions in the Baltic States. “This all faced with.” of the OSCE since the beginning of closure does not imply that the OSCE 2001, by delegation of the Romanian will no longer closely follow the respect “Concerning the politico-military Chairmanship. I have appointed as my of the rights of the minorities in these dimension, we will aim, as foreseen in representative an Ambassador-at-Large countries. …The existing co-operation Bucharest, at strengthening this dimen- to closely follow the matter. Several with the High Commissioner on National sion and at developing areas of co-oper- meetings … were held during last year. Minorities and with ODIHR will be ation and greater synergy between the We are grateful for the other mediators enhanced”, he said. Forum and the Permanent Council.” and the Moldova government’s help in Mr. Gama also announced that the seeking a political solution for the con- OSCE under his Chairmanship would Co-operative security flict.” continue to support the work of the Mr. Gama also stressed that Portugal With regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh Advisory and Monitoring Group in was committed to carrying further the peace process, Mr. Gama welcomed the Belarus. concept of the Platform for Co-operative commitment of the Azeri and Armenian Regarding the OSCE’s field activi- Security. “We hope to make this concept parties to the cease-fire and said that the ties in south-eastern Europe, Mr. Gama even more operational by reinforcing Chairmanship would give its full support stressed that this region would remain a modalities of dialogue and collaboration to the efforts carried out by the Co- priority in 2002. He identified the con- between the OSCE and other international Chairs of the Minsk Group in view of the solidation of peace in the former organizations in the realm of conflict pre- political resolution of the conflict. Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as the vention, civil crisis management and post- Speaking about Chechnya, the Chair- most immediate challenge. “The OSCE conflict rehabilitation”, the CiO said. man-in-Office said that he would seek to plays an instrumental role in promoting Foreign Minister Gama emphasized strengthen the work of the Assistance confidence and building up new capac- that under his tenure, an appropriate Group through the current mandate, and ities, by accompanying the sensitive

NEWSLETTER 2 Vol. 9 No. 1 re-entry of the police force into former He informed the OSCE Delegations The full text of Foreign Minister conflict areas and by strengthening a that he would travel that same day to Gama’s address to the OSCE Permanent multiethnic police force and bringing it Skopje to witness first hand the OSCE Council can be found on the OSCE web- closer to European standards”, he said. contribution in the peace process. site at: www.osce.org/cio

Bishkek conference defines next steps in the OSCE’s counter-terrorism efforts

By Alexander Nitzsche

After the 11 September attacks against the United States, the OSCE decided to focus more strongly on its counter-terrorism work. The Bishkek International Conference, which had already been planned since early 2001 following an initiative of Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev, brought the international community’s efforts against organized crime and terrorist activities in Central Asia into the spotlight

n 13 and 14 December, more than 300 representatives from Osome 60 states and a wide range of regional and international organizations gathered in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for a major conference focusing on mea- Nitzsche OSCE/Alexander sures to prevent and counter terrorism. In the discussions, there was broad consensus that international and national action needed to be comprehensive, taking into account all aspects related to terrorism. The ‘International Conference on Enhancing Security and Stability in Cen- tral Asia: Strengthening Comprehensive Efforts to Counter Terrorism’, was organized by the OSCE and the United Nations Office for Drug Control and OSCE Secretary General Jan Kubis with Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev at the Bishkek Crime Prevention (ODCCP) as a follow- International Conference up to a similar event in Tashkent, Uzbek- istan, in October 2000. about the conflict potential in the Central ways to counter and prevent terrorism Following the tragic events of 11 Asian region”, said President Akaev in and to implement the OSCE’s far-reach- September 2001, the Conference served his opening speech. “Poverty, unemploy- ing Bucharest Plan of Action for Com- as a broad-based platform of interna- ment, drug trafficking [and] human traf- bating Terrorism. The Conference par- tional action on preventing and counter- ficking … will always be an attraction ticipants adopted a Declaration and a ing terrorism. Participants included rep- for international terrorists and used by Programme of Action, which identifies a resentatives of the 55 OSCE participat- them to commit their terrible acts.” broad range of concrete measures ing States, the United Nations family, Ten days after the conclusion of the against terrorism, including money laun- NATO, the Commonwealth of Indepen- Ninth OSCE Ministerial Council meet- dering, illicit drugs, arms trafficking, dent States, as well as states from outside ing in Bucharest, the Bishkek Interna- computer- and other high technology the OSCE region. tional Conference was the first opportu- crimes, and the proliferation of weapons “The Bishkek Conference reflects nity for expert discussion of practical of mass destruction. the growing concern of the entire world

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 3 “This Conference has taken on a spe- They firmly rejected identifying ter- to adopt national anti-money launder- cial significance given the new climate rorism with any particular religion or ing legislation and create correspond- of international solidarity against terror- culture and any unacceptable attempts ing structures, e.g., Financial Intelli- ism and the associated dangers from by terrorists and violent extremists to gence Units; organized crime and drug trafficking present their cause as a struggle between to work toward rapid ratification and which are known to finance terrorist net- religions or cultures. implementation of relevant interna- works”, said the outgoing OSCE Chair- The Bishkek Programme of Action tional instruments, including the 1999 man-in-Office, Romanian Foreign Min- identifies specific measures to combat UN International Convention for the ister Mircea Geoana. “The established and prevent terrorism, paying particular Suppression of the Financing of Ter- wisdom about unity and power translates attention to the challenges faced by the rorism; now into solidarity and co-operation”. countries in Central Asia. to increase funding for relevant (see box) The Programme underscores the research conducted by appropriate “It is time for concerted international, importance of technical and financial institutions; and regional and national efforts”, said Pino assistance to the Central Asian states, to prevent the destabilizing accumula- Arlacchi, the then Executive Director of strengthening their border control ser- tion and uncontrolled spread and illicit ODCCP. “The first line of defence is pre- vices, encouraging sustainable eco- trafficking of small arms and light vention… Now, we need to move to the nomic development in the region, and weapons. next stage, which is concrete action. My undertaking joint training and opera- The Programme of Action also took organization in co-operation with OSCE tional activities. up a suggestion by the Kyrgyz President, stands ready to support these efforts.” Other concrete measures identified Askar Akaev, to begin a dialogue In their final Declaration, the Con- by the Action Programme are: between the OSCE and the Organization ference participants confirmed that the to enhance national interagency co- of the Islamic Conference. struggle against terrorism required joint operation between anti-terrorist agen- The full text of the Bishkek Declara- and comprehensive efforts of the inter- cies and agencies fighting crime, tion and Programme of Action as well as national community, in full conformity including drug trafficking, through an related background information are with the purposes and principles of the exchange of operational information; available on the OSCE website at: United Nations Charter and OSCE com- to foster regional and international co- www.osce.org/bishkek_conference mitments. They also expressed their operation between anti-terrorist agen- determination to combat terrorism while cies and agencies fighting crime, Alex Nitzsche is Public Information fully respecting human rights and the including the trafficking of arms and Officer in the Secretariat’s Press and rule of law. illicit drugs; Public Information Section.

Geoana: “OSCE must show continued political solidarity in the face of security threats” In his last public appearance as OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana outlined to the participants of the Bishkek International Conference his views on the next steps that need to be taken to effectively prevent and counter terrorism.

... Ten years ago, the Central Asian What all of us here have learned from organized crime and drug trafficking, states began the process of building their our recent experience is that more needs through increased attention to these modern societies, based on values and to be done… I stated in Vienna on 21 issues. ideals of well being, freedom and secu- September that I believed there was a We, the international community, rity shared with the rest of the OSCE three-track approach to deal with the must make renewed efforts to help the community. More than three months growing spectre of terrorism. Central Asian states build modern and have passed since these values were bru- This focuses on political solidarity; prosperous societies, based on the rule of tally challenged. The Central Asian the need to address the root causes of law and respect for human rights. We can states had been sending signals of their threats and risks to stability and security; encourage continued political reforms concern with this threat even before 11 and the ability to bridge sub-regional and by supporting democratization pro- September. The Tashkent Conference regional initiatives… It is time now to grammes, for instance on judicial last year and the decision to set up the put these new programmes into operation. reform, or free media or on the role of Centre for Fighting Organized Crime We, the OSCE, must show continued women. We can contribute to economic here, in Bishkek, show that some steps political solidarity in the face of the reforms by offering assistance for transi- were taken to face that threat. threats to security in Central Asia from tion programmes, by facilitating aid, and

NEWSLETTER 4 Vol. 9 No. 1 by providing support to strengthen border control services. I believe the best way to deliver this support and assistance is through the OSCE/Mark Sarfati development of a Partnership for Moder- nity between the Central Asian states and the international community. I envisage a joint effort by the UN family, the OSCE, the European Union and NATO, the World Bank, the IMF and other regional development banks as well as relevant regional organizations, like the SECI Center for Combating Transborder Crime based in Bucharest… Finally, some thoughts as Romania leaves the Chair of the OSCE. ...If the OSCE is to be considered a valid and effective conflict prevention organization, we must pay attention to Mr. Geoana speaking at the Bucharest Ministerial Council meeting, shortly before the warning signals long before violence the Bishkek Conference. Next to him is Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase. starts. This implies a real commitment to common standards of behaviour, including especially those governing the treat- logue with Afghanistan once a stable Partnership for Co-operation to China. ment of ethnic and religious minorities. democratic and representative govern- We are encouraged by the Chinese dele- The OSCE cannot afford to function ment is in place. President Akaev gation’s statement yesterday signalling as a ‘closed shop’. I am not proposing reminded us yesterday of his proposal their readiness to co-operate and join our that we expand our membership. But we for a dialogue between the OSCE and the efforts against terrorism. do need to consider how to develop part- Organization of Islamic Conference. There is a long way to go. Stability is nerships with those countries bordering My colleague, Adrian Severin, Pres- easily destroyed, but not so easily restored. our OSCE space, especially in the light ident of the OSCE Parliamentary Our response to the concerns of our Cen- of our recent experience with terrorism. Assembly, is already taking steps to tral Asian friends can only be strengthened I suggested in Bucharest last week organize a Trans-Asian Parliamentary if we are better informed about develop- that we might want to consider a dia- Forum and has suggested extending our ments in the region as a whole.

