CORFU PROCESS SESSION VI: HUMAN DIMENSION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USOSCE 000249

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL OSCE
SUBJECT: CORFU PROCESS SESSION VI: HUMAN DIMENSION
ESSENTIAL TO EUROPEAN SECURITY


1. The sixth session of the Corfu Process dialogue October
27 was dedicated to the common challenges in the Human
Dimension (HD),with a focus on human rights, democratic
institutions, the rule of law, and the freedom of the media.
Delegations catalogued ways in which HD commitments had
fallen short in implementation and debated possible ways to
improve both the commitments and their implementations. Many
said enhanced political will was essential to any lasting
improvement, but the Russians decried excessive interference
in the internal affairs of States, insisting that the degree
and extent of commitment implementation was only the business
of sovereign states. Many agreed with the U.S. proposal from
the previous week,s session for a new conflict prevention
mechanism, saying it would also be helpful in the HD. In the
afternoon, a number of delegations underscored the importance
of media freedom as a core human right. End Summary.

2. Opening the session, Greek Ambassador Marinaki declared
that human dimension issues have been integral to almost all
Corfu discussions. She stated that the existing OSCE acquis,
based on existing documents and declarations, is adequate,
but we need to focus on more effective implementation.
Without effective efforts in the human dimension, internal
security could be jeopardized and in turn, a state,s
external security.
ODIHR

3. In his opening presentation, Director of the OSCE's
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Janez
Lenarcic highlighted the importance of the human dimension as
a key element of European security, cited the strengths of
the current OSCE commitments and urged greater political will
to implement those commitments. He called for an enhanced
system of peer review and lamented that existing mechanisms
have not effectively contributed to their intended
objectives. It was up to the participating States (pS),he
said, to make the process more effective.

4. Most Ambassadors concurred in the analysis that
implementation of existing HD commitments was critical.
Luxembourg stated that human rights, democratization, and the
rule of law are indivisible and that implementation of these
is the only way to guarantee equal freedoms. Romania said
that all HD commitments needed to be implemented and there
could not be a hierarchy of commitments. Georgia called for
additional commitments, especially on issues involving
involuntary immigration and IDPs.

5. Furthermore, a number of delegations agreed with
Ambassador Lenarcic that better commitment implementation
depended on renewed political will by the participating
States. The French Ambassador urged reaffirming the validity
of all commitments, considering how to use OSCE tools to
enhance implementation and studying how to reinforce
commitments in a few, key areas. Even the Belarusian
Ambassador viewed the Human Dimension as an important element
of the OSCE and felt greater efforts to secure the necessary
political will to implement it were needed.

6. On the need for increased peer review, many delegations
agreed on the value of usable and effective OSCE tools and
instruments. France felt the most valuable standing tool was
the OSCE Field Presences in a number of countries. Poland
valued strong autonomous institutions that can guide pS
perspectives, while Italy cited room for improvement in the
mandate and management of certain executive structures.
Several cited this as a hallmark of the OSCE and felt a
refocus on peer review demonstrated the continuing value of
the OSCE and its work.

7. Most delegations felt that peer review could be
strengthened through new and improved mechanisms. Several
again praised the U.S. paper we released on October 20
proposing a new crisis response mechanism. Being a bit more
circumspect, Turkey said it welcomed the ideas amplified by
the U.S. paper. Romania, echoed by Luxembourg, questioned
the need for a new mechanism, urging, instead, better
analysis of how existing mechanisms are being used.
Lithuania stressed the importance of flexibility and
creativity in the actual use of any existing or new
mechanism. Most concretely, Georgia proposed a one-day
seminar aimed at gaining a better understanding why available
mechanisms in the HD are not better utilized.

8. Finally, most delegations also commented on the Warsaw
Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in early October,
commenting in particular on the greater success this year of
civil society involvement and input. Nonetheless, several
delegations urged a reformulation of the annual meeting;
Turkey suggested a renewed look at its modalities. Russia
disliked the "name and shame" approach at the HDIM and,
citing a recommendation from the 2005 report by the Panel of
Eminent Persons &Common Purpose: Towards a More Effective
OSCE,8 felt that it could be shortened to one week.
FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA

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9. The Representative for Freedom of the Media (RFOM) Miklos
Haraszti kicked off the afternoon session with a rambling,
"philosophical" discourse on the underpinnings of the HD.
Referencing the morning's focus on implementing HD
commitments, he termed the last decade as one of
"disillusionment," and asserted his belief that some
countries had made downgrading the OSCE a strategic
objective. He urged a recommitment to helping societies
build democracy from the inside, better focus on the
atmosphere, including media, surrounding elections, spreading
out through the year the OSCE's HD meetings and regular
review by OSCE institutions of commitment fulfillment by
participating States.

10. Of the few delegations commenting directly on media,
most agreed on the vital role a free media plays in ensuring
democratic values. Several highlighted challenges to media
freedom from all over the OSCE, not just "east of Vienna."
Romania stressed the value of a fully free media and said
shortfalls in commitments could come in a number of guises,
including government regulation and business practice.
Canada decried continuing violence, and at times its seeming
impunity, against journalists. Belarus urged great media
responsibility and suggested Haraszti consider the virtues of
quieter diplomacy.

11. Several delegations, including the U.S., also mentioned
how technological change, namely the rise of the Internet,
has fundamentally altered the debate on media freedom and may
necessitate an updating of commitments. Romania cited the
greater use of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, as
yet another developing trend that required a reconsideration
of the definition of media.

12. In her concluding remarks, the Greek CiO said that,
despite evident differences in the debate, the essential role
of the HD in comprehensive security had been reaffirmed.
Implementation and how it is characterized and measured are
clearly concerns of all participating States, she added.
Peer review clearly needs to be more effective and any new
measures need to be impartial and avoid naming and shaming.
COMMENT

13. This was an important session in the Corfu Process, yet
there were few surprises as to positions taken, and little
new ground was broken. Speakers were overwhelmingly
"traditional" western democracies, countered by Russia and
Belarus, with the Central Asians listening silently. As
expected, Haraszti suffered the greater wrath of comments
from the Russian ambassador who, in response to Haraszti,s
quarterly report to the PC on October 29 made the outrageous
statement: &Thank God, Miklos, your term is coming to an
end.8 Despite this, the debate succeeded in cementing the
role of the HD in any consideration of European security
architecture and assured that any follow-on process next year
under the Kazakh Chair will have to contain a significant and
meaningful HD component.
FULLER