Bertie Ahern
Question:2 Mr. B. Ahern asked the Taoiseach if he will summarise the main points of his address to the Organisation of Security Co-operation in Europe Summit in Lisbon. [23781/96]
Ceisteanna — Questions. - OSCE Summit.
I attended the meeting of the Organisation of Security Co-operation in Europe on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 December. I addressed the Conference as Taoiseach and President-in-Office of the European Council on behalf of our European partners.
As it is rather lengthy I have arranged for a copy of my statement to be placed in the Library of the House. In my statement I stressed the willingness of the European Union as a central pillar of integration, stability and prosperity in Europe to support the development of the OSCE which has a unique role to play in the emerging co-operative European security. I also reviewed the work of the Summit and the work of the OSCE. The OSCE has undertaken a key role in areas such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, the treatment of national minorities and the conflicts in the former Soviet Union. It also plays a key role in arms control and in my speech I welcomed the agreements reached at the Summit including the decision on the adaptation of the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty to the new situation in Europe.
While attending the Summit I had a number of bilateral meetings. I met heads of Government of the European Economic Area — EFTA States as President of the European Council and had a very useful exchange of views with them. They are the Prime Ministers of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. I also, as President-in-Office of the European Council and accompanied by members of the current Troika and Commissioner van den Broek, had a meeting with President Lukashenko of Belarus where we expressed our deep concern at developments in that country and stressed the need for a return to constitutional methods of Government. In addition I had two highly successful bilateral meetings with President Kuchma of the Ukraine and with Prime Minister Chrétien of Canada.