Mandates of OSCE missions in Estonia and Latvia are not renewed into 2002

he OSCE Missions in Estonia and employment. It was also to consider on 19 November that year. The MoU and Latvia have not been ex- ways and means of transferring its with the Government of Latvia was Ttended beyond the end of 2001. responsibilities to institutions or organi- signed on 13 December 1993. In December, their respective Heads of zations representing the local population. The Mission’s mandate was to address Mission recommended to the Permanent The Mission, which started its work citizenship issues and other related mat- Council to regard the Missions’ man- on 15 February 1993 in Tallinn, based on ters and provide advice on such issues, as dates as having been fulfilled. a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) well as to gather information and report According to the decision of 13 with the Government of Estonia signed on developments relevant to the full real- December 1992 establishing the Estonia that day, later established field offices in ization of CSCE principles, norms and Mission, its objectives included the fur- the cities of Johvi and Narva. commitments. ther promotion of integration and better The Latvian Mission, agreed upon by It was also stated in the Permanent understanding between the communities the then Conference on Security and Co- Council meetings in December that the in Estonia, covering questions of citizen- operation in Europe (CSCE) on 23 ending of the Missions was not intended ship, migration, language, social services September 1993, began its work in Riga to signal the end of interest by the OSCE

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 5 in both countries. This role would now be ties, with which Estonia and Latvia have continue into 2002 over a period of sev- reflected through the work of the OSCE’s offered to continue co-operation. eral months. In the case of Latvia, it will specialized Institutions, including the Although the Missions are officially also involve the completion or transfer of High Commissioner on National Minori- closed, the winding down procedure will a number of ongoing projects. “The Chairmanship of the OSCE is a very special responsibility” Ambassador Liviu Bota of Romania looks back with satisfaction over the past year

As Romania prepared to pass on the We have enlarged the political mantle of the Chairmanship to Portu- dialogue and consultations and gal at the beginning of January, made them more active. For us, all Ambassador Bota of Romania shared voices were important and we made his thoughts and reflections with the a major effort – and to a large degree OSCE Newsletter on what it meant for OSCE/Michal Olejarnik we have succeeded in involving his country to have executive responsi- more actively all countries in politi- bility for the OSCE for one year. cal consultations. I would stress that we have intro- How would you like the Romanian duced new themes for reflection. Chairmanship to be remembered? Among them, let me point to the Rather than repeat what the For- informal meeting of the Permanent eign Minister of Romania, Mircea Council with the participation of a Geoana, reported in December to the number of eminent personalities on Ministerial Council in Bucharest, I ethical and spiritual values as factors would like instead to share with you of peace and stability. The aim was some personal impressions. Of course, to identify a role for the OSCE. the events of 11 September in the My own Chairmanship of the United States have changed the world Permanent Council will probably be to a large extent and the prompt reac- remembered by the change in tion of the OSCE under our Chair- agenda and methods of work, as manship will be remembered. Liviu Bota, 2001 Chairman of the OSCE well as the increased discipline. The When we took over the assign- Permanent Council: listening to all voices Council now focuses on current ment in 2001, the Organization was at issues as the first item on the agenda. a crossroads. The Ministerial Council in tinue under a working group on the The statements are short and to the point. Vienna in 2000 could not adopt any reform of the OSCE. The meetings start at the announced important decisions. It was clear that a We looked at the three dimensions of hour and the atmosphere in this august stage in the post-Cold War period was our work – the human dimension, the body is dignified. over. It was obvious that lessons had to political-military aspect, and economic We initiated the adoption by consen- be learned and we did that. and environmental matters. The human sus of political statements on current We initiated a ‘revisit’ of the whole dimension is one of the traditional activ- issues, which have been made public. Organization and its methods of work. ities of the OSCE. As for the military The first such statement was on develop- We thought that instead of beating aspect, sometimes it’s more prominent, ments in the former Yugoslav Republic around the bush, we had better face the sometimes less. of Macedonia. criticisms of the Organization. This is But the economic dimension has Another welcome innovation was to why we included an item on the agenda always been under-estimated and our Chair- conclude the discussions on reports of of the Permanent Council called manship pointed to its importance. Heads of Mission and Institution with a ‘Strengthening the role of the Organiza- Eventually, we managed to establish a statement by the Chair, synthesizing the tion and making it more relevant to the sub-committee of the Permanent Coun- general direction of the debate and giv- participating States’. The Romanian cil on the economic and environmental ing further orientation. Chairmanship will be remembered for dimensions. We intend to continue to fol- But perhaps the most important fea- initiating this process, which will con- low this area with interest. ture of the Romanian Chairmanship was

NEWSLETTER 6 Vol. 9 No. 1 our providing leadership. We were not nia’s contributions to the work of the Monitor Mission to Skopje in the former merely following or reacting to develop- United Nations and the Conference on Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and ments. We maintained the strategy and Security and Co-operation in Europe organizing the successful election in course of action we had set out to do [the predecessor of the OSCE] were Kosovo. The Institutions and the entire from the very beginning. From that point remarkable. I would like to think that at Secretariat staff provided us with valu- of view, we were both consistent and per- the OSCE, we have continued these tra- able support and were a source of advice sistent. ditions. and ideas. We appreciated their professionalism and their readiness to assist. What do you think the one-year Would you have any advice to the next Of course it was a lot of hard work. Chairmanship of the OSCE meant Chair of the Permanent Council? Throughout the year, we started our to Romania? To take the Chairmanship seriously. working day at 8 a.m. and finished long We proved our ability to manage the When you take over the Chair, you after 8 p.m. I have been blessed with a problems faced by the Euro-Atlantic should know almost every problem fac- great team here in Vienna which area on behalf of the participating States. ing the OSCE very thoroughly, including included Ambassador Traian Chebeleu, By serving the Organization the way we the concerns of all the participating who is also bilateral Ambassador of did, we served the loftiest interests of our States, because you don’t have time to Romania to Austria, and a small team of own country. The Chairmanship is learn once you are in the post. The Chair- competent, enthusiastic and energetic entrusted to the country as a whole, not manship should be strong and reject young people. just to an individual or two – and so the attempts to undermine its authority. More importantly, I had the full con- whole country’s ability to run the Orga- fidence of the highest authorities in nization and to manage the problems in Any personal thoughts at the end Romania. As you know we had as Chair- the OSCE area is put to a test. I believe of Romania’s Chairmanship? man-in-Office, the Foreign Minister that our performance in the Chair will My records show that I presided over Mircea Dan Geoana, a young, dynamic have a role to play in the consideration of 60 meetings of the Permanent Council and brilliant public servant who spent a Romania’s candidacy to NATO and the and 150 informal meetings. I enjoyed lot of time on behalf of the OSCE in var- European Union. working with all my colleagues and am ious regions and in areas of conflict in I believe that our Chairmanship was indebted to all of them for their support. co-ordination with other organizations. in keeping with the Romanian tradition So many things happened during the He is widely admired. of distinguished service to international course of the year, it is difficult to iden- In the history of diplomacy of any organizations. Before the Second World tify the most momentous events. country, I believe the Chairmanship of War, Nicolae Titulescu, a prominent We had a good, very close working the OSCE is a very special one in terms Romanian diplomat, was elected twice relationship with the Secretariat. of complexity of tasks entrusted to any as President of the League of Nations Together, we managed the activities of one country. That is why when you fin- Assembly. The first East European ever the OSCE efficiently including opening ish it successfully, there’s a feeling of to be elected President of the United the Mission to the Federal Republic of pride and satisfaction. This is my feeling, Nations General Assembly, in 1967, was Yugoslavia, re-opening the OSCE office one which is shared by the entire team of Romanian – Corneliu Manescu. Roma- in Chechnya, enlarging the Spillover the Romanian Chair in Vienna.

Liviu Bota: distinguished service

In 1999, Liviu Aurelian Bota was in As the representative in Vienna of the of Director of the United Nations Insti- his 27th year of serving with the United Romanian Chairman-in-Office, Ambas- tute for Disarmament Research in Nations when he was requested by the sador Bota assumed the Chairmanship of Geneva and Director and Senior Adviser Government of Romania to head the the Permanent Council, the regular body under the Secretary General for Human Chairmanship team in Austria. The coun- of the OSCE for political consultation Rights. He was also Head of the United try had been chosen at the Istanbul Sum- and decision-making. Nations missions and Special Represen- mit in November that year to hold the He came to the post uniquely pre- tative of the United Nations Secretary- OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office position pared to take up its demands and com- General in Tajikistan and Georgia, where in 2001. By 2000, work on OSCE issues plexities. His three-decade career spans he dealt with the conflict in Abkhazia. was well under way for Ambassador Bota the full spectrum of global political As Head of Delegation, Mr. Bota will and his staff, since Romania already affairs, not only as a member of his coun- remain in the new Troika (Romania, Por- formed part of the OSCE Troika with try’s diplomatic corps but also in multi- tugal and the Netherlands) at the OSCE Norway, under Austrian Chairmanship. lateral bodies. He has held the positions headquarters in Vienna.

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 7 “Pollution demands a solution” Simple messages, serious issues

By Stella Ronner

A media campaign in Serbia sponsored uses billboards, tele- OSCE/Mission to FRY by the OSCE aims to raise public aware- vision spots, radio ness of key environmental problems and jingles and postcards ways of solving them. The ultimate goal to reach the widest is to introduce a nationwide environmen- possible audience. tal law and an environment ministry. The campaign employs humour and “What air are we breathing?” asks a irony to get its mes- colour advertisement showing a child sages across. The suffering from asthma. A postcard of a postcard of a garbage garbage dump on the streets of Belgrade dump reads: “A mon- carries a biting “Greetings from Serbia”. ument to an unknown “What kind of water are we drinking?” asks a billboard in These are just some of the elements hero”. Advertisements Serbia to remind citizens to take care of their environment of a media campaign launched by the are another vehicle OSCE Mission to the Federal Republic used to inform the public about how the Environmental Protection with the sup- of Yugoslavia in December to make the introduction of new technologies, legis- port of the OSCE and other international public aware of the need to address envi- lation and control standards can con- bodies. ronmental problems. Under the slogan tribute to reducing pollution. Individual The ultimate goal of the OSCE pro- “Pollution demands a solution”, the citizens are reminded that they can each ject is the adoption of the environmental campaign calls attention to the various contribute to a better environment – by law and the establishment of an environ- ways pollution can manifest itself and using water rationally, for example, or by ment ministry. Switzerland, Germany, how it affects our day-to-day lives. not dumping rubbish and toxic waste Italy and Norway have contributed to the The messages are direct and simple. into rivers. financing of the media campaign. “What are we drinking?” and “What are The campaign is the first step in an we eating?” are the questions people effort to spark a public debate on a pro- Stella Ronner is the Spokesperson for have started to see in newspapers posed environmental law, which was the OSCE Mission to the Federal throughout Serbia. The campaign also drafted by the Serbian Directorate for Republic of Yugoslavia. How the Kosovo Assembly election was brought to voters with special needs High participation rates are essential in a healthy democracy. By 17 November, the day of the assembly election, the OSCE had helped more than 10,000 Kosovo voters who were unable to get to a polling station by bringing the election to their doorstep

fter the two four-wheel drive team began trudging up the mountain breath and wipe the mud off his shoes. vehicles had travelled over towards four houses located hundreds of “After all this, I sure hope the woman is Arugged, mountainous dirt roads metres above them. at home”, he said. for nearly an hour, the six-member They were going to visit a house- When the team arrived at the village, OSCE Special Needs Voting Team and bound voter in the mountains north of they were greeted by an elderly woman police escort reached the end of the road. Leposavic. As the team approached the with thick glasses and a wide smile. With the help of a detailed map and the village, the OSCE international supervi- “Would you like to vote in the Assembly guidance of a woman from the area, the sor stopped for a minute to catch his elections?” the supervisor asked. The

NEWSLETTER 8 Vol. 9 No. 1 team’s interpreter translated the ques- from family members and neighbours. Materials used in the Special Needs tion, and without any hesitation, the Besides offering the opportunity to vote, Voting – ballots, voters’ lists, the ballot woman responded with a hearty “yes”. the programme also facilitated civil reg- stamp, electoral ink, laptops and CD- The Team then checked her identity, istration. When a team visited someone ROMs – remained under international registered her, and explained the ballot who was housebound because of fear, a supervision at all times. These were to her. Because she could not read or human rights officer familiar with the picked up every morning by the interna- write, her son helped her. She made her family was also present. tional supervisor from the local base of choice and inserted her ballot into the the KFOR (Kosovo Force), escorted by ballot box with an even wider smile. The Preventing fraud police of the United Nations Interim team and its police escort then carried To prevent fraud, those who voted Administration Mission in Kosovo. At the ballot box, laptop computer, voters’ under the Special Needs Voting Pro- the end of the day, the supervisor list and other polling materials back gramme were removed from the voters’ returned the materials to the KFOR base. down the mountain.

