OSCE,S ANNUAL SECURITY REVIEW CONFERENCE -

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USOSCE 000185 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR VCI/CCA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PREL OSCE KCFE XG SUBJECT: OSCE,S ANNUAL SECURITY REVIEW CONFERENCE - AFGHANISTAN AND GEORGIA SHARE CENTER STAGE ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Delegations and speakers alike called for the OSCE to move from symbolic words to concrete action during this year's Annual Security Review Conference (ASRC), held July 1-2 in Vienna. NATO SACEUR General Craddock called on the international community to do more in Afghanistan and said the OSCE could have a "tremendous impact" by helping train the country's police. Several delegations spoke out on the need to collaborate on combating terrorism and improving border security in the OSCE region, especially in Central Asia. While speakers assessed the utility and practicality of OSCE conflict resolution mechanisms, there were, as expected, heated exchanges on the protracted conflicts, especially South Ossetia and Abkhazia. End Summary. -------------- Opening Session -------------- ¶2. (U) Highlighting what would be one of the major themes of the conference, the EU, US (DASD Daniel Fata),and Canada spoke out in support of increased OSCE activities in customs and border security in northern Afghanistan. In stark contrast, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grushko did not even mention Afghanistan in his opening remarks but instead urged the OSCE to "pause to assess the situation, and take a break on projects" while at the same time calling for a high-level forum to discuss a Treaty on European Security. Grushko depicted Russia as being the aggrieved party on all matters of European security, lambasting NATO enlargement and U.S. missile defense plans as undermining security in the region writ large. Comment: Although he referred to the "indivisibility of security," it was clear that Russia envisages a treaty which would require UN-approval for any/all security actions taken, a clear non-starter for the U.S. and NATO. End Comment. The US, the EU, Georgia, and Canada also expressed their concern about increasing tensions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and urged Russia to resume implementation of the CFE. DASD Fata called on the OSCE to increase its efforts to resolve the protracted conflicts in South Ossetia, Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh and increase OSCE activity in reducing tension around Abkhazia. Fata stressed that the U.S. hand remains outstretched to Russia on missile defense, CFE and other areas and that despite Russian claims to the contrary, the ballistic missile threat is one Russian officials have privately told the U.S. is one of their greatest security concerns. -------------- Session I: Transnational Security Challenges -------------- ¶3. (SBU) EU Special Representative for Central Asia Amb. Pierre Morel noted the need for a coherent approach in tackling transnational security challenges, specifically to improve the control of external borders as well as to enhance domestic stability through political, economic and administrative reforms geared toward increasing living standards of the population, strengthening the rule of law and accelerating economic development. This could be partly addressed through closer collaboration between the EU and the OSCE, as evidenced by their ongoing work to help Tajikistan improve its border security management. ¶4. (SBU) In a stimulating and thought-provoking intervention, Dr. Zellner, the head of the Centre for OSCE Research (CORE) in Hamburg, said the OSCE needed to move from symbolic to real action. Zellner proposed that the OSCE revive the idea of thematic missions, integrate the missions into one Secretariat department, and streamline OSCE's agenda by focusing on long-term challenges. In this regard, the 2010 Kazakhstan Chairmanship and the border security initiative for Afghanistan and Central Asia provide unique opportunities. ¶5. (SBU) Germany welcomed OSCE's work on the whole package of 16 Afghanistan-Central Asia border assistance projects. Russia noted that the narcotics trafficking situation in Afghanistan had "run amok" and called for increased international counter-narcotics efforts as well as a discussion of time-limited thematic missions. Turkey strongly supported the Afghanistan proposals and said it would provide a train-the-trainer program for Afghan border officials as well as a financial contribution. Uzbekistan called for the EU to put Hizb-Ut-Tahrir on its terrorist USOSCE 00000185 002 OF 003 sanctions list. Afghanistan thanked the international community for its efforts to help stabilize the country and welcomed the OSCE's efforts while criticizing recent actions by Iran and Pakistan. -------------- SACEUR Craddock on Afghanistan -------------- ¶6. (SBU) NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Bantz J. Craddock said the international community needed to do more to secure Afghanistan. Craddock highlighted the three top security concerns: 1) progress in improving governance has been slow and uneven due to political leaders' emphasis on elections rather than delivering services; 2) laboratories need to be shut down and