Vol. VII No. 1 JANUARY 2000 NEWSLETTER Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe INSIDE THIS ISSUE ■ Building on the OSCEÕs strengths . 3 ■ Kosovo human rights violations . 4 ■ Writing up the victimsÕ reports . 5 ■ Interview with Secretary General . 6 ■ OSCE 2000 Budget adopted . 9 ■ News from the field . 10 ■ News in brief . 12 ■ Update from the ODIHR . 13 ■ News from HCNM . 16 ■ News from the RFOM . 17 ■ Report from the PA . 19 ■ Report from the Secretariat . 21 ■ Y2K plan implemented . 22 ■ Press profile . 23 OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Austrian Foreign Minister, Wolfgang Schüssel, answer- ing questions from the media OSCE CiO lists priorities for 2000 Co-ordinated regional approach to security issues by international community needed t the first meeting of the OSCE persons in the OSCE area; a functioning out the OSCE area with regard to the pre- Permanent Council in the new Stability Pact for the Balkans; political, vention, settlement and management of A year, Austria’s Foreign Minis- rather than military solutions to the con- conflicts and crises. ter, Wolfgang Schüssel, the incoming flicts in the Caucasus; and the organiza- “In order to meet best possible the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization, tion of free and fair elections in Kosovo demands on the Chairman-in-Office, I outlined the priorities of the Austrian as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina. have designated personal representatives Chairmanship. In his address to the Per- He told the OSCE’s regular body for who will support me in my activities. manent Representatives of the participat- political consultation and decision-mak- These are Ambassador Albert Rohan for ing States on 13 January, Mr. Schüssel ing that these were ambitious aims, but, South-Eastern Europe, Ambassador emphasized the overall importance of the “If we can say at the end of 2000 that Andrzej Kasprzyk for Nagorno-Kara- regional approach to tackling security there are fewer trouble spots than at the bakh, Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini for issues in the OSCE area. As specific goals beginning of the year, we shall have made other missions in the Caucasus and of the Chairmanship, he hoped to see sig- enormous progress.” Ambassador Jan Kubis for Central Asia.” nificant progress in the return of 7.5 mil- He said that the Organization this He singled out South-Eastern Europe lion refugees and internally-displaced year faced a series of challenges through- as the “acid test” for Europe. 1 “Through the organization of elec- Thus gave prominence in his speech aged by the series of discussions bet- tions in Kosovo, the OSCE will have an to the situation in the northern Caucasus, ween the Heads of State of Armenia and important responsibility in terms of the pointing out the difficulty of combating Azerbaijan. democratization and – hopefully – stabi- terrorism directly, without it leading on Among other areas, Mr Schüssel par- lization of the fragile political land- to humanitarian disasters. “The fight ticularly mentioned the importance of scape,” he said. against terrorism is necessary but the focusing attention on the situation in In this regional context, he expressed means used must be proportionate, and Central Asia: “We would like to initiate the OSCE’s desire for full co-operation political, not military, solutions must a substantive dialogue with a view to with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have priority.” defining a more action-oriented role for (FRY). However, this co-operation was A contribution by the OSCE in the the OSCE in this area.” contingent on fundamental democratiza- northern Caucasus, similar in impor- Making progress in solving the tion, including a political leadership tance to that being made in Kosovo, Transdniestria problem, as well as paving elected through free and fair elections. On could be envisaged, he said, adding that the way towards real democracy in that basis, “the door can be opened to par- the Austrian Chairmanship would con- Belarus were two special areas of impor- ticipation by FRY in the OSCE’s work”. tinue the efforts of the Norwegian Chair- tance. In other countries in transition, He stressed the importance of con- manship to offer the Organization’s including Ukraine, Latvia and Estonia, ducting elections in Bosnia and Herze- assistance in seeking a political solution significant positive developments would govina, as well as focusing on the return to this conflict. continue being monitored. of refugees, reform of the legal system Another of the main concerns of the and the promotion of independent media Austrian Chairmanship would be the there. Elections in Croatia, resulting in a swift implementation of the REACT new Government, would also assist in More information concept (Rapid Expert Assistance and the central issue of the return of refugees about the activities Co-operation Teams), called for in the to that country. Charter for European Security which In Albania, the