OSCE WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS: SEPTEMBER 14 - 18, 2009

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 USOSCE 000210

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2019
TAGS: MARR OSCE PGOV PREL GG RU KZ
SUBJECT: OSCE WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS: SEPTEMBER 14 - 18, 2009

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Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Carol Fuller for Reasons 1.4(B)&(D)

TIP Conference Opens


1. (U) In her video greeting to the September 14 opening
session of the 9th Alliance against Trafficking in Persons
Conference, Secretary Clinton spoke of the personal,
societal, and economic harm caused by human trafficking. She
emphasized the "three Ps" of the anti-trafficking fight -
prosecution, protection, and prevention - and urged OSCE
participating States to consider preparing their own national
reports on human trafficking, including recommendations for
further actions. Introduced by ChargQ Fuller, the video was
shown to an audience of several hundred, including
representatives from the 56 participating States and 11
Mediterranean and Asian Partners, who had gathered in Vienna
to discuss the current economic downturn's impact on
trafficking. OSCE Secretary General de Brichambaut, Greek
PermRep Marinaki, and Special Representative for Combating
Trafficking in Human Beings Eva Biaudet also spoke, echoing
the Secretary's comments and urging participating States to
"redouble our efforts" to prevent trafficking. Biaudet
called for the establishment of national rapporteurs or
equivalent mechanisms to serve as focal points for
anti-trafficking efforts, and highlighted the importance of
improved data collection to better understand the extent of
the problem.

Border Assessments in Central Asia In Need of a Push


2. (U) During a meeting with USOSCE officers on September
11, 2009, OSCE Borders Team Senior Advisor Henry Bolton
assessed that the OSCE Secretariat leadership currently has
little ambition for borders work inside Central Asia. As an
example, Bolton said he recently encountered resistance from
Conflict Prevention Center leadership on plans to conduct a
first-time border assessment in Turkmenistan and an expanded
assessment in Kyrgyzstan, as requested by Bishkek. Bolton
said although the OSCE borders team had not been directly
instructed to kill the assessment projects, it was being
directed not to follow up on informal discussions with host
governments in the region. Bolton assessed this course of
action would halt the assessments for the time being despite
the fact funding for the projects already exists. Bolton
noted he will be resigning from his post at the end of
September 2009 and thought a replacement had not yet been
identified.

South Ossetians Interest in Modeling OSCE Engagement on UN
Arrangements


3. (C) Conflict Prevention Center (CPC) staff told Poloff
September 15 that South Ossetian de factor "Foreign Minister"
Chochiyev recently expressed interest in modeling OSCE
engagement in the separatist region on the proposed UN
arrangement for Abkhazia. Chochiyev apparently spoke
privately to OSCE Special Representative Christopoulos on the
margins of the latter's September 11 trip to Tskhinvali with
the Geneva co-chairs, and asked that Christopoulos share any
proposals by letter in advance of the September 17 Geneva
discussions. Chochiev indicated he would be willing to
discuss the matter further on the margins of the Geneva
talks. If the proposed UN arrangement were applied to the
OSCE, Christopoulos would travel regularly to Tbilisi and
Tskhinvali to prepare for and co-facilitate IPRM meetings,
and would be supported by a Vienna-based team of three

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officers, who would travel to the region on a rotating basis
and seek to maintain a nearly constant presence in Vienna,
Tbilisi, and Tskhinvali. While in the region, the team would
have no special status, and would have no permanent office
space or accommodations. The arrangement would be based
solely on a verbal agreement among the parties concerned, and
would involve no MOU or other document. Sources of funding
and other details are still vague, and will be considered
only if all parties consent to the proposal. CPC staff
commented that while Christopoulos was enthusiastic, the
Greek Mission in Vienna was less so, as staff seemed
exhausted, were frustrated by Russian games, and believed
Athens would have a difficult time funding the proposed
arrangement. CPC staff also noted the Geneva co-chairs had
declined to share the proposal with the Georgians, reportedly
because they had pushed Christopoulos only a day earlier to
establish the proposed Office of the Special Representative
in Tbilisi regardless of possible implications for the Geneva
process.

RFoM Replacement Not Likely Before 2010


4. (SBU) Contradicting comments made at last week's
U.S.-CiO meeting, Marinaki said September 15 that the process
for replacing OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
(RFoM) Miklos Haraszti probably would not be concluded before
the end of 2009. Although a vacancy letter likely will be
released September 15 or 16, Marinaki noted that the decision
would be taken by a "silence procedure" in the PC, and this
would likely not take place before the end of the Greek
Chairmanship. Any appointment, Maranaki said, would have to
be confirmed retroactively by a Ministerial Council decision.
Because this would not be possible in Athens "due to the
press of other issues," the ratifying MC decision would take
place in 2010 in Astana. Comment: The Greeks appear to have
come to terms with the fact that any decision on RFoM
requires consensus, including from Kazakhstan, which may be
insisting on managing the selection process during its CiO
year when the position comes open.