drug lords arrested as narcotics trafficking has helped fuel the insurgency; and 3) the transit of insurgents needs to be contained as the situation in Pakistan was contributing to instability in eastern Afghanistan. He noted that the OSCE has made indispensable contributions to peace and stability for the past 30 years and that it could have a "tremendous impact" by helping train Afghanistan's police force, which was not progressing as well as the nation's military. ¶7. (SBU) Canada said it will remain in Kandahar until 2011, noted that it pledged Can Dollars 600 million for Afghan assistance at the Paris Donors conference in June, and called on the OSCE to support the 2009-10 Afghan elections. Norway said it was increasing its assistance by 40 percent to EUR 100 million per year for the next 5 years and welcomed OSCE's initial efforts on the Afghanistan project. Russia said it would contribute to one Central Asia project and argued that all OSCE-Afghanistan projects should be subject to Permanent Council approval, something to which the U.S., EU and others have already expressed their opposition. -------------- -------------- Session II: Arms Control, CSBMs and Security Dialogue -------------- -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Keynote speaker Alyson Bailes, former Director of SIPRI, expressed concern over the CFE impasse caused by Russia's suspension and said the underlying cause was a "globalization of the security agendas" of the expanded NATO and EU. Russia blamed NATO expansion and U.S.-backed European missile defense for destroying OSCE unity on arms control. It said the U.S. must immediately ratify the adapted CFE Treaty if it wants to preserve the European security regime. The U.S. insisted that Russia needs to implement its CFE obligations and fulfill other conditions before ratification will occur. Germany, Turkey, and the Czech Republic offered varying degrees of support for the U.S. position. Russia concluded by announcing a new proposal for naval confidence- and security-building measures that parallel existing provisions in the Vienna Document 1999. (See also USOSCE 171.) -------------- -- Session III: Conflict Prevention and Resolution -------------- -- ¶9. (SBU) Keynote speaker Dr. Arie Bloed, editor-in-Chief of "Security and Human Rights" (formerly the "Helsinki Monitor"),welcomed the use of OSCE mechanisms in principle, but expressed concern that these mechanisms were being used as weapons rather than as tools for constructive dialogue. He stressed that if they were to be effective, they should be used in a "cooperative" manner. Bloed criticized Permanent Council meetings as having become mere "rituals", rather than a forum for dialogue. He partially attributes this change in atmosphere to the increased use of unified EU statements. Discussion that used to take place in the Permanent Council now takes place elsewhere, behind closed doors. ¶10. (SBU) Georgia reiterated its position on the need to change the negotiating formats in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and called for the OSCE to facilitate discussion with the Russian peacekeeping force (PKF) in Abkhazia. Georgia praised the OSCE conflict resolution mechanisms, but recommended that procedures be established to allow every OSCE participating State to request the CiO and/or the FSC Chairmanship to dispatch a fact-finding mission to its USOSCE 00000185 003 OF 003 territory after an incident occurs. Russia warned that Georgia's attempt to break with current negotiating formats is counterproductive and irresponsible, particularly in light of the PKF's positive contribution to ensure "peace and stability" for the past fifteen years. ¶11. (SBU) Russia asserted that if Georgia truly wants to reduce tensions in Abkhazia, it would sign the non-use of force agreement and withdraw forces from the Upper Kodori Gorge immediately and without additional conditions. Regarding South Ossetia, Russia is concerned that Georgia has "consciously adopted a policy aimed at dismantling the JCC." The 2 2 2 format suggested by Georgia is artificial and lacks a legal basis. Russia urged the Mission in Georgia to take a more active stance in restarting the work of the JCC. Germany emphasized that the OSCE must agree immediately to increase the number of monitors in South Ossetia. It also praised the Economic Reconstruction Program in South Ossetia, which should be used as a model for the entire region. ¶12. (SBU) Azerbaijan criticized the Minsk Process, saying "sixteen years of OSCE mediation hasn't brought any progress." If the organization does not revise its approach to "distinguish between culprit and victim," it will never make any progress. It also harshly criticized Armenia's "policy of ethnic cleansing of minorities" as well as its "brutal" violation of the principles of international law. In response, Armenia reiterated its continued support for the Minsk Process, and observed that it is impossible for the Minsk Group to achieve any progress when Azerbaijan continuously criticizes its lack of effectiveness. The French Minsk Group Co-Chair, Ambassador Fassier, defended the work of the Minsk Group and emphasized that progress made at the December 2007 Madrid Ministerial was confirmed during the June 26-27 visit of the Co-Chairs to the region. FINLEY