Special measures for exceptional needs In communities across Kosovo, the OSCE has made similar strenuous efforts to reach voters who were unable to go to OSCE/Lubomir Kotek the polls on election day. In any election, there are voters who would be disenfran- chised unless special measures were taken to accommodate their exceptional needs. In Kosovo, special needs voting was carried out under one of the most progressive electoral programmes in the post-conflict and developing world. Starting on 31 October, mobile teams throughout Kosovo began visiting individuals who were housebound due to disability and those whose duties would prevent them from voting on election day, such as OSCE staff and Kosovo Police Service officers. By 16 Novem- At the 2001 Kosovo Assembly Election, individuals with special needs were able to ber, 31 mobile teams had visited individ- cast their votes two weeks ahead of the rest of the population uals who were fearful about venturing out to vote, those in prisons and hospi- tals, and those in remote communities. list used on election day. In addition, the For a democracy to develop, the The programme served more than same ink used in polling stations – widest possible participation of citizens 10,000 voters. detectable only under ultraviolet light – is crucial. At the 2001 Kosovo Assembly Disabled voters were identified either was sprayed onto the right index finger. Election, the Special Needs Voting Pro- by Handikos, a Kosovo non-governmen- This ink remained on the skin for some gramme of the OSCE played a vital role tal organization, or by registration staff time, and when people went to vote, their in ensuring a broad and representative who had found out about special cases fingers were checked. ballot.

Quiet Diplomacy in Action The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Ed: Walter Kemp Foreword by Michael Ignatieff This comprehensive account of the work of the first OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Max van der Stoel, has been written by his Senior Adviser. It takes the reader behind the scenes to explain how the “silent diplomat” fulfilled his conflict prevention mandate for over eight years in more than 15 countries. Major documents are annexed. Published by Kluwer Law International, The Hague, PO Box 322, 3300 AH Dordrecht, The Netherlands. E-mail: [email protected]

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 9 Stopping the spread of small arms and light weapons in Central Asia given new urgency Five states welcome OSCE workshops aimed at combating trafficking in arms

By Kate Joseph

Weapons-smuggling has become a signif- Guided by the OSCE Document on ficking of small arms and light icant problem for many Central Asian Small Arms and Light Weapons, the work- weapons.” Ministers encouraged the states – fuelling crime, exacerbating con- shops covered four main issues: control states to take part in a follow-up meeting flicts and facilitating terrorism within over manufacture and transfer of weapons, on small arms in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to and outside the OSCE area. The first stockpile management and security, be held in spring 2002. They also urged national training workshops have been marking and tracing, and weapons col- the OSCE to continue developing activi- held to address this spreading contagion. lection and destruction. The Document, ties to implement its Document on Small adopted by participating States in Arms and Light Weapons. wo teams of experts from the November 2000, outlines measures to The national workshops represent OSCE travelled to Central Asia in prevent weapons from being diverted the initial phase of a project conceived TNovember and December with a from legal trading to the black market. by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre sole purpose: to conduct a series of pio- A lively debate ensued on measures in Vienna. Sponsored by the Govern- neering workshops aimed at combating to stop cross-border traffic, reduce the ments of Canada, the Netherlands and trafficking in arms. possession of illegal weapons among the Switzerland, they were held in each of The training workshops were among civilian population, and secure and the Central Asian states: Turkmenistan, the practical initiatives stemming from guard state arsenals. Participants also Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and the Tashkent Conference on Drugs, identified a number of concerns stem- Kazakhstan. In every country, participa- Organized Crime and Terrorism held in ming from the instability in the region, tion spanned the full spectrum of gov- October 2000. The workshops have specifically in neighbouring Afghani- ernment ministries and agencies involved assumed greater urgency in the light of stan, and asked for more assistance and in small arms control: ministries of for- the renewed determination of the OSCE training to deal with them. eign affairs, defence, interior and econ- to counter international terrorism. The workshops initiative was omy, customs and border guard services, Small arms and light weapons are often boosted in December by the Interna- and national security committees. used in assaults, assassinations and other tional Conference on Enhancing Secu- terrorist and criminal activities. Many rity and Stability in Central Asia, at Kate Joseph is the Confidence- and terrorist organizations are also heavily which Central Asian states vowed to Security-Building Measures Officer involved in arms smuggling to raise rev- “prevent the destabilizing accumulation in the Support Unit of the Forum for enue and maintain their operations. and uncontrolled spread and illicit traf- Security Co-operation of the OSCE.

Journal of Conflict, Security and Development This regular publication examines the relationship between security policy and development and is dedicated to bridging related disciplines, offering a forum for the cross-fertilization of ideas and perspectives.

For more information and subscription details, contact the Editor, Richard Jones Center for Defence Studies, King’s College, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0)207 848 2947 Fax: +44 (0)207 848 2748 E-mail: [email protected]

NEWSLETTER 10 Vol. 9 No. 1 Central Asian journalists voice concern over freedom to report objectively amid anti-terrorist tensions The impact of the global anti-terrorism campaign after the 11 September events in the United States and the danger that national security could be used as a pretext for limiting freedom of the expression of the media were two key concerns shared by participants at an OSCE-organized conference in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 10 and 11 December

ddressing more than 80 partici- “Many Central Asian media repre- pants from the region, Freimut sentatives confirm that their working “The struggle ADuve, the OSCE Representative conditions have been deteriorating”, said for freedom and on Freedom of the Media, said: “We are Heinrich Haupt, the Head of the OSCE meeting at a time when several govern- Centre in Almaty. Key problems include democracy in Central ments have stressed the priority of the concentration and monopolization of Asia is still going on. national security matters over human the media and efforts to silence journal- rights, an argument that is not only legi- ists – through legal and illegal means – Many of you are mately used at a time of war but also mis- who are critical of the government. part of it.” used to stifle dissent and public debate.” “The struggle for freedom and democracy in Central Asia is still going At the same time, the Almaty Dec- on. Many of you sitting here are part of it. laration stated that journalists must “You have a tough You have a tough time ahead. But remem- make further efforts to report objec- time ahead. But ber: without free journalists there can be tively and edit their coverage of the no true democracy”, said Mr. Duve. conflict carefully: “The journalistic remember: without ethic is needed more than ever in times of

free journalists, OSCE conflict and the journal- there can be no ists have to be aware of true democracy.” their increased respon- OSCE/RFOM sibility.” The conference adopted an eight- The conference was point declaration calling on the govern- the third in a continuing ments in the international anti-terror series organized in Cen- alliance not to use national security argu- tral Asia by the office of ments to limit human rights. They also the OSCE Representa- appealed to the governments of the Cen- tive on Freedom of the tral Asian states not to take advantage of Media. The first confer- the new conflict situation to justify ence was in Bishkek in repression against the opposition media. 1999 and the second in “The media should be free to exer- Dushanbe in 2000. cise their corrective function towards The Almaty gather- economic, ecological and military deci- ing was jointly organized sions in their countries, especially in by the OSCE Centre in times of conflict. The free public debate Almaty in co-operation is imperative”, participants stated. with the International “Especially after 11 September, the Foundation for Protec- media should not be prevented [from] tion of Freedom of informing the public about existing Expression (Adil Soz) financial links between terrorist group Participants looking through publications on media free- and the Friedrich Ebert activities and corruption.” dom at the conference for Central Asian journalists Foundation.

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 11 News from the field

The OSCE currently has Missions or other field activities in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo (Yugoslavia), Skopje (the formerYugoslav Republic of Macedonia), Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Yugoslavia. The following brief reports reflect some of the recent work which these field operations have undertaken.

OSCE expands monitoring operation along Georgia’s borders The OSCE has established a presence along the border between Georgia

and the Ingush Republic of the Russian OSCE/Lubomir Kotek Federation to monitor and report on movement across the border. A team of five international border monitors started their work in the new year in the village of Sno, where a new OSCE border monitoring base has been established. The monitoring activities of the Ingush portion of the border will be conducted both from Sno and from the Shatili base created almost two years ago. The deployment follows a decision on 13 December by the OSCE Perma- nent Council to expand the two-year-old monitoring operation of the OSCE Mis- sion to Georgia, begun in December 1999. “The expansion of the OSCE border monitoring operation is a significant The OSCE has expanded its operations, begun in December 1999, to monitor and contribution to stability in this volatile report on movement along Georgia’s borders region”, said Jean-Michel Lacombe, Head of the Mission. The monitors are unarmed and have no enforcement it was not yet the right time. The confer- flict. Jean-Michel Lacombe, the Head of responsibilities. They act with full ence was organized by the OSCE Mis- the OSCE Mission to Georgia, said: respect for the sovereignty of the Geor- sion to Tajikistan with the Tajik branch “This is an important step forward in the gian authorities over their own borders. of the Open Society Institute of the Soros peace process, which reflects the EU’s Foundation and the local League of willingness to play a more active politi- International conference urges aboli- Women Lawyers. It was preceded by two cal role in the southern Caucasus, and tion of death penalty in Tajikistan round tables held in Dushanbe and Khu- to support efforts to resolve conflicts in An OSCE conference to examine the jand in August and September 2001. the region. It also reflects a wish to death penalty in the Commonwealth of strengthen co-operation between the Independent States (CIS) took place in OSCE Mission to Georgia OSCE and the EU.” At the initiative of Dushanbe on 20 and 21 December. signs assistance agreement the Mission, the European Union – both Focusing on Central Asia, some 80 par- with European Commission the Presidency and the Commission – ticipants studied the experience of coun- The OSCE Mission to Georgia and has been included in an observer capac- tries such as Turkmenistan and Ukraine, the European Commission (EC) signed a ity for almost a year in the Georgian- which have abolished this form of pun- grant agreement of 210,000 euros on 20 South Ossetian negotiation framework. ishment. An appeal was made to Tajik December in Brussels. The grant from The rehabilitation programmes funded President Emomali Rakhmonov to the European Union (EU) is aimed at by the European Commission in the con- review Tajikistan’s legislation on the strengthening the mechanisms for set- flict zone, first established in 1998, are death penalty and to introduce a morato- tling the Georgian-South Ossetian con- being implemented under the auspices of rium on executions. The Tajik partici- flict. The contribution responds to an the OSCE Mission to Georgia in close pants agreed that the country’s death official request for assistance directed to co-operation with the delegation of the penalty should be abolished but felt that the OSCE from the parties in the con- EC to Georgia.

