EU statement delivered by Deputy Head of Mission, Counsellor Jernej Cimperšek
1. The European Union would like to extend a very warm welcome to Spain as Chair of the FSC, and to Estonia as a new member of the FSC Troika. We would like to extend our thanks to Mr. Luis Manuel Cuesta Civís for his presentation of the plans of the Spanish FSC Chair in 2008.2. Before addressing the programme of work presented by the new Chairmanship we would like to express our appreciation for the work done last year under the chairmanships of Cyprus, Croatia and Denmark. The latter, in particular, was instrumental for reaching consensus on the Ministerial Council decision on FSC issues in the final term of 2007.
3. The security dialogue in the FSC provides a unique tool for addressing a variety of security related issues by discussing them openly and in good faith. We welcome the fact that this instrument has been increasingly used throughout 2007, EU therefore calls upon participating States to continue engaging actively and constructively in this dialogue also in 2008.
4. The EU looks forward to an effective and successful FSC work programme in 2008 during the Finnish Chairmanship of the OSCE and supports the ambitious goals set by Spain for its FSC chairmanship. The tentative work programme of the three FSC chairmanships in 2008 provides an excellent framework for the achievement of these goals.
5. The implementation of the FSC decisions, as endorsed by the 15th Ministerial Council, will constitute an important part of the work of the FSC in 2008. The EU attaches particularly importance to the ongoing work on small arms and light weapons and stockpiles of conventional ammunition. We welcome the ongoing work in the FSC to develop best practice guides related to stockpiles of conventional ammunition.
6. We note with satisfaction the further progress in OSCE projects with the aim of containing and reducing the dangers emanating from surplus stockpiles of SALW, as well as stockpiles of conventional ammunition. Also project work with regard to rocket fuel Melange remains of importance. In this light, the EU is looking forward to the upcoming FSC workshop on the implications of technical, managerial and financial issues on existing and planned OSCE projects on SALW and SCA. This event should contribute to further optimizing OSCE's project work and allowing us to deliver more with comparable resources. In this regard, the EU encourages FSC coordinators and the Conflict Prevention Centre to cooperate and coordinate actively with other donors and international bodies supporting projects in the various fields of OSCE work.
7. The special meeting of Working Group “A” on the Code of Conduct in Politico-Military Aspects of Security held on the 23rd of May 2007 brought up a number of food-for-thought papers, recommending a whole spectrum of measures which should be taken to improve the implementation of the Code of Conduct. After more than one year of work we call upon participating States to make full use of these proposals and work constructively towards decisions improving the implementation of the Code.
8. The special FSC meeting on existing and future arms control and confidence and security building measures in the OSCE area held on the 24th of October 2007 gave rise to some lively discussion and resulted in a number of proposals. Within the FSC framework, and in the context of full implementation of existing obligations, we should focus our discussions on efforts in the field of arms control agreements as well as on confidence and security building measures as a tool to increase openness, transparency and predictability among participating States.
9. The EU believes that the FSC has an important contribution to make in preventing and combating terrorism through the full implementation of its relevant documents and decisions.
10. The presentation of the Landmine Monitor Report 2007 and the Special Meeting of FSC Working Group "A" on the 23rd of January 2008 will allow for an intense discussion of the role of the OSCE in combating anti-personnel mines. The EU hopes that this discussion will contribute to stepping up OSCE' efforts in countering this scourge.
11. The 18th Annual Implementation Assessment Meeting is of major importance in 2008 and requires special efforts on the part of the FSC. The EU believes that the meeting of the heads of verification centres to be held the day before can contribute substantially to the outcomes of the AIAM.
Mr Chairman,
The EU looks forward to co-operating with the Spanish FSC chairmanship and to making an active contribution in order to further the work of the FSC.
Mr Chairman,
The following countries align themselves to the EU statement: Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Iceland, Norway, Armenia.
