No joint declaration for OSCE meeting despite last-ditch efforts

“Chairman’s statement” issued by Stubb

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Finland’s main goal for the meeting of the ministerial Council of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe - a common political declaration that could be approved by all 56 member states - has failed to materialise.
     Finland had set a joint declaration for the meeting as one of its most important objectives of its year as holder of the Chairmanship of the OSCE.
     There were attempts in negotiations to ease tensions between Russia and the West, which had been damaged by the August war in Georgia, and to draw up a declaration on how to move forward.
     
In a last-ditch effort to reach consensus, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb (Nat. Coalition Party) had a bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday morning. However, the meeting did not bring any changes to the situation.
     Although the negotiations were overshadowed by disputes over the war in Georgia, the main reason for the failure of efforts to get a joint declaration would seem to be traditional disagreements on Russia’s obligations in OSCE agreements on weaponry in Europe. These mainly concern numbers of Russian forces in areas of conflict in which the OSCE is involved in negotiations.
     
While President Tarja Halonen was hosting a dinner for the guests at Helsinki’s Finlandia Hall Thursday evening, a committee was still at the Helsinki Fair Centre going over a second version of a draft drawn up by Finland, hoping to get a final version ready by Friday morning.
     However, the views of Russia, the United States, and the European Union were simply too far apart on certain crucial issues. It proved impossible to find language that would recognise Russia’s hope for new security arrangements in Europe, and the concern of other countries toward Russia’s actions in the August war with Georgia.
     
Instead of a declaration, Foreign Minister Stubb is giving out a statement of the OSCE Chairman, summarising Finland’s interpretation of the political setup of the meeting.
     During the meeting, 15 different declarations of the activities of the OSCE were drawn up. In addition, agreement was reached on the continuing OSCE mediation in the long-standing dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan - something that diplomats considered a positive achievement.
     
Russia’s proposals on security did not move forward on Thursday, and it is likely that the initiative for a large security summit will be delayed by several years.
     Foreign minister Lavrov presented Russia’s new proposals for the first time during Thursday’s lunch event.
     A high-ranking Western diplomat, who was not a Finn, described events at the lunch to Helsingin Sanomat.
     
The foundation of Russia’s proposal would have been a new international structure, in which no group of countries would have a dominant position in Europe - a clear reference to NATO. The diplomat said that no other country came out in favour of the proposal. at this point, Lavrov made another speech, asking for understanding for Russia’s points of view.
     At a press conference held after the lunch, Foreign Minister Stubb, the OSCE’s Chairman in Office, described the discussion that was held as “one of the best discussions on international politics that I have taken part in for a long time”.
     This is not to say that there were any actual results; Stubb characterised the outcome of the lunch as a feeling of satisfaction that security had been discussed within the OSCE and not outside of it.
     
“At this stage, however, there were more questions than answers put forward”, he said.
      One of the questions is, what needs to be changed in European security arrangements. Many countries are satisfied with the OSCE, because it is the only international security system which includes Russia, the EU countries, and the United States, in addition to a number of other countries affecting European security.
     “Many of us emphasised that now we need to concentrate on what we want to change, rather than how the institution should be changed”, Stubb said.
     He observed that Russia took a first step, and other countries were able to consider together for the first time what Russia’s thoughts mean. According to Stubb, there were no concrete proposals or papers put forward.
     
The human rights situation in Kazakhstan also came up at the afternoon press conference. The country will hold the OSCE Chairmanship in 2010. Stubb said that he is aware of the situation, and pointed out that when he visited the country, he put an emphasis on the importance human rights, democracy, and a free media.
     
At Friday’s morning session, the Chairmanship of the OSCE was passed on to Finland’s successor, when Greece’s Foreign Minister Theodora Bakoyannis replaced Alexander Stubb at the chair.
      The meeting concluded with speeches by Stubb and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre). The last of the foreign ministers, and the traffic congestion resulting from the meeting, are leaving Helsinki in the afternoon.

More on this subject:
 COMMENTARY: Russia unites ranks of West
 Russia critical of OSCE “failure” in Georgia.

Previously in HS International Edition:
  Last-minute preparations for OSCE meeting (4.12.2008)
  OSCE foreign ministers’ meeting to be biggest conference ever in Helsinki (1.12.2008)
  “Helsinki Spirit” unlikely to warm East-West relations much at OSCE meeting (30.11.2008)
  Stubb wants to get OSCE to agree on political declaration (21.11.2008)

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

Helsingin Sanomat