NEWSLETTER 12 Vol. 9 No. 1 Multi-ethnic police teams redeploy the Presence in Albania, at the Royal OSCE Mission in Kosovo. To prepare for to more areas in the former Yugoslav Netherlands Embassy in Tirana. the conference, the OSCE surveyed local Republic of Macedonia journalists to assess the level of threats, Multi-ethnic police forces were rede- Dynamic NGO community in Kosovo interference and intimidation faced by ployed on 19 December to another five urged to develop common identity the media. The survey results and the villages surrounding the town of Tetovo, The second forum of non-govern- journalists’ concerns raised at the con- site of earlier conflicts along the northern mental organizations (NGOs) in Kosovo, ference will form the basis for special border of the former Yugoslav Republic held in Pristina on 14 and 15 December, training courses, such as techniques of of Macedonia. They were accompanied examined the influential role of citizens investigative journalism. International by monitors of the OSCE and the Euro- in building a democratic and pluralistic journalists described the process of nur- pean Union and representatives of the Kosovo. The aim is to harness the talents turing the tradition of journalism in their NATO Task Force Amber Fox. The police and energy of the diverse and dynamic countries. Participants also held a dia- redeployment has been generating a community of some 120 NGOs in logue with political representatives and sense of safety and security in the 15 vil- Kosovo. The OSCE has been encourag- police officials examining how authori- lages covered by the initial phase of the ing the NGOs to develop a common ties interact with journalists, how the internationally-supported re-entry plan, identity through the establishment of a media hold public figures accountable in envisaged by the Macedonian Govern- network aimed at promoting account- the performance of their duties, and how ment as crucial to the Ohrid Agreement ability in self-government. The inter- pressure from public authorities inter- of 13 August 2001. The OSCE Spillover ethnic gathering, which included repre- feres with the work of the media. Monitor Mission to Skopje is supporting sentatives of political parties, also the stabilization process through 107 stressed the role of civil society as a crit- Police and NGOs in Azerbaijan join confidence-building monitors and 60 ical and supportive partner of the recently forces for a week of training seminars police advisers. Consultations are under elected Kosovo Assembly, and institu- A series of training seminars for way on the next stage of redeployment, tions such as municipal and civil admin- police officers and civil society repre- covering another 10 to 15 villages. The istrations. The forum was sponsored by sentatives has been launched success- return of police forces to the former con- the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the fully in a joint endeavour by the OSCE flict area was facilitated by an intensive Kosovo Civil Society Foundation. Office in Baku, the Ministry of Internal information campaign. Affairs and IPD, a well-known local Training seminar for young human rights NGO. Some 120 police- Modernization of Albanian journalists held in Azerbaijan men from different districts in Baku and parliament is goal of Dutch- A seminar on the theme of ‘develop- NGO representatives participated in four supported OSCE project ing freedom and responsibility’ was held two-day seminars between 9 to 16 The OSCE Presence in Albania on 14 and 15 December for young Azer- December. The trainers were from the signed an agreement with the Govern- baijani journalists in NGOs and the Gov- OSCE-run Kosovo Police Service ment of the Netherlands in mid-Decem- ernment. More than 30 representatives School. The seminars examined situa- ber on a project to improve the capacity from the mainstream media, universities tions encountered by police during mass of the Assembly of the Republic of Alba- and embassies participated in the ses- disturbances, arrests and detentions, and nia to monitor and oversee the Govern- sions. The OSCE Representative on other emergencies. It was the first time ment. Costing 786,629 euros, the project Freedom of Media, who co-operated on the police teamed up with an NGO on an will be implemented over three years in the seminar with the OSCE Office in activity. The German Embassy provided co-ordination with the World Bank. It Baku, sponsored the participation of two financial support. will focus on three areas: a long-term international experts. Speakers stressed training programme for members of par- the importance of a free media in a More municipalities to benefit from liament (MPs) and their staff, including democratic society, a sense of responsi- OSCE technical assistance in BiH the establishment of a permanent train- bility and professionalism in the Azeri Twelve municipalities in Bosnia and ing capacity in the parliament; a new press, radio and television, and differen- Herzegovina (BiH) were selected in research and advisory unit to support the tiating fact from opinion in reporting. December to be part of the Municipal work of MPs and parliamentary com- Infrastructure Finance and Implementa- missions; and outreach activities to make OSCE Mission in Kosovo hosts tion (MIFI) Project of the OSCE in the public aware of the role of parliament conference on protection of journalists 2002. Capljina, Foca/Srbinje, Foca and to foster a greater sense of responsi- The journalist community in Kosovo Ustikolina, Kotor Varos, Livno, Lopare, bility among parliamentarians towards discussed its experiences in pursuing Prijedor, Prnjavor, Tomislavgrad, Tre- the electorate. The agreement was signed and investigating stories at a conference binje, Vlasenica and Vogosca join a by Dutch Ambassador Johan Blanken- organized on 15 December by the Tem- select group of 34 municipalities that berg and Geert-Hinrich Ahrens, Head of porary Media Commissioner and the have already benefited from comprehen-

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 13 sive technical assistance under the pro- The Office for Democratic Institutions the OSCE, it was organized by the ject. The OSCE provides the municipal- and Human Rights (ODIHR) of OSCE Forum – Centre for Strategic Research ities with intensive training and on-site funded the participation of a specialist in and Documentation (CSRD), a local advice in budget design and financial prevention of drug addiction and reha- NGO. Some 40 participants identified management. By upgrading their prac- bilitation of addicts, who works with the effective anti-corruption measures and tices, municipalities are in a better posi- well-known Polish NGO, Monar. Pre- drew up an anti-corruption programme tion to improve the lives of their citizens. sentations were made by an expert from and strategy. Discussions highlighted an Ashgabad NGO and a resource person several priorities: to update the draft OSCE and ODCCP respond to drug from the local office of UNICEF. Due to anti-corruption law to meet the latest problem among Turkmen youth the encouraging response from law international standards; to enhance legal Concerned about the growing drug enforcement officials, NGO representa- and institutional capabilities in the fight culture among young people in Turk- tives and teachers, another seminar is against corruption; and to carry out menistan, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabad planned for 2002. reforms in local criminal procedures, in and the local office of the United public administration, and in the public Nations Office of Drug Control and Round table identifies components of procurement law, as well as in the judi- Crime Prevention (ODCCP) pooled anti-corruption strategy for former ciary and educational systems. National resources to draw the public’s attention Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and governmental institutions repre- to the problem through a seminar on 30 A round table to determine the key sented at the round table included the November and 1 December. An initiative components of a national anti-corrup- judiciary and the General Prosecutor’s of the OSCE Centre, the project is a fol- tion strategy for the former Yugoslav Office, the diplomatic and academic low-up to the Tashkent Conference in Republic of Macedonia was held in communities, the media and NGOs. A October 2000 and is believed to be the Skopje on 22 November. Supported by brochure has been published and dis- first of its kind in the region that com- the Office of the Co-ordinator on Eco- tributed and a follow-up event is bines the efforts of both organizations. nomic and Environmental Activities of planned.

IN BRIEF The OSCE Chair- fighting terrorism. “Protecting human The Universal Declaration of Human man-in-Office dur- rights means defying terrorism. Strictly Rights, he stressed, remained the coming 2001, Romanian adhering to our human rights commit- mon standard of achievement in recog- Foreign Minister ments makes us immune to the terror- nizing the inherent dignity and the equal Mircea Geoana, wel- ists’ objective of eroding our common and inalienable rights of all peoples in all comed in late De- values and destabilizing our societies.” nations. cember the decision

taken by the President OSCE of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, to abolish the country’s exit visa requirement. The decree, expected to enter into force on 1 January, was a direct outcome of a meeting of the two officials in Ash- gabad on 8 June 2001. “When other States are adopting measures aimed at reinforcing their national security, sometimes at the price of restricting basic freedoms and liberties of their citizens, Turk- menistan chose to abolish a non-democratic procedure. I believe the authorities will make sure that all Turkmen people will benefit from it”, Mr. Geoana said.

On the occasion of United Nations Human Rights Day on 10 December, outgoing Chairman-in-Office Mircea Geoana called on all OSCE participating States to firmly uphold their interna- Fruitful meeting in Ashgabad, June 2001: President Saparmurat Niyazov of Turk- tional human rights commitments while menistan (left) and the OSCE Chairman-in-Office in 2001, Mircea Geoana