CiO Urges U.S. to Consider its Stance on Alliance of
Civilizations and OSCE Cooperation


5. (SBU) Marinaki queried whether the Obama administration
had changed the previous USG view of skepticism toward
enhanced cooperation between the Alliance of Civilizations
(AoC) and the OSCE. ChargQ Fuller noted that our bilateral
relations with the AoC were currently under review, but said
no decision had been made. Marinaki urged not to over-extend
the ties between the two organizations, noting that "the AoC
will try to exploit the OSCE." She said the AoC had nothing
to offer the OSCE and could only gain from enhanced
cooperation ("especially Spain"). Comment: Greece and
others have been hiding behind our reluctance to expand
AoC/OSCE cooperation in the face of Spanish and Turkish
advocacy, and fear we may change our views on the AoC and
leave them no cover.

Dffering Perceptions at Corfu Process Meeting


6. (C) The second informal Corfu process meeting opened on
September 15 with a presentation by Dr. Wolfgang Zellner of
the German Institute for Peace Research and Securit Policy.
Zellner highlighted the OSCE's revolutionary approach, in
which States abandoned zero-sum logic in favor of cooperative
security, but noted that over the past decade European

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security policy "has been increasingly dominated by
unilateral and frequently confrontatonal approaches."
Zellner also emphasized the role that different perceptions
about various security decisions - such as NATO and EU
expansion - have played in exacerbating tensions among
participating States. In response, most pS reiterated their
full support for the current European security architecture,
including the OSCE, and called for strengthening the
organization's ability to assist in the implementation of
commitments and to take effective action, particularly in the
field of conflict preventionand resolution. Russia,
however, reiterated that the West had haped post-Cold War
security for its own benefit; the choice was to either
continue with the current system of unequal levels of
security for NATO members and outsiders, or switch to
principled, rule-based cooperation to protect all states
based on Russian proposals for a European security treaty.
Russia also reiterated its call to hold a meeting of the five
main organizations involvedin security in Europe, arguing
that it is necessary to eliminate duplication and "harmonize"
their work based on a new security treaty. The Chair's
perception of the discussion included a recognition of the
desire to strengthen the OSCE's role in conflict resolution,
an intensified push for relevant arms control arrangements
and the need for better coordination among international
organizations active in the OSCE area.

EU Personal Representative Presents EU's Human Rights Policy


7. (U) On September 15 Personal Representative (PR) of the
SG/HR on Human Rights Riina Kionka briefed approximately 30
OSCE delegates on human rights policies within the EU's
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Listing
mechanisms such as human rights talks - involving EU experts
and government officials from 40 countries thus far - Kionka
spoke of a growing opportunity to effect change and
highlighted an increased interest in human rights issues from
OSCE participating States, most recently from Azerbaijan and
Armenia. Other notable human rights instruments used by the
EU include demarches, declarations, political dialogues, and
European Security and Defense Policy operations. Kionka
expressed hope for swift ratification of the 2007 Lisbon
Treaty, which would make the EU's Charter of Fundamental
Rights legally binding.

TIP Conference Urges Renewed Focus on Prevention


8. (U) Noting new economic pressures likely would increase
the vulnerability of millions of people to sexual and labor
exploitation, participants in the September 14-15 Alliance
against Trafficking in Persons Conference urged renewed focus
on the prevention of human trafficking, and called on
participating States to do more to address its root causes.
Many identified widespread and growing unemployment as a key
problem, and called for enhanced cooperation between
government and business to expand economic opportunities and
prevent labor exploitation. Special Representative for
Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Eva Biaudet proposed
that businesses establish codes of conduct to help prevent
trafficking, and consider identifying "trafficking-free"
goods and services for consumers. She also highlighted the
need to make trafficking less lucrative for criminals, and
encouraged continued efforts to "target the money trail."
Many panelists supported and encouraged a human rights
approach to preventing trafficking, and echoed Biaudet's
call for greater demand reduction efforts.

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U.S. Comments Favorable on Human Rights in Uzbekistan


9. (U) At the September 17, OSCE Permanent Council meeting,
the CDA delivered a statement commenting on the recent
positive rmarks by ODIHR Director Ambassador Lenarcic that
Uzbekistan has made progress in the field of human rights and
was increasing its cooperation with ODIHR on human rights
issues. While highlighting the positive aspects of the ODIHR
report, we also called upon Uzbekistan to capitalize on the
increased cooperation and ensure due process for Dimurod
Sayyid. The comments appeared to have been well received by
the Uzbekistan delegation who responded that Uzbekistan was
grateful to the U.S. for "continuing to be interested in our
country - in a positive way." The delegate said Uzbekistan
was "glad to cooperate with ODIHR" and was pleased that
Lenarcic's visit was so productive.

