Last-minute preparations for OSCE meeting

More than 300 members of delegations arrived in Finland on Wednesday

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There was an exceptionally conspicuous police presence on the streets of Helsinki on Wednesday. Police have been brought into the city from around the country to maintain security during in the Ministerial Council meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. More than 300 people taking part in the foreign ministers’ meeting arrived during the day and into the evening.
      Ministerial level guests arrived from about 15 countries on Wednesday.
     
The press centre at the Helsinki Fair Centre was still fairly quiet on Wednesday, but things will get more hectic toward the end of the week, as about 350 accredited journalists and photographers show up.
      Out of sight of the journalists, preparatory meetings were already taking place in other parts of the complex.
      In the evening, the foreign ministers of the former and future holders of the OSCE Chairmanship, Spain, Finland, Greece, Kazakstan, and Lithuania had dinner at the Savoy restaurant.
     
Activists of Non-govvernmental organisations completed their own task in the afternoon at the Marina Congress Center in Katajanokka in the centre of Helsinki.
      NGOs from 26 different countries are putting forward recommendations to the OSCE for measures to be taken against human trafficking, for instance.
      “This is actually one of the most significant achievements of the Finnish OSCE Chairmanship. No such NGO meetings have been held before”, said MP Krista Kiuru (SDP), chairwoman of the Finnish Committee for European Security (STETE).
      “Otherwise all that would be remembered of the Finnish Chairmanship would be the crisis in Georgia, and that was resolved by France.”
      The atmosphere among the NGOs was somewhat subdued, however. Only about 20, very tired-looking activists attended the final panel discussion of the day.
     
“There should be more talk at OSCE meetings on human rights. In the OSCE, all member states are equal, but not all citizens are equal in all of the member states”, noted Muatar Khaidarova of Tajikistan.
     
The OSCE meeting requires extensive traffic arrangements and parking restrictions in Helsinki.
      Mannerheimintie, a major thoroughfare, will be closed off for several hours on Thursday morning and evening, as well as on Friday morning and afternoon, to accommodate numerous motorcades. Police urge motorists to avoid unnecessary driving in the centre of the city on Thursday and Friday.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  OSCE foreign ministers’ meeting to be biggest conference ever in Helsinki (1.12.2008)
  Extensive security arrangements in Helsinki next week for OSCE conference (27.11.2008)

Links:
  OSCE website: 16th OSCE Ministerial Council, Helsinki, 4 and 5 December 2008

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