OSCE: SCHEDULING THE HDIM IN 2010

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 017279 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL OSCE KZ SUBJECT: OSCE: SCHEDULING THE HDIM IN 2010 REF: USOSCE 040 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY AND GUIDANCE: Dept concurs with USOSCE's recommendation to support holding a routine Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) in 2010. Should there be a decision in June to hold an OSCE summit, Dept will then instruct Post to push for a three-week review conference in Vienna -- with Kazakhstani commitment for an additional three-day review conference on special topics held in Kazakhstan. Concerned State offices (EUR/RPM, DRL, SCA/CEN) along with representatives from the U.S. Helsinki Commission made these same points with interlocutors from the Kazakhstani Embassy on February 17. END SUMMARY AND GUIDANCE. HUMAN DIMENSION MEETINGS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The February 17 meeting started with a discussion on the technicalities of the OSCE Human Dimension schedule and the commitments that KZ FM Saudabayev made during his meetings in Washington February 1-4. The U.S. side was unambiguous to Kazakhstan that it should plan to hold an HDIM in Warsaw in 2010, in accordance with normal OSCE modalities. State reps indicated that the Chairmanship "could not go wrong" by proceeding on HDIM plans absent a firm summit decision, but that to delay or hold off on planning a robust calendar of Human Dimension related events for the year (which, in the absence of a summit decision, must include an HDIM) would attract criticism, particularly from NGOs, and would not reflect the commitment Kazakhstan made to defend and support work in the third dimension. ¶3. (SBU) The U.S. side made clear our desire, in the event that the OSCE were to decide in June to hold a summit in 2010, that the OSCE should follow the model of the 1999 OSCE Summit in Istanbul. This model calls for a three-week implementation review conference in Vienna, covering all three dimensions, with a follow-on three-day review conference held in Kazakhstan that would focus on topics from all three dimensions. State reps emphasized we would like to see that the topics in the human dimension focus on the fundamental freedoms, specifically freedom of association and assembly and freedom of the media. State and Helsinki Commission reps emphasized the importance of the Chairmanship's holding the review conference in Kazakhstan to demonstrate leadership and a willingness to be held to the standards of the organization Kazakhstan leads. The U.S. side pointed out that at his hearing before the Helsinki Commission on February 2, KZ FM Saudabayev had agreed to Co-Chair Alcee Hastings's request should th ere be a decision on an OSCE summit in 2010, that Kazakhstan would hold an implementation review conference in Kazakhstan before. The Kazakhstani interlocutors acknowledged Saudabayev,s commitment to Co-Chair Hastings. ¶4. (SBU) Prior to departure, the Kazakhstani EmbOffs indicated they understood our position on planning to hold a routine HDIM pending a decision on a summit. They indicated they also understood our expectation, if there were to be a summit, that Review Conferences would be scheduled in Vienna and Kazakhstan prior to the summit. They told us that they would pass this information back to their mission in Vienna and to the MFA in Astana. On February 18, Helsinki Commission representatives provided the Kazakhstani Embassy additional detailed information about the Istanbul review conferences separately via email. TAKING CHARGE AS CHAIRMAN -------------- ¶5. (SBU) State reps also raised the issue of leadership in the face of some participating States' (mostly Russia and Turkmenistan) efforts to obstruct Human Dimension-related activities. State reps urged the Chairmanship to take the lead to produce a substantive Human Dimension agenda for 2010, notwithstanding such attempts to derail the agenda, including the so-called "nuclear option;" Kazakhstan's responsibility as Chairman is to broker and lead the organization to consensus that is in keeping with our common commitments. With the March expiration of the term of the current Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFOM),the U.S. side pressed their Kazakhstani interlocutors to move toward consensus around the clearly favored candidate, or else to take the steps necessary to extend the current office STATE 00017279 002 OF 002 holder, so as to avoid a vacancy that would reflect poorly on Kazakhstan's management of a critical area of Human Dimension work. In recognition of the consensus candidate, all countries have withdrawn their c ompeting candidates for RFOM except Russia. (U) U.S. SECONDEE TO ASTANA,S OSCE TASK FORCE ¶6. (U) At the end of the discussion, Kazakhstani PolCouns asked if the U.S. would consider seconding a U.S. diplomat to serve as an advisor to the Kazakhstani MFA OSCE taskforce. The U.S. side undertook to consider the request but asked for more information and a general position description. CLINTON