OSCE/PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO EU PRESIDENT,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 007832

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OSCE PREL PHUM GG EU
SUBJECT: OSCE/PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO EU PRESIDENT,
CZECH FM SCHWARZENBERG


1. Post is authorized to present the following statement at
the January 29 Permanent Council meeting in Vienna.

Begin text:

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Permanent Council,
Foreign Minister Schwarzenberg. The United States and the
Czech Republic have a close bilateral relationship, and we
also enjoy a close partnership with the European Union based
on shared values and a strategic outlook. We look forward to
building on both relationships to address the many challenges
facing the OSCE in the coming months. Some of these dovetail
well with your country's priorities for its EU Presidency.

An issue of immediate concern is Georgia. First off, I would
like to take this opportunity to welcome the work of our
Chairman-in-Office in helping smooth the way for resumption
of gas deliveries to South Ossetia, and hope the commitment
for follow-on work on water deliveries will prove just as
successful.

Nevertheless, the security situation in Georgia remains
highly unstable. While the August 12 cease-fire and the
September 8 agreement ended the active phase of fighting in
the war, we continue to hear reports of kidnappings,
banditry, and ethnic cleansing, and attacks on Georgian
officials and property. Human Rights Watch recently called
attention to violations of international law by all parties
during the August conflict, including indiscriminate and
disproportionate attacks by both Georgian and Russian forces
and South Ossetian forces' campaign of deliberate destruction
of ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia. Human Rights
Watch also reported Russia's failure to ensure public order
and safety in the areas of Georgia that remain under its
control.

These failures underscore the need for further OSCE
engagement and an OSCE monitoring presence with uninhibited
access to the whole of Georgia. Now is the time for more --
not less -- international engagement to help prevent
violence, identify ongoing cease-fire violations, deter human
rights abuses, and facilitate humanitarian assistance. In
that respect, we value highly the role the EU Monitoring
Mission is able to play in ensuring transparency and
providing an additional international presence. We also
greatly appreciate the contribution by EU Special
Representative Morel to launching and sustaining the Geneva
process. We are convinced the OSCE continues to have a vital
role to play in restoring stability and security in the
region, and trust that other delegations share this view.

As we noted last week, we stand ready to work with the
Chairmanship to ensure a continued OSCE presence in Georgia,
and are prepared to support the Chairmanship's basic
approach, while remaining sensitive to the need to support
Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its
internationally recognized borders. Foreign Minister
Schwarzenberg, we would appreciate hearing more about how the
Presidency and the EU as a whole views the OSCE's evolving
role and the added value it provides on the ground, and how
OSCE activities fit in the larger picture of EU priorities
for the region.

We also welcome the Czech Presidency's emphasis on energy
security as one of its priority issues. The OSCE affirmed its
commitments on energy security in the 2003 Maastricht
Strategy Document and in the 2006 Ministerial Council's
Decision on Energy Security Dialogue. We believe that the
OSCE can usefully supplement what is occurring in other fora
in this critical area.

The OSCE has a role to play in fostering an exchange on
energy security, drawing from the collective knowledge base
of participating States with a variety of interests and
concerns. The OSCE brings together energy producers,
consumers, and transit countries, all of which have roles in
securing supply and transit, protecting infrastructure,
managing demand, and bringing new technologies to market.
The OSCE should continue with the commitments made in 2003
and 2006 by engaging in activities that will help us identify
where our interests converge and what policies and
instruments we can bring to bear that will enhance energy
security for us all.

As in the past, we will work with the European Union to
strengthen all aspects of the human dimension. In line with
the spirit of Helsinki, the European Union and the United

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States, together with other OSCE participating States, must
resolutely support the core values of this organization --
the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and
the promotion of democratic institutions and the rule of law.
These commitments serve as the foundation for peace and
security in the OSCE region.

We also welcome the Czech EU Presidency's emphasis on
fortifying links with the EU's eastern neighbors through your
'Eastern Partnership Initiative.' These countries benefit
significantly from increased contact with EU and OSCE
partners. This important proposal reinforces our view that
the previous enlargements by the EU and NATO over the past
decade have made a significant contribution to stability and
prosperity in Europe. The integration of additional
countries into these euro-Atlantic structures has not come at
the expense of any other, neighboring country or region, but
has strengthened stability, security, and prosperity for us
all.

In these and other areas, we look forward to continuing to
work with our EU partners to update and vitalize our existing
security and cooperation agenda that have been nurtured by
the OSCE over the years.

Mr. Minister, we wish you and your mission here all the best.
Please be assured of the full cooperation of the United
States during the Czech presidency.

Thank you.

End text.
CLINTON