NEWSLETTER 14 Vol. 9 No. 1 The Economic and Environmental ian media for their maturity as an impor- Succeeding Daan Everts as Head of Sub-Committee of the Permanent tant voice in the public debate. Despite the OSCE Mission in Kosovo is Ambas- Council, established by the Ministerial occasional frustrations along the way, the sador Pascal Fieschi from France. Council in Bucharest, convened its first OSCE Mission, he felt, had been making From 1997 until his new appointment in meeting on 19 December in Vienna. its best effort to assist Croatia in moving January, Mr. Fieschi served as France’s Daniel Daianu, National Co-ordinator of closer to European norms. Ambassador to Ukraine. Earlier, he held the Economic and Environmental Activ- posts in the French Ministry of Foreign ities in the OSCE, representing the Ambassador Hans-Georg Wieck Affairs, also serving in the General Sec- Romanian Chairmanship, and Acting completed his assignment on 31 Decem- retariat for National Defence. A member Co-ordinator Marc Baltes underlined the ber as Head of the OSCE Advisory and of the French diplomatic corps since important role of the Sub-Committee in Monitoring Group in Belarus (AMG) 1969, his career includes postings in the strengthening the Organization’s eco- since its inception in December 1997. French embassies in Athens, Prague, St. nomic and environmental dimension. He said that the Group would continue to Petersburg, Canberra and Moscow. Participants welcomed the Sub-Commit- carry out its mandate to contribute to the He took part in the negotiations on tee’s launching and the opportunity it development of Belarus’ democratic the Helsinki Final Act, the founding offered for a regular exchange of views. institutions and to monitor the country’s document of the Conference on Security The group will work on the preparation compliance with its OSCE commit- and Co-operation in Europe, which and follow-up of meetings of the Eco- ments. “Civil society within Belarus has was transformed into the OSCE in nomic Forum of the OSCE. A consensus developed during the past four years 1994. emerged on the need to consider practi- with regard to its democratic commit- cal mechanisms to ensure the implemen- ment and orientation”, Ambassador Ambassador Stephan Michael tation of OSCE decisions and principles, Wieck said. “However, the processes of Minikes took up his duties as Permanent including those referring to the fight democratic transformation within the Representative of the United States on 4 against terrorism. The Sub-Committee state structures have not yet made December, succeeding David T. Johnson. plans to invite a broad range of partners enough progress, in regard to the coun- A graduate of Cornell University and Yale for a discussion on joint initiatives: inter- try’s OSCE commitments.” Law School, Mr. Minikes is a well-known national finance institutions, non-gov- member of the Washington, D.C., legal ernmental organizations, the business Ambassador Daan Everts has ended community. Previous to his appointment, community, academics, the media, and his assignment in Kosovo after being he was a partner in the law firm Thelen economic and environmental officers in Head of the OSCE Mission from June Reid & Priest LLP in Washington, D.C. the OSCE field offices. 1999 to December 2001. He is returning to From 1974 to 1977, he was senior vice- the Dutch foreign ministry, where he will president and a member of the manage- Ambassador Bernard Poncet left be part of the OSCE Chairmanship team. ment committee of the Export-Import Croatia in mid-December after two and a (The Netherlands will assume the Chair Bank. He served in the Pentagon as legal half years as head of the OSCE Mission in 2003 and will therefore be part of this counsel to the Chief of Naval Operations to return to the French Foreign Ministry. year’s OSCE Troika of previous, present from 1972 to 1974. Born in Berlin in During his tenure, he saw the growth of and future Chairs-in-Office.) Describing 1938, Ambassador Minikes has lived in an open and pluralistic atmosphere in his Kosovo experience as “very special”, the United States since 1949. Croatia as well as the development of a he said he had always encouraged Mission multi-party democracy. Ambassador members to show respect for Kosovo’s tra- Ambassador Justus Jonathan de Poncet focused a great deal of energy on ditions, culture and capacities. He spoke Visser assumed his post as Permanent the return of the displaced population of of his firm belief in the importance of Representative of the Kingdom of the Croatia. “I believe some progress was handing over the responsibilities of gover- Netherlands to the OSCE on 19 Decem- achieved in respect to the situation of nance to the people of Kosovo. He pointed ber, succeeding Ambassador Johannes Croatian Serb refugees and Bosnian to the continuing need to strengthen the C. Landman. Before coming to Vienna, Croat settlers”, he said. After putting in police, the civil service, the media and he was his country’s Ambassador to place an effective multi-ethnic police other institutions that serve the public. Poland and Belarus. From 1994 to 1998, force as part of a successful two-year The OSCE Mission, he felt, had worked he was Ambassador and Permanent Del- operation, the Mission’s police monitor- efficiently and effectively in its efforts to egate to UNESCO and from 1990 to ing group completed its tasks in the contribute to the return of normalcy in 1994, he was Director of the European Danube region in October 2000. Mr. Pon- Kosovo. But, he added, there had been Integration Department of the Ministry cet strongly recommended that special frustrations, anxieties and difficulties for Foreign Affairs in the Hague. Other attention be given to Croatia’s judicial along the way. Too many people still did postings have included Moscow and reform and the practical implementation not enjoy full rights and freedoms, which Paris. Born in 1944, Mr. de Visser is a of the rule of law. He praised the Croat- he found “unacceptable”. law graduate of the University of Utrecht.

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 15 Council of the OSCE are optimistic and tives in Estonia have fulfilled the instruc- PRESS PROFILE believe that the failure of the 2000 Min- tions of the Austrian Chairmanship [in isterial Council – when participating 2000], which had never been discussed or Excerpts from States were not able to approve a final adopted by the Permanent Council as a international media document because of the Russian veto – consensus document”.’ coverage of the will not be repeated. This year the situa- OSCE and its tion is radically different, because Rus- CHECHNYA activities over sian President Vladimir Putin, after the recent weeks. terrorist attacks against the United Le Monde, 25 December States, stands clearly close to the Amer- ‘Russia has succeeded in getting the ican President, George W. Bush, in the OSCE to accept a calendar for its man- PORTUGUESE CHAIRMANSHIP fight against terror…’ date in Chechnya, with a view to the withdrawal of the pan-European organi- Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 28 December BISHKEK INTERNATIONAL zation’s mission at the end of next year. ‘Portugal takes over the OSCE CONFERENCE Moscow succeeded in limiting the Chairmanship with a government, which OSCE mandate in Chechnya to Decem- is, after the resignation of Prime Minis- Agence France Presse, 14 December ber 31, 2002, whereas this mandate had ter [António] Guterres, only in office to ‘In the fight against international ter- been for an indeterminate period since continue current business. Early national rorism, Russia comes out primarily for 1995. Last month, “diplomatic sources assembly elections are expected. [For- the liquidation of all the sources for in Moscow”, cited by the Ria Novosti eign Minister Jaime] Gama gave assur- financing it, Russian Deputy Foreign agency, had accused the OSCE in ances, however, that consultations are Minister Anatoly Safonov told a press Chechnya of “raising temperatures... planned between the government and all conference [in Bishkek] on Friday... instead of working on useful humanitar- parties on the coming year, with Portugal According to Safonov, OSCE represen- ian projects”.’ heading the OSCE. He categorically tatives at the Bishkek conference are excluded that the insecurity of internal evincing much interest “in the recently FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC politics will influence the Organization’s set up CIS Anti-Terrorism Centre”.’ OF MACEDONIA Chairmanship in any way.’ ESTONIA AND LATVIA Reuters, 13 December MINISTERIAL COUNCIL ‘No serious problems were reported Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 12 December as police reappeared in some of the first BBC, 3 December ‘While Estonia and Latvia are inter- 15 of 101 villages to be “reintegrated” in ‘The OSCE’s contribution will be nationally recognized to have made the north and northwest of Macedonia partly symbolic, offering a forum for the remarkable advances in dealing with over the next two months. In Ljuboten, a member nations to show solidarity with their large Russian minorities, the tunes hill village 15 km northeast of Skopje, the United States in the wake of the 11 from Moscow are still different. At the residents turned out in frigid, snowy September attacks. But the OSCE is also last OSCE Ministerial Council meeting weather to greet four police, including involved in training police forces in in Bucharest, Russian Foreign Minister two ethnic Albanians, who arrived with emerging democracies such as Kosovo. Ivanov published an appeal to the OSCE NATO and OSCE monitors… NATO and Such expertise could be brought to bear States, stating that the observation mis- OSCE liaison experts had sounded out in the Caucasus and Central Asia, identi- sions in Riga and Tallinn were far from local sentiment weeks before the police fied by the summit host, Romania, as in fulfilling their mandates.’ return.’ the front line of the struggle against Islamic extremist groups.’ Interfax, 16 December TRANSDNIESTRIAN REGION ‘Russia’s Permanent Representative CNN, 3 December to the OSCE, Alexander Alekseyev, has Interfax, 19 November ‘Russian Foreign Minister Igor sharply critized the decision to close ‘Russian President Vladimir Putin Ivanov said the new anti-terrorist part- down the OSCE Mission in Estonia. In a believes that in order to solve the Trans- nership between Moscow and Washing- statement made at a meeting of the OSCE dniestrian issue, it is necessary to first of ton had strengthened the OSCE. Last Permanent Council, circulated by the all continue negotiations in the current year, disputes over references to Russia’s Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday, he five-sided format (Russia, Ukraine, the war in Chechnya derailed the OSCE described this decision as “extremely OSCE, Chisinau, and Tiraspol). Putin Summit.’ politically motivated and absolutely said on Monday after the signing of the unjustified… The mission’s mandate has Russian-Moldovan treaty on friendship Il Tiempo, 4 December been terminated only on the basis of a and co-operation that “…It is necessary ‘Delegates to the Ninth Ministerial report saying that the OSCE representa- to fully use the already existing and

NEWSLETTER 16 Vol. 9 No. 1 tested mechanisms and communication the Organization for Security and Co- hatred and prejudice in the Balkans and channels for establishing a constructive operation in Europe or other mainstream to build friendships across ethnic bor- political dialogue between Chisinau and observers because no state officially rec- derlines. For this goal, they toured in five Tiraspol”.’ ognizes Transdniestria.’ and a half months four cities in the former Yugoslavia: from Bosnia and Herce- Agence France Presse, 10 December FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA govina to Croatia, to Serbia and back ‘The separatist leader Igor Smirnov again to Bosnia. Following their slogan, easily won a third term as president of Die Presse, 24 December “Defence of our Future”, they spoke the self-proclaimed republic of Trans- ‘It seems to be a sisyphean task, but with the youth in this region about their dniestria in eastern Moldova, prelimi- the contributors to the project wishes, worries and fears, and discussed nary election results showed on Mon- mobile.culture.container have taken on with them media freedom and the Euro- day… The voting was not monitored by the challenge: their goal is to combat pean Union.’ UPDATE from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is located at Aleje Ujazdowskie 19, PL-00 557 Warsaw, Poland, tel.: (+48-22) 520 06 00, fax: (+48-22) 520 06 05, e-mail: [email protected]

ODIHR closes office in Montenegro slavia in 2002 in all its areas of special- local non-governmental organizations. The ODIHR officially closed its office ization. The visitors took part in a seminar, in Podgorica in Montenegro, Federal ‘For a Society without Torture’, organized Republic of Yugoslavia, on 31 December. Human rights is focus of ODIHR jointly by the ODIHR, the Institute of It will be replaced by a new branch office visit to Azerbaijan Human Rights and the Ministry of Jus- of the OSCE Mission to the FRY. On 28 and 29 November, an ODIHR tice. Held in a prison, it was attended by The Podgorica office was established delegation led by Director Gerard Stoud- prison administrators, prisoners, the pros- at the request of the Parliament of Mon- mann visited Azerbaijan for discussions ecutor’s office, judges, journalists, NGOs tenegro, following OSCE observation with the authorities and non-governmen- and senior representatives of the Ministry missions for the presidential elections in tal organizations (NGOs) on the human of Justice and the presidential administra- October 1997 and for the parliamentary rights situation in the country and future tion. Two similar seminars will be held elections in May 1998. It was closed dur- ODIHR assistance. The group also took next year, one in a women’s prison and the ing the Kosovo conflict, reopening with part in an anti-torture seminar and vis- other in a prison for juveniles. its tasks expanded at the end of the con- ited prisons. flict, again at the request of the Mon- The delegates were taken to three ELECTIONS Local elections in tenegrin authorities. penitentiary facilities that were operat- Kyrgyzstan assessed Its main tasks have been political ing under markedly improved conditions Two members of the monitoring and reporting, including after their transfer from the Ministry of ODIHR’s Election Sec- election observation, and project work to the Interior to the Ministry of Justice. tion were deployed to support democratic reform. Projects They had an opportunity to speak with Kyrgyzstan for two have addressed legislative reform, civil prisoners, including with three individu- weeks to assist the society, gender equality, trafficking, als who had been identified by the Coun- OSCE Centre in Bishkek to carry out a institution-building, the media and the cil of Europe as political prisoners. political assessment of the local elec- Roma community. The generous finan- The findings of the visit were dis- tions, held on 16 December. cial and human resources support of cussed at a meeting with the President of many participating States – among them Azerbaijan. Issues of common concern ODIHR reviews election law of for- Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the and prospects for future co-operation mer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, were also reviewed, including a future The ODIHR has issued comments on Switzerland, the United Kingdom and project to organize a regional seminar on the draft Parliamentary Election Law of the United States – has enabled the religious tolerance and dialogue in 2002. the former Yugoslav Republic of Mace- office to maintain a professionally well- The delegation also discussed human donia. The review is available on the qualified international and local staff. rights issues with the Presidential Admin- ODIHR website at: The ODIHR will remain active in istration, the Ministers of the Interior www.osce.org/odihr/documents/reports Montenegro/Federal Republic of Yugo- and of Justice, and representatives of /election_reports

