Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STATE96445
2009-09-16 20:48:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Secretary of State
Cable title:  

OSCE/PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO REPORT BY AMBASSADOR

Tags:  OSCE PREL PGOV KV 
pdf how-to read a cable
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INFO ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS STATE 096445 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OSCE PREL PGOV KV
SUBJECT: OSCE/PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO REPORT BY AMBASSADOR
SALBER, CPC DIRECTOR

UNCLAS STATE 096445

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OSCE PREL PGOV KV
SUBJECT: OSCE/PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO REPORT BY AMBASSADOR
SALBER, CPC DIRECTOR


1. (U) Post is authorized to deliver the following statement
at the September 17 Permanent Council meeting in Vienna.

Begin text:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Welcome, Ambassador Salber, (or Deputy Pietrusiewicz, as
appropriate) to the Permanent Council. The United States
applauds the valuable work of the Borders Unit in the
important field of border security, which is so critical to
the security of all participating States. We share the
strategic goals you have outlined for us today.

My government remains a strong supporter of the Border
Management and Security Concept adopted at the 2005
Ministerial Council. More recently, in the framework of the
Corfu Process, we have spoken about the need for
cross-dimensional approaches. Through the OSCE Border
Management programs, the OSCE can address many interrelated
threats. A comprehensive approach to border management is
essential given the daunting challenges of drug, human, and
weapons trafficking that destroy individual lives while
destabilizing entire regions. A comprehensive approach can
also help support participating States to address threats in
the form of weak governance, corruption, terrorism and its
financing, and illegal migration. The OSCE, acting
especially through its field missions, can and should be a
chief resource in assisting states to implement their
border-related commitments.

As many projects are just getting off the ground in Central
Asia right now, we realize much of our attention will be
focused on this region and the implementation of these
projects. We also support efforts to evolve the OSCE,s
approach to confronting new threats at the border, including
the smuggling of materials, commodities and technologies that
can be used in the creation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
In that respect, we hope the borders unit can make an active
contribution to the ability of participating States to
fulfill their commitments under UNSCR 1540 and as emphasized
in UNSCR 1810 which underscored regional approaches. The
United States stands ready to coordinate our various
bilateral border security-related programs with the OSCE.

The United States supports a regional approach for border
projects, to include inviting officials from all
participating and Partner States to engage in training. We
also continue to see the valuable opportunity to integrate
our Afghan partners into OSCE Central Asian border projects
as a critical component of a comprehensive border security
approach. Such an approach contributes to building
substantial and relevant linkages between Afghanistan and its
Central Asian neighbors. The joint training projects already
undertaken with Afghan neighbors Turkmenistan and Tajikistan
are an important start to dealing with border security from
this regional perspective. Moreover, the United States
believes that border security projects within Afghanistan as
well could also play a valuable role in promoting enhanced
regional cooperation. We look forward to reaching consensus
on this approach in the near future.

We have high expectations that joint training at the Border
Management Staff College in Tajikistan and the Customs
Academy in Kyrgyzstan, for example, will open new lines of
communication and cooperation among border officials. Such
training may be a good area for us to form partnerships among
OSCE participating States to provide expertise and seek
opportunities for the sharing of experiences and information.


As we know, training assistance is sustainable only if it is
part of a long-term effort, based on a clear strategy and a
thorough needs assessment. The United States therefore urges
the continuation of the successful work to conduct
comprehensive border assessments in partnership with
participating States. We recognize the significant value
represented by the assessments already completed in
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and hope the lessons learned can be
applied to other assessments.

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.

End text.
CLINTON