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Slovenia - OSCE 2005 bulletin |
No. 48, 27 December 2005 Free Edition ISSN: 1850-1208 |
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Publisher: Slovene Press Agency, Ltd., Ljubljana, Tivolska cesta 50 in cooperation with the Slovenian Foreign Ministry, E-mail: slovenia.osce@sta.si
Acting Editor-in-Chief: Vera Celcer, Editor: Polona Štekar This is a special edition of the STA English Service. Copyright © STA 2005 |
Slovenia's OSCE Chairmanship Draws to a Close
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's one-year stint at the helm of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is drawing to a close. On 1 January 2006, Slovenia will hand the OSCE chairmanship to Belgium.
The highlight of Slovenia's chairmanship was the OSCE ministerial meeting on 5 and 6 December in Ljubljana. Although ending without a ministerial declaration, the meeting saw the adoption of the reform roadmap as well as regional statements on Georgia and the Nagorno-Karabakh.
Slovenia's primary task was to revitalise, reform and rebalance the security organisation. Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, who served as the OSCE chairman-in-office during this time, said at the outset of Slovenia's stint that the country's main objective was to overcome internal differences and address the claims by Russia and other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States that the OSCE applies double standards.
The agreement on reforms was therefore an important achievement, as it goes a long way in tackling internal dissent. It was moreover another important success for the Slovenian chairmanship following the deal on the budget and an agreement on the new secretary general earlier in the year.
Rupel had a busy schedule this year: his first trip was on 4 January to Ukraine, after which he paid some 40 OSCE-related visits abroad. The OSCE played an important role in Ukraine by observing and mediating during and after the disputed presidential elections. In late March, the OSCE faced another challenge as the opposition toppled the government in Kyrgyzstan. Rupel responded by sending his personal representative for Central Asia, Alojz Peterle, to the country.
Central Asia remained high on the agenda of Slovenia's chairmanship in May as well, as the OSCE responded to an incident in Uzbekistan in which government forces opened fire on protesters, allegedly killing several hundred people. OSCE calls for an independent investigation into the events were rebuffed by Uzbekistan.
The future status of Kosovo and the general situation in the Balkans, as well as migration and integration and human rights also featured highly on the agenda of Slovenia's chairmanship.
Rupel was aided by a government-appointed OSCE task force, headed by Boris Frlec; Slovenia's permanent mission at the OSCE, led by Janez Lenarčič; and representatives of other ministries, institutions and government services. The government allocated 9 million euros to cover the expenses of the OSCE chairmanship in the 2005 budget.
The outgoing OSCE troika: Belgium's FM Karel de Gucht (left), Slovenia's FM, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dimitrij Rupel (middle), and Bulgaria's FM Ivaylo Kalfin. (Photo: STA)
Rupel for Izvestia: Building the Future on Common Ground
MOSCOW - Slovenia began its OSCE chairmanship not by promising magic solutions but by advocating targeted and pragmatic steps towards thawing frozen conflicts, consolidating peace-building processes and supporting democratisation. At the end of our path, I can proudly look back at the work done over the whole year, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dimitrij Rupel said in an article for the Russian newspaper Izvestia. It has been an active year in many regions of the OSCE, while the participating states have reached consensus on numerous issues and taken decisions that will shape the OSCE's work in the future. According to Rupel, the OSCE is undoubtedly in better shape today than it was one year ago. "As a result, I will hand over the chairmanship on New Year's Eve to my Belgian colleague Karel De Gucht with a clean slate, which will allow him to devote even more time to the real issues of concern to the peoples of our community," Rupel stressed.
VIENNA - The OSCE confirmed a 168.2m euro budget for 2006 on 20 December in Vienna. "This timely agreement owes a great deal to the compromise we achieved last month over the scales of contributions. This created a positive atmosphere which inspired the adoption of the 2006 budget on schedule," Chairman of the Permanent Council Janez Lenarčič stressed. The budget allocates some 3m euros less for the Balkans in comparison with 2005, while the end of its Georgia border mission will save the organisation an additional 2m euros. However, the OSCE will increase its budget for operations in Central Asia by 1m euros and Eastern Europe by 800,000 euros. The ODIHR will also get 2m euros more in 2006 in comparison with 2005. "As this is practically the last meeting of the Permanent Council of 2005, I'm pleased that we have cleared the final hurdle in the run-up to handing over the baton to Belgium," Lenarčič added.
OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dimitrij Rupel (left) and Chairman of the Permanent Council Janez Lenarčič (Photo: OSCE)
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
BRUSSELS, 1 January 2006 - Belgium takes over OSCE chairmanship.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
OSCE Welcomes EU Member Candidate Status for Macedonia
SKOPJE - OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dimitrij Rupel and the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje welcomed on 19 December the decision of the European Council to grant Macedonia candidate status for EU membership. "We congratulate the government and citizens for this great achievement," said Rupel. "The decision acknowledges the significant progress during the last four years. At the same time candidate status binds the country to continue the necessary political and economic changes. The decision will have positive effect on the stabilisation of the wider region. We expect the rest of the countries in the region to follow this example and make a step forward on their Euro-Atlantic path," Rupel stressed.
Ashdown: OSCE's Role in Bosnia-Herzegovina Remains Crucial
VIENNA - The OSCE will continue to play a crucial role in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the outgoing high representative and EU special representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lord Paddy Ashdown, told the OSCE Permanent Council on 15 December in Vienna. "As the Office of the High Representative progressively withdraws from the field to concentrate on monitoring at higher government levels, the OSCE mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina will have much to do," he said. "It will increasingly provide the eyes and ears on the ground for the rest of a slimmed-down international community." Lord Ashdown, who is due to leave the post in early 2006, added that "the OSCE's agenda contains some of the most important keys to ensuring that Bosnia-Herzegovina reaches its full potential".
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS THE LAST EDITION OF THE OSCE BULLETIN. WE THANK ALL OUR READERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND WISH THEM A HAPPY NEW YEAR.