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 17 DEMOCRATIZATION ODIHR, which proved crucial to the pro- its work in 2002, focusing on strengthen- ject’s success. ing women’s networks throughout Geor- Support continues The Azerbaijan Gender Association gia and improving the visibility of for prison reform (Symmetria), the NGO dedicated to pre- women’s NGOs outside Tbilisi. in Kyrgyzstan venting domestic violence, participated The ODIHR con- actively and facilitated the first-ever Georgia and Azerbaijan improve tinued its support for contacts and co-operation between civil training skills in promoting women’s the reform of the peni- society and the police force on this prob- rights tentiary system in Kyrgyzstan, the first lem. The ODIHR plans to conduct fol- Under its 2001 programme in Geor- country in Central Asia to commit itself low-up workshops for law enforcement gia and Azerbaijan to raise awareness of to the transfer of all penitentiary facili- agencies in Azerbaijan in spring 2002. women’s rights, the ODIHR has suc- ties, including pre-trial institutions, from ceeded in building local capacity in the authority of the Ministry of Interior Coalition of women’s NGOs in training by creating pools of skilled to the Ministry of Justice. The reform is Georgia records successful first year trainers in 11 regions. Follow-up work- expected to lead to substantial changes The coalition of women’s NGOs in shops all over Azerbaijan and Georgia in the criminal justice system and to a Georgia, established in October 2000 covered remote areas, training more than demilitarized penitentiary service. under an ODIHR project, marked its 3,000 women on women’s rights and The ODIHR sponsored the visit of first year of existence with a list of encouraging them to participate actively Latvia’s General Prison Director to Kyr- achievements. It has succeeded in devel- in civil society and become more gyzstan in early December. Accompa- oping a common strategy on a number of involved in decision-making. nied by the ODIHR Rule of Law Officer, fronts: addressing women’s rights and Throughout its implementation, the he assessed the latest developments in promoting gender equality, lobbying for project attracted wide coverage in the the country’s penitentiary system, shar- equal opportunities, creating joint mech- media. It was one of the few interna- ing the experience of Latvia which trans- anisms for advocacy work and capacity- tional initiatives that reached out beyond ferred its system in 1999. Senior prison administrators gave the visitors a brief- OSCE ing on the concept behind the reform and practical matters involved in the transfer process. The ODIHR expert met with the working group under the Ministry of Justice to discuss legal requirements for the transfer and participated in a round- table discussion on the process.

ODIHR conducts workshop on domestic violence in Azerbaijan On 13 and 15 November, the ODIHR organized the first workshop for police officers in Azerbaijan on combating domestic violence. Participants were made aware that domestic violence was not a private matter and should be treated as a punishable crime. The sessions were a follow-up to the conference, ‘Say no to These Georgian women are now qualified to train others in promoting women’s violence’, held in May 2000. rights, after completing an ODIHR workshop The heads of the 28 police departments in Baku exchanged experiences building, and introducing a methodology the main capitals. The project served as with experts from the Ministry of the for co-operation and working procedures a catalyst for the women’s movement in Interior and the Federal Police Force of in the coalition. the regions of Azerbaijan and Georgia, Austria, who gave briefings on interna- Uniting 35 women-led NGOs, the using local capacity to develop new tional standards and commitments on coalition seeks to develop into a body organizational structures. It has led to combating domestic violence. The Min- that will serve civil society by lobbying the creation of new women’s initiatives istries of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, for gender-equality issues, enhancing and brought about co-operation and net- and Justice as well as the police academy women’s leadership capabilities and working among different leaders and and other authorities showed great inter- increasing women’s participation in deci- communities on women’s rights and gen- est in working in this area with the sion-making. The coalition will expand der equality.

NEWSLETTER 18 Vol. 9 No. 1 Strategic planning workshop on prison management for the staff of the director of the future Kazakh Training women in politics in Kazakhstan Pavlodar Prison College from 2 to 5 Centre, the chairman of the Committee Following up on its project to raise November. The workshop’s goal was to on Judicial Administration and two jus- awareness of women’s rights in Kaz- help the college to draw up a mission tices of the Supreme Court took part in akhstan, the ODIHR, in co-operation statement, design the syllabus for a the programme. with the OSCE Centre in Almaty, orga- human rights course to be taught at the This was the first time the Bulgarians nized a strategic planning workshop on College, and further develop the curricu- hosted an activity of this kind. Briefings women in politics from 4 to 6 December lum. The participants included the col- focused on the principles of professional in Almaty. Participants who had bene- lege director and deputy director, teach- education for the judiciary, international fited from earlier training had identified ers and students, and the Director of the practices in judicial training and a the need to promote women in politics as Kazakh Prison Administration. description of MTC operations. The the most crucial issue facing the The same ODIHR experts conducted MTC director offered future assistance women’s movement in Kazakhstan and the first in a series of seminars for the to the Kazakh Training Centre. had requested the ODIHR to facilitate a staff of SIZOs – pre-trial detention cen- planning process. tres – and other detention centres in Representatives of Uzbek Representatives of NGOs and local Kazakhstan on 6 and 7 November. Par- Ombudsman learn from Poland’s and central government from several cities ticipants were introducted to the interna- rule-of-law reforms and rural areas defined four strategic areas tional standards used in the treatment of The Deputy Ombudsman of Uzbek- for long-term action: improving election pre-trial detainees. The OSCE Centre in istan and the Head of the Secretariat, mechanisms, training women candidates, Almaty and the ODIHR will continue Ombudsman’s Office, were in Poland awareness-raising among the electorate, the seminars in 2002, in co-operation from 18 to 25 November on a training and working with the media. Action net- with the Ministry of Interior and the visit. They met with the Polish Ombuds- works were assigned and activities for pos- director of the pre-trial detention facili- man Office, focusing on the methodol- sible ODIHR assistance were proposed. ties. ogy for complaint investigation and on The results of the workshop will be issues dealing with criminal justice. consolidated into a concrete action plan Bulgaria shares experience in train- The visitors were given the opportu- with implementation mechanisms and ing for the judiciary with Kazakhstan nity to participate in a regular inspection budgets. A follow-up meeting is being To facilitate the establishment of a of a penitentiary facility by the Polish organized in January 2002. training centre for the judiciary in Kazakh- Ombudsman office and to observe a stan, the ODIHR organized a training murder trial in a Warsaw court. They also Prison management in Kazakhstan programme from 16 to 23 November for met with the ODIHR Director and had is focus of ODHIR training a delegation from the Kazakhstani discussions with the ODIHR staff on Three ODIHR experts conducted Supreme Court at the Magistrate Train- reforms in the rule of law in the OSCE training on teaching methodology and ing Centre (MTC) of Bulgaria. The area. NEWS from the High Commissioner on National Minorities The Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) is located at Prinsessegracht 22, NL-2514 AP The Hague, The Netherlands, tel.: (+31-70) 312 55 00, fax: (+31-70) 363 59 10, e-mail: [email protected]

High Commissioner holds ‘status Hungarians in Hungary’s neighbouring consultations to clarify misunderstand- law’ discussions with Hungary countries (excluding Austria), the Act ings and resolve outstanding points of The OSCE High Commissioner on has been criticized by the international disagreement. National Minorities, Rolf Ekeus, community and some of Hungary’s Adhering to the principles in his devoted November and December to neighbours for provisions that are inter- statement of 26 October on “Sovereignty, playing an active role in efforts to pre- preted as extra-territorial and discrimi- Responsibility, and National Minori- vent the implementation of the Act on natory. In a continuous dialogue with the ties”, Mr. Ekeus sought to diffuse ten- Hungarians Living in Neighbouring concerned governments, the High Com- sions that might arise from the imple- Countries from damaging relations missioner has sought to ensure that the mentation of the law, proposed to start on between Hungary and its neighbours, law is in keeping with international stan- 1 January 2002. At the Ministerial Meet- especially Romania and Slovakia. dards. He has also encouraged all parties ing of the OSCE in Bucharest in Decem- Designed to give benefits to ethnic to carry out discreet and constructive ber, he met separately on the issue with

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 19 Romanian Prime Minister been promoted by the High