OSCE Legal Status Discussions Continue


10. (U) Greek Deputy Legal Advisor Jenny Stavridi convened
on September 16 the second informal roundtable discussions on
OSCE's legal personality. Following the first roundtable in
June the Chairmanship circulated two non-papers, one
reviewing the draft legal convention and another detailing
the current legal status and privileges and immunities of the
OSCE. The Russian delegation, after complaining about the
Chairmanship's emphasis only on a legal convention,
displayed no hesitation in renewing its push for a legal
charter, with further support voiced by a handful of
participating States in attendance. Stavridi emphasized
during the meeting and to us privately the day before her
desire to demonstrate some degree of progress by the Athens
Ministerial in December. The Dutch PermRep proposed the
establishment of an informal working group on the OSCE's
legal status. Stavridi promised to pick the issue up again
at the next roundtable scheduled for November.

CDA Discusses Successor With Outgoing Representative on
Freedom of the Media


11. (C) At a September 18 meeting, OSCE Representative on
Freedom of the Media (RFOM) Miklos Haraszti, whose term
expires in March 2010, told CDA Carol Fuller he agreed with
certain EU states (primarily the UK, Sweden and Germany) that
three weeks was too short a time frame for pS to submit
nominations for the next RFOM. Moreover, Haraszti said he
did not share the view that the decision needed to be made
before Kazakhstan assumed the Chair in Office in 2010. "I'm
not afraid of Kazakhstan," he said. Haraszti said it would
likely be easier to repel a bad candidate put forth by
Kazakhstan than it might be one proposed by a European CiO
and it was far more important to determine who the 4 or 5
"wise persons" who will filter the applications for the CiO
will be. This, he said, could be done by the time the
Kazakhstanis assume office. Haraszti called the October 7
deadline for submission of nominees "outrageously short," and
not enough time to field the best candidates. Haraszti said
he feared this scenario might favor the second-time Russian
candidate Federtov - "who would not well serve the legacy of
this office." (Please protect.) He said "on the surface,
Federtov's CV looks, good" suggesting that some states may
be inclined to opt for him. Calling himself possibly
paranoid, Haraszti said he feared some states could be lured
into voting for Federtov on promises of an exchange by the
Russian Federation on Georgia, for example, or some other

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matter. When asked if he knew of any strong candidates,
Haraszti pointed to Bosnian-Serb Dunja Mijatovic whom
Haraszti said has the backing of the Bosnian government. He
said the Austrian Ambassador told him her country would put
forward a name but she was not authorized to identify the
person yet. The UK was considering putting forward either a
former Chief Editor of the Guardian or a BBC journalist. He
also said that Georgia may propose Mr. Oleg Pamfilov - who
said he also had the backing of the U.S.

Sarkozy Heading to Kazakhstan?


12. (C) In a conversation with the French Ambassador to the
OSCE, CDA Carol Fuller learned that the French President
Sarkozy was going to travel to Kazakhstan on October 6 where
he would likely discuss the notion of a summit in Kazakhstan
- although, not necessarily in 2010. The Ambassador also
said that the officials from the French Foreign Ministry were
also planning a trip to Kazakhstan ten days after Sarkozy's
visit. He did not know if he would be invited to join the
KRSA trip or if he would wait to join the trip to Kazakhstan
already arranged for a group of OSCE Ambassadors later in
October. On a separate matter, the Ambassador said France
may nominate Mr. Robert Mesnard from Journalists Sans
Frontiers, as a replacement for Representative on Freedom of
the Media Miklos Haraszti. At present, however, the
Ambassador said he had no specific instructions and
MesnardQ,s name was only being considered.

U.S. and EU Delegations Respond to ODIHR Election Report for
Albania


13. (SBU) At the September 17 OSCE Permanent Council
meeting, both the U.S. delegation and the EU (represented by
Sweden) responded to the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation
Mission Final Report on the June Albanian parliamentary
elections, which was issued on September 14. Both
delegations commended Albania for its ability to meet most
OSCE commitments, while at the same time noting that Albania
had not realized its potential to adhere to the highest
standards for democratic elections. Both delegations
emphasized that politicization throughout the election
process undermined the process. Both urged the Government of
Albania to heed the recommendations provided by ODIHR in
future elections. The EU further encouraged all political
parties to pursue a constructive political dialogue
(referring to the current Socialist Party boycott of the
parliament). In response to the statements, Albanian
Ambassador Galanxhi thanked the EU and the U.S. "for their
open and sincere assessments, comments and remarks." He also
declared that the Government of Albania will take all
necessary measures and steps to successfully eliminate
shortcomings and concerns that "resulted from the overall
electoral reform" and that every single recommendation
will be considered and dealt with seriously.
CHRISTENSEN