Jim Higgins
Question:69 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the recent OSCE summit in Turkey. [25487/99]
Written Answers. - OSCE Summit.
The OSCE summit in Istanbul on 18-19 November 1999 was the first meeting of OSCE Heads of State and Government in three years. The previous summit was held in Lisbon in 1996, during Ireland's Presidency of the European Union.
Ireland was represented at the summit in Istanbul by the Taoiseach. A total of 54 states participated in the summit, including almost all the European States , as well as the US and Canada.
An important feature of the OSCE is that its decisions are achieved by consensus among its participating states. On this basis the summit agreed the Istanbul summit declaration and adopted the OSCE Charter for European Security. Copies of the Summit Declaration and the Charter for European Security have been placed in the Dáil Library.
The summit reviewed the OSCE's role in a range of conflict or potential conflict areas. In relation to Chechnya, Russia agreed that a political solution is essential and that the assistance of the OSCE would contribute to achieving that goal. Russia also agreed to a visit by the OSCE chairman in office to the region and joined with other delegations in reaffirming the mandate of the OSCE assistance group in Chechnya. However, I am deeply disappointed that, in the aftermath of the summit, Russia has not availed of OSCE assistance to try to resolve the conflict. I understand that the OSCE chairman in office, Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek, had to leave Moscow on Monday, 29 November without being able to fix a date for an OSCE mission to the region. Ireland would like to see an OSCE mission in Chechnya at the earliest possible date and we will continue to work closely with EU partners and within the OSCE towards that end.
The Istanbul summit also reviewed the OSCE's role in the western Balkans and south-east Europe. The summit noted that the OSCE Mission in Kosovo is an essential part of the broader UN Mission and is playing a vital role in the process of rebuilding a multi-ethnic society. The summit pledged continuation of the OSCE's work for a democratic multi-ethnic Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and renewed its commitment to assist Albania in its social, political and economic reform process.
The adoption of the OSCE Charter for European Security was an important outcome of the summit. The purpose of the new OSCE charter for European Security is to further develop the basic principles of the OSCE; to allow for the formal commitment to these principles by the successor states of the Soviet Union; and to strengthen the operational role of the OSCE as a regional security organisation under the United Nations charter. The charter also sets out a vision of how the OSCE can cooperate with other international organisations and institutions in promoting security and co-operation in Europe. Ireland made a significant contribution to reaching agreement in this area.
The summit was also the occasion for the signing of the adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, known as the CFE Treaty. The original CFE Treaty in 1990 was a very significant arms limitation treaty, signed by the members of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. In Istanbul the same signatories recommitted themselves to limiting conventional weapons, taking into account the very wide changes in European security architecture since 1990. Like other neutral countries in Europe, Ireland is not a signatory of this Treaty.