OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO THE PRESIDENT

UNCLAS STATE 119321 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL OSCE SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY, JOAO SOARES ¶1. (U) Post is authorized to present the following statement at the November 19 Permanent Council meeting in Vienna. Begin text: Thank you, Madam Chair. The United States warmly welcomes President Soares back to the Permanent Council and thanks him for his insightful report. The Parliamentary Assembly continues to fulfill important roles in connecting the work we do here in Vienna with our respective countries' elected representatives, promoting accountability within OSCE's institutions, and addressing crucial concerns affecting the participating States through parliamentary dialogue. We note the positive work being done by the Parliamentary Assembly across the region: to address protracted conflicts; to promote democratic governance, including election assistance to participating States; and to respond to new challenges in connection with migration, energy security and climate change. We are proud of that two of the PA's officers and two of its special representatives come from the United States. The PA has been a leader on important initiatives such as combating trafficking in human beings and in promoting cooperation on security concerns with the Mediterranean Partners. The Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, Senator Ben Cardin, is a Vice President of the PA. His Co-Chairman, U.S. Representative Alcee Hastings, is a former President of the Parliamentary Assembly and its current, very engaged, Special Representative on Mediterranean Affairs. And Representative Robert Aderholt serves as the Vice Chair of the Third Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions. The PA's ongoing work in the Caucasus, South-Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Eastern Europe is aimed at furthering security, human rights, and democratic governance. Through its meetings, seminars, and special missions, the PA contributes to efforts to address critical concerns in the region by developing proposals relevant for consideration by the Ministerial Council. We urge the Permanent Council to consider adopting some of the specific commitments agreed upon during last July's Annual Meeting in Vilnius. We also would like to underscore the importance of cooperation between the Parliamentary Assembly and the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in election observation activities. The participating States have given the two institutions mandates to undertake election observation together, though with somewhat different roles that we view as mutually reinforcing and complementary, and not in competition. We are pleased to note the improvement in cooperation during this past year, which helps ensure that OSCE's election work will continue to set the gold standard of election support in the world. The United States attaches great value to OSCE's election monitoring, which in our view is most effective when the PA and ODIHR work together. We thank the Chair in Office for the tireless efforts to further this cooperation and build a true spirit of partnership between the two institutions, which we know is also supported by the U.S. Helsinki Commission. Finally, we note President Soares's interest in an OSCE Summit next year. We would also note that the last time we had a summit in 1999, we had agreements on CFE, a Charter on European Security, and the Vienna Document. We look forward to working hard with all those in support of a summit to make enough progress in all three dimensions so that we have reason to consider a high-level meeting. President Soares, we commend you and the Parliamentary Assembly for your contributions to advancing security, human rights, and democratic governance throughout the region. Thank you Madam Chair. END TEXT CLINTON