Adrian Nastase and Hungar- OSCE Commissioner in both Esto- ian Foreign Minister Janos nia and Latvia. Martonyi. He presented a number of recommendations Combating terrorism and to the Hungarian Govern- minority issues are major ment and met with members themes at Bishkek events of the Hungarian minority in On his visit to the Kyrgyz Slovakia and Romania. The Republic from 11 to 14 High Commissioner is visit- December, the High Commis- ing Slovakian authorities in sioner was received by Presi- January to discuss the gov- dent Askar Akaev and met ernment’s reservations about with Foreign Minister Murat- the law’s implementation. bek Imanaliev, parliamentarians, and other senior officials. Balkan issues are focus of He also held a meeting with HCNM visits representatives from the net- The High Commissioner work that monitors ethnic visited Skopje, Podgorica, conflicts in southern Kyrgyzs- The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Rolf Novi Sad and Belgrade from tan, an initiative supported by Ekeus, meets the press at the Bishkek International Conference 19 to 23 November. In the High Commissioner’s Skopje, on 20 November, he office to detect early indica- spoke at the opening of the South East National Minorities. Rasim Ljajic, Min- tors of inter-ethnic tension. European University in Tetovo (see ister of National and Ethnic Communi- Among the topics they discussed OSCE Newsletter, November/December ties, expressed appreciation for projects were the Assembly of the People of Kyr- 2001, Vol. VIII, No. 10). He also met with supported by the High Commissioner’s gyzstan, the use of minority languages, members of smaller minorities in the for- office. Other issues discussed in Bel- particularly Russian as an official lan- mer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, grade included the situation in the Pre- guage, minority education, the forth- focusing on the Vlachs. shevo Valley and the Act on Hungarians coming draft law on minorities, the cur- In Podgorica, Mr. Ekeus met with Living in Neighbouring Countries. rent state of inter-ethnic relations in the government and minority representa- country, and the impact of religious tives including Yugoslav President Milo Ekeus welcomes abolition of language extremism and regional security on Kyr- Djukanovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs requirement in Estonia gyzstan’s domestic security. Branko Lukovac, Minister for National In a statement issued on 22 Novem- On 13 December, Mr. Ekeus deliv- Groups Rights Protection Gezim Hajdi- ber, the High Commissioner welcomed ered a keynote speech at the Bishkek naga, and representatives of the Bosniac the Estonian Parliament’s adoption of a International Conference on security and (Muslim) and Albanian minorities. bill (880 SE I) abolishing the required stability in Central Asia. He noted: Among the issues discussed were the Estonian language proficiency for indi- “Freedom, democracy, respect for the future status of Montenegro and the viduals running for local and national dignity and worth of the human being are rights and participation of minorities. office. He hailed it as “an important deci- under attack. … these are values that we In Vojvodina, the High Commis- sion”, adding: “The amendment to the must continue to defend and promote.” sioner discussed the future status of the Election Laws brings Estonian legislation He stated that it was crucial to strengthen region and inter-ethnic issues with Nenad into conformity with Estonia’s interna- existing approaches and activities within Canak, Speaker of the Parliament, repre- tional obligations. More generally, Esto- the OSCE that were directed towards the sentatives of the Hungarian minority and nian law now ensures the basic demo- sources of conflict and political extrem- other leaders. cratic principle that, through their freely ism, “which inspires or is invoked to jus- In Belgrade, the High Commissioner chosen representatives, the will of the tify terrorism”. was informed about the latest develop- people shall be the basis of the authority For the full text of the speech, please ments on the draft Law on the Rights of of government.” This principle has long see: www.osce.org/hcnm

Visit the OSCE website: www.osce.org

NEWSLETTER 20 Vol. 9 No. 1 REPORT from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

The Secretariat of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is located at Rådhusstræde 1, DK-1466 Copenhagen K, Denmark, tel.: (+45-33) 37 80 40, fax: (+45-33) 37 80 30, e-mail: [email protected]

Severin underlines role of PA in public opinion in each of our countries, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, chaired winning public support for OSCE and mobilize political, legislative, human, by President Severin, took place on 2 In his address to the Ninth Meeting of financial and budgetary resources to sup- December. The Speaker of the Romanian the OSCE Ministerial Council in port our entire Organization.” Chamber of Deputies, Valer Dorneanu, Bucharest on 3 December, Adrian Sev- Mr. Severin also addressed the need to addressed the meeting. The Chairman- erin, President of the OSCE Parliamen- develop relations further with the Mediter- in-Office, Foreign Minister Mircea tary Assembly (PA), strongly emphasized ranean and Asian partners for co-opera- Geoana, noted that the relationship with the importance of a more formal and tion. He proposed that the People’s Repub- the PA was improving gradually and prominent role for the Assembly in the lic of China be invited by the OSCE to expressed his support for the Assembly’s work of the OSCE. become a partner. “We cannot ignore the proposal for a ‘group of wise men’, senior parliamentarians and government officials who would produce a joint policy paper.

Committee on transparency and accountability discusses agenda

OSCE/Parliamentary Assembly Also on 2 December in Bucharest, members of the ad hoc committee on transparency and accountability discussed their future work. Steny Hoyer (United States), committee chair, stressed the need to enhance the level of implementation of the Parliamentary Assembly’s declarations and recommendations. Members also discussed the level of transparency in the OSCE as well as PA recommendations that had been implemented. OSCE PA President, Adrian Severin (second from left), during talks with the Speaker PA visits Latvia and Estonia of the Macedonian parliament, Stojan Andov (opposite), and other officials From 6 to 8 December, nine members of the OSCE PA familiarized them- He said: “The OSCE Parliamentary importance for security and co-operation selves with the work of the OSCE Assembly claims the right to be con- of the world’s most populous country with Missions to Latvia and Estonia. Headed sulted, the right to encourage and the a common border with the OSCE”, he by Andrew MacKinlay (United King- right to warn. This implies the right to said. “China’s recent membership in the dom), the visit was part of a new initia- free and regular access to all events, World Trade Organization adds an impor- tive to gain a better understanding of the meetings, debates and information.” tant new element to its complex integra- OSCE’s work in the field, enabling the National parliaments, he pointed out, tion into the new global community. It is PA to identify ways of co-operating on “provide not only political support, but ever clearer that future patterns of world field activities. The choice of the two also political legitimacy for the decisions co-operative security will depend on the missions was made on the basis of their of OSCE executives... Members of the quality and nature of the relations between serving as a precedent and example for OSCE Parliamentary Assembly continue China and the OSCE States.” the closure of OSCE field offices once to play an important role in bringing their mandates had been successfully public support to the OSCE as well as PA Bureau holds meeting fulfilled. acting as a link between the Organization in Bucharest In Latvia, delegates were briefed by and national parliaments and govern- In conjunction with the Ministerial the Head of Mission, Peter Semneby, and ments. Members of parliament shape Council, a meeting of the Bureau of the had meetings with the Deputy Speaker

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 21 of Parliament, and members of the Lat- Prior to his meetings, President Sev- ambassadors. The working group’s prior- vian delegation to the PA, as well as rep- erin visited the OSCE Spillover Monitor ities in Belarus were discussed, including resentatives of ministries and civil soci- Mission to Skopje and held discussions the powers of parliament, the situation of ety who had been working closely with with Head of Mission Craig Jenness. He the media and the electoral framework. the Mission. also visited the Mission’s Field Station in The programme in Estonia included a Kumanovo, accompanied by Pentti Severin visits Uzbekistan, briefing by the Mission’s staff and its Vaananen, Deputy Secretary General in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Russia head, Doris Hertrampf. The delegation the International Secretariat of the PA. From 19 to 21 November, President also met members of the Estonian delega- Mr. Severin held a dialogue with local Severin travelled to Uzbekistan and tion to the PA, the Minister of Population authorities and citizens on the work of the Turkmenistan where he met with the For- Affairs and Ethnic Issues, Foreign Min- OSCE and its relevance to their daily con- eign Ministers and the Speakers of par- istry officials, and representatives of the cerns. He stressed the need to strengthen liament, as well as with representatives Russian-speaking and other minorities. the Organization’s role in the country, as of international organizations, local part of its mandate to support internal media, and non-governmental organiza- Vice-President Tan represents PA dialogue and confidence-building. tions. The security situation in the region at Bishkek Conference and global efforts in countering terror- On 13 and 14 December, Vice-Presi- President Severin holds ism dominated the discussions. dent Ahmet Tan, MP (Turkey), took part talks in Bulgaria On 21 November, he went to Khu- in the ‘International Conference on On 5 December, Adrian Severin jand, Tajikistan’s second largest city, Enhancing Security and Stability in Cen- addressed the General Assembly of the where he met with local parliamentarians tral Asia: Strengthening Comprehensive Parliamentary Assembly of the Black and the deputy head of local government. Efforts to Counter Terrorism’. His Sea Economic Co-operation (PABSEC). Proceeding to the Russian Federa- address focused on the role of parlia- He reiterated the need for increased co- tion on 23 and 24 November, he met in ments in preventing and combating ter- operation between the two parliamentary Moscow with Deputy Foreign Minister rorism. Noting that “it is by strengthen- organizations, especially in the field of Yevgeny Gusarov and with Deputy Min- ing legislation that parliaments can have economic development. He also met ister Vyacheslav Trubnikov. He also par- the most direct impact”, he described with the members of the Bulgarian dele- ticipated in a conference on Trans- efforts being undertaken in the United gation to the OSCE PA and its head, diniestria. States Congress, the Russian Duma, the Tosho Peikov. In St. Petersburg, the President took German Bundestag and the Turkish In meetings with Ghiorghi Parvanov, part in the 18th plenary session of the Grand National Assembly. He high- Bulgaria’s President-Elect, and Ognian Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the lighted the important role of the OSCE Gerdjikov, Speaker of the Bulgarian Commonwealth of Independent States. PA, which adopted, in October 2001, the National Assembly, Mr. Severin He met the Speaker of the Federation Sintra Declaration of the OSCE PA described the efforts of the PA to enhance Council, Igor Stroyev, and the Speaker Standing Committee, a document that the parliamentary aspect of the Organiza- of the Russian State Duma and Vice mapped out guidelines in the global tion, calling for Bulgarian support. President of the OSCE PA, Gennady campaign against terrorism. He also Seleznov. informed the participants that the PA’s Ad hoc working group annual session in 2002, in Berlin, would on Belarus visits Minsk Parliamentarians monitor focus on international terrorism. Uta Zapf, MP (Germany), newly Assembly Election in Kosovo appointed chair of the PA’s ad hoc work- Bruce George led the OSCE Parlia- President Severin continues PA ing group on Belarus, and Urban Ahlin, mentary Assembly delegation to Kosovo efforts in South-East Europe MP (Sweden), visited Minsk from 25 to on the occasion of the Assembly Election During a visit to the former Yugoslav 27 November. The first PA visit after the on 17 November. The election observa- Republic of Macedonia on 27 and 29 presidential election, it was aimed at tion mission was composed of more than November, Mr. Severin met with Stojan assessing the situation in Belarus and 50 parliamentarians from the Parliamen- Andov, Speaker of the Macedonian exploring ways for the working group to tary Assemblies of the OSCE and the parliament, Prime Minister Ljubco promote democratization. The MPs met Council of Europe, and from the Euro- Georgievski, Radomir Karangeleski, with the Chairmen of the Council of the pean Parliament. the head of the Macedonian delegation Republic and the House of Representa- “Democracy based on the integration to the PA, and Jordan Boskov, Chair of tives, and parliamentarians in the two of all ethnic communities is the key to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the chambers of the National Assembly. They stability and economic improvement in parliament. He also met with several also met with several key government South-East Europe”, said Mr. George. parliamentarians and leaders of major officials and political parties, research “The test of this election will be the func- political parties, representing a cross- institutes, and the Belarussian Associa- tioning of the new Kosovo Assembly.” section of the Macedonian population. tion of Journalists, as well as with OSCE The mission concluded that in the after-

NEWSLETTER 22 Vol. 9 No. 1 math of the 1999 conflict, the Assembly of the Croatian parliament, represented Mediterranean issues, calling on several Election was a significant step towards the Assembly in an OSCE seminar in occasions for further co-operation constructing a democratic society in Dubrovnik on ‘The implementation of among Mediterranean countries, whether Kosovo based on human rights and the OSCE economic and environmental or not they were OSCE partners. He rule of law. dimension commitments: the OSCE remarked: “Parliamentarians can, more experience and its relevance for the easily than governments, establish dia- PA participates in OSCE Mediterranean region’. In his keynote logues and other forms of co-operation, Mediterranean seminar statement on 31 October, Mr. Tomac out- which can help solve numerous political, Zdravko Tomac, head of the Croatian lined the importance that the OSCE Par- economic and other problems in the delegation to the PA and deputy speaker liamentary Assembly has attached to region.” NEWS from the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media

The Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media is located at Kärtner Ring 5- 7, A-1010 Vienna, Austria. Tel.: (+43-1) 512 21 45-0, fax: (+43-1) 512 21 45-9, e-mail: [email protected]

Independent newspaper on four major issues: the state of free- human rights at home and reduce their in Belarus ordered to close dom of the media in Central Asia, the support elsewhere. Freimut Duve, the OSCE Represen- new climate in which the media is oper- In particular, the governments of the tative on Freedom of the Media, wrote to ating after the tragic events of 11 Central Asian states should not take the Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvostov of September in the United States, the pro- new conflict situation as a justification Belarus on 6 December about the closure tection of journalists in conflict zones, for repressive steps against opposition of the independent newspaper Pahonya and the next generation of journalists. media. On the contrary, they should use by the country’s Supreme Economic Court. He stressed that the court decision was interpreted by many as another case of harassment of a non-governmental media outlet. The OSCE Representative called on Belarus to adhere to OSCE documents dealing with the freedom of Nitzsche OSCE/Alexander expression that had been signed by the Government.