OSCE would con- and programme was adopted at the OSCE Istanbul Sum- tinue to play its stabilizing role, while in mit in November last year. This concept the former Yugoslav Republic of Mace- of the Austrian is designed to improve the ability to iden- donia it would assist with confidence- tify, prepare and deploy non-military building and helping the various ethnic Chairmanship is expertise, including components of a groups to live peacefully together. available on-line: peacekeeping operation. Regarding the Stability Pact for “Prompt action is of great significance South-Eastern Europe, Mr. Schüssel www.osze.at for a security organization like the OSCE, cautioned that the high hopes vested in which sees its prime purpose in conflict it must not be disappointed, and that management,” Mr. Schüssel said. transparent and efficient co-operation Mr. Schüssel recalled that the Orga- Pointing out that the OSCE could not between the structures of the Stability nization had reacted promptly to the con- operate effectively on its own, he stressed Pact needed to be rapidly established. cerns of Georgia by agreeing to an obser- the need for well co-ordinated relations Recalling that the OSCE had a particu- vation mission along Georgia’s border with its international partners, under- lar responsibility there, he emphasized with the Chechen Republic of the Rus- pinned by the concept of the Platform for that the specific ways in which the Orga- sian Federation. It would also continue Co-operative Security, also adopted in nization could further the aims and mea- to pursue a policy of small steps in assist- Istanbul. sures envisaged by the Pact required ing with the unresolved conflicts in Austria, the Minister said, was proud looking at in greater detail. South Ossetia and Abkhazia. to be the Host Country of the Organiza- “If we are serious in our pronounced In the southern Caucasus, the OSCE tion, and its existence filled him with aim of creating a common security space, offered the assistance of the Minsk optimism, but he hoped also during 2000 we must give equal treatment to conflicts Group in reaching a lasting and com- to find a way whereby the OSCE’s activ- and problems throughout the entire prehensive political solution to the ities could be continued with fair burden- OSCE area,” the Minister said. Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, encour- sharing among its participating States. NEWSLETTER 2 Vol. 7 No. 1 “Building on our strengths” Extracts from the address by Wolfgang Schüssel, Foreign Minister of Austria and OSCEChairman-in-Office to the Permanent Council, 13 January 2000 “ ur strength lies in the fact that doors even wider and send out a renewed “In military conflict situations our we form a common platform of signal of hope and encouragement. It is attention must be focused on the victims, Opresently 54 participating in this spirit that the 25th anniversary whose interests are not usually repre- States; we can detect conflicts at an early celebrations of the Helsinki Final Act sented by anyone. As part of an inte- stage and prevent them; and we commit should be conceived. grated approach to security policy we ourselves on a daily basis to the defence “Security remains threatened by intend to highlight the question of chil- of human and minority rights, to democ- armies, soldiers, weapons and acts of mil- dren affected by armed conflicts. racy, independent media and free and fair itary aggression. In the majority of cases, “In the economic dimension I believe elections. Building from these strengths, however, crises are not so much acts of that the OSCE’s primary task is to pro- all we can do is to endeavour to provide aggression between States as the effects vide political stimulus for greater eco- support to all efforts within and between of an ‘uncivil’ society characterized by nomic collaboration among the OSCE participating States to find solutions to shortage and misery, serious violations participating States and between these political conflicts without the use of mil- of human and minority rights, organized States and the relevant international eco- itary force. Of decisive importance is the crime and environmental disasters. The nomic and financial institutions and fact that the OSCE’s starting point is the success of the OSCE’s activities can be thereby promoting synergies...” situation of the individual. measured in the practical and often “Many international organizations “The foundations were laid at the unspectacular improvements in the secu- are active in making the world a little successful Istanbul Summit for the OSCE rity of the people in our countries...” safer. Furthermore, the OSCE would not to continue to play a vital role in the ulti- “The great importance attached to the be capable on its own of effectively com- mate aim of all our activities, encapsu- human dimension in the OSCE’s com- bating the diverse and extremely com- lated in the Summit declaration: ‘to prehensive security concept reflects the plex threats to security.