RFOM holds third conference for Central Asian media The Third Central Asian Media Con- ference was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 10 and 11 December. (see article on page 11) The Conference was organized by the OSCE Representative on Free- dom of the Media and the OSCE Centre in Almaty in co-operation with the Inter- national Foundation for Protection of The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve (right), conferring Freedom of Expression (Adil Soz) and with the new Chairman-in-Office, Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. More than 80 journalists from all the Central Asian countries, government officials, Participants adopted the following it as a catalyst for further steps towards parliamentarians and non-governmental Almaty Declaration on Freedom of the creating a free media landscape in their organizations (NGOs) took part. Media in Times of Anti-Terrorist Conflict: societies. The first conference was in Bishkek The governments of the Anti-Terror The media should be free to exercise in 1999 and the second in Dushanbe in Alliance should not, in times of conflict, their corrective function towards eco- 2000. The gathering in Almaty focused use national security arguments to limit nomic, ecological and military decisions

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 23 in their countries especially in times of Journalists must undertake further Two journalists sentenced conflict. Free public debate is imperative. efforts to report objectively and edit to prison terms in Russia The media should be free to play its fun- carefully their coverage of the conflict. Two journalists in Russia who were damental role as society’s watchdog Journalistic ethic is needed more than sentenced to prison in December plan against corruption, which is a serious ever in times of conflict and the journal- to appeal. Military journalist Grigory obstacle for all countries on their way to ists have to be aware of their increased Pasko was convicted of treason by a mil- democracy. Especially after 11 Septem- responsibility. itary court in Vladivostok and sentenced ber, the media should not be prevented The international community, govern- to four years in prison for providing a from informing the public about existing mental and non-governmental organiza- Japanese television company with financial links between terrorist group tions must do more to safeguard journal- footage of the Russian navy dumping activities and corruption. ists working in conflict zones. The lead- nuclear waste into the Pacific Ocean. In Leading international media must ing media outlets could provide the Belgorod, a local court sentenced Olga remain more actively engaged in the needed training and insurance and can Kitova, a reporter for Belgorodskaya region, both as an important source of establish so-called security pools. Media Pravda, to a suspended sentence of two information and as an example of pro- foundations can be approached to finan- and a half years for libel and for using fessional journalism. Under conditions cially support these pools. The creation force against government representa- of increased international tension and of more efficient identification docu- tives. Kitova was actively investigating continued contradictions in Central Asia, ments for professional journalists work- corruption in her region. The OSCE rep- journalists should manifest more soli- ing in conflict zones should be pro- resentative on Freedom of the Media will darity and support for each other. moted. continue monitoring their cases closely.

REPORT from the OSCE Secretary General and the Secretariat The OSCE Secretariat is located at Kärntner Ring 5-7, A-1010 Vienna, Austria. Telephone: (+43-1) 514 36-0, Fax: (+43-1) 514 36-96, e-mail: [email protected]

Director of CIS Anti-Terrorist The Committee adopted a com-

Centre meets with SG OSCE muniqué on international action Before the preparatory meet- against terrorism. ing of 5 November on the Bishkek International Confer- Central and Eastern ence on Enhancing Security and European leaders confer Stability in Central Asia, the on combating terrorism Secretary General met with the The Secretary General Director of the Anti-Terrorist attended a conference in Warsaw Centre of the Commonwealth of on 6 November that brought Independent States (CIS), Boris together Heads of State from Mylnikov. OSCE Secretary Central and Eastern Europe to General Jan Kubis informed him discuss combating terrorism. He about discussions in the OSCE delivered a statement on behalf on its potential role in counter- of the Chairman-in-Office. ing terrorism, including the establishment of a Working OSCE and UNHCHR Group on Terrorism. to improve co-ordination Jan Kubis (right) meets the new Head of the Delegation The Secretary General met of the United States, Ambassador Stephan Minikes Secretary General takes part on 9 November with Ambassador in Council of Europe session Thomas Hammarberg of Swe- The Secretary General participated in an informal meeting with Secretary- den, Regional Adviser for Europe, Cen- in the 109th session of the Committee of General Lord Robertson of NATO, tral Asia and the Caucasus of the UN Ministers of the Council of Europe in hosted by the Secretary General of the High Comissioner for Human Rights. Strasbourg on 8 November. He took part Council of Europe, Walter Schwimmer. They discussed potential areas for

NEWSLETTER 24 Vol. 9 No. 1 improved co-ordination between the two dinner with Mediterranean and Asian Discussions with Hedi Annabi, Assis- organizations including the establish- partners for co-operation during the tant-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping ment of mechanisms on a variety of OSCE-Council of Europe meeting of Operations, included the future of the UN issues that would involve OSCE institu- high-level officials. Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the tions and missions. Ambassador Ham- The Secretary General was received Kosovo elections, the situation in the marberg referred to the conclusions of by the President Ion Iliescu of Romania. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Conference on Human Rights and recent developments in Georgia. Democratization in Europe, Central Asia Secretary General holds In their discussions, the Secretary and the Caucasus, held in Dubrovnik, talks with UN officials General and Kalman Mizsei, Assistant which also called for enhanced co-oper- The Secretary General delivered a Administrator of the United Nations ation between organizations. statement at the United Nations General Development Programme (UNDP) and Assembly on 6 December, complement- Director of the Regional Bureau for OSCE-UNHCR discuss activities ing an earlier statement of the Chairman- Europe and the Commonwealth of Inde- in south-eastern Europe in-Office, Foreign Minister Mircea pendent States (CIS), assessed the posi- On 19 November, the Secretary Gen- Geoana. During his two-day visit to the tive developments in the Balkans while eral met with Werner Blatter, Regional UN Headquarters in New York, he met underlining the tremendous challenges Co-ordinator for South East Europe, with a number of high-level officials. still facing the Caucasus and Central Office of the UN High Commissioner Discussions with Sir Kieran Prender- Asia. The UNDP would forward to the for Refugees. The main topic of discus- gast, UN Under-Secretary-General for OSCE the draft of its document on a sion was regional co-operation between Political Affairs, focused on current regional co-operation framework deal- the two organizations. developments in Afghanistan and their ing with the western Balkan region. impact on Central Asia. Sir Kieran The Secretary General was accompa- Secretary General meets with reviewed the results of the recent UN- nied on his visit by the OSCE’s Director foreign ministers in Bucharest sponsored conference on Afghanistan in of the Conflict Prevention Centre, the The Secretary General presented his Bonn. The important role of the OSCE in Head of the External Co-operation Sec- report to the Ninth Meeting of tion and the Acting Co-ordinator the Ministerial Council, held in of Economic and Environmental Bucharest on 3 and 4 Decem- OSCE Activities. At the UN Secretariat, ber. He held bilateral meetings the OSCE delegation had high- with the Foreign Minister of the level staff meetings with the Netherlands, Jozias van Aartsen Departments for Political Affairs (representing the Chairmanship and Peacekeeping Operations, as of the OSCE in 2003) and with well as the Special Representa- the Foreign Ministers of four tive for Children in Armed Con- Central Asian states: Erlan flict. At the UNDP, they met with Idrisov of Kazakhstan, Murat- representatives from the Regional bek Imanaliev of Kyrgyzstan, Bureau for Europe and the CIS, Talbak Nazarov of Tajikistan the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Rashid Meredov of Turk- and Recovery, the Global Envi- menistan. He also met with For- ronment Facility and the Office eign Ministers Mikhail Khvos- of Human Resources. tov of Belarus, Vilayat Guliyev of Azerbaijan, Wlodzimierz Secretary General opens Cimoszewicz of Poland, as well Ambassador Justus Jonathan de Visser, Head of the Del- security conference in Bishkek as with the Executive Secretary egation of the Netherlands, calls on the Secretary General On 13 December, the Secre- of the CIS Executive Commit- tary General opened the ‘Interna- tee, Yuri Yarov. tional Conference on Enhancing The Secretary General met with its area of responsibility, especially in Security and Stability in Central Asia: Christopher Patten, Commissioner of the Central Asia, was highlighted. Strengthening Comprehensive Efforts European Union for External Relations, The Secretary General and Jayantha to Counter Terrorism’. (see article on and Secretary General Schwimmer of Dhanapala, Under-Secretary-General page 3) It was organized in co-operation the Council of Europe. They explored for Disarmament Affairs, discussed the with Kyrgyzstan whose assistance con- the idea of intensifying their co-opera- implementation of the OSCE Document tributed to the success of the conference. tion on an inter-cultural and inter-reli- on Small Arms and Light Weapons and The wide range of participants enabled a gious dialogue, among other matters. explored possibilities of OSCE-UN co- consolidation of efforts by the global Mr. Kubis also took part in the working operation. community, especially in Central Asia.

NEWSLETTER Vol. 9 No. 1 25 Two important documents – a Declara- He also met with Foreign Minister the International Organization for tion and a Programme of Action – were Muratbek Imanaliev and with represen- Migration (IOM) on 18 December. The discussed and endorsed. In their state- tatives of civil society. municipal elections in Kosovo in 2002 ments, many participants cited the con- figured prominently in their discussions, ference as having strengthened the inter- IOM reaffirms co-operation with Mr. McKinley expressing his orga- national campaign against terrorism. on 2002 Kosovo elections nization’s interest in working with the The Secretary General was received The Secretary General met with OSCE Mission in Kosovo, as in the two by President Askar Akaev of Kyrgyzstan. Director General Brunson McKinley of previous elections.

Visit the website of the 2002 Portuguese Chairmanship at www.osce.org/cio

NEWSLETTER 26 Vol. 9 No. 1 PUBLIC INFORMATION MATERIALS

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