OSCE/FSC: OPENING STATEMENT FOR FSC 2010 OPENING

UNCLAS STATE 005040 SENSITIVE - SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OSCE PARM PREL SUBJECT: OSCE/FSC: OPENING STATEMENT FOR FSC 2010 OPENING OF ROUND PLENARY ¶1. (U) This is an action message. See para 2. ¶2. (SBU) The following statement is provided for delivery by USDel at the Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC) Opening of Session Plenary on 20 January 2010: Begin text: Good morning, Mr. Chairman, On behalf of the United States, I congratulate Greece on its assumption of the FSC Chairmanship and welcome you to the Chair. With the professionalism shown by Greece during its OSCE Chairmanship last year, there is no doubt that we are in very good hands. As always, the United States looks forward to working with all of our FSC colleagues toward our shared goals of promoting security and stability in the OSCE area. The United States continues to view the Forum for Security Cooperation as a critical forum for advancing the political-military dimension of European security and we are ready to turn our efforts to the work awaiting us in 2010. Mr. Chairman, FSC Colleagues, The United States continues to embrace firmly a comprehensive approach to security in Europe that encompasses the political-military, economic, and environmental and human dimensions. And in the face of the dynamic and changing nature of European security, particularly in the context of the ongoing Corfu Process, we must ensure that the FSC remains a central forum in our efforts to strengthen our politico-military toolbox to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. In Athens, Deputy Secretary Steinberg noted that the confidence- and security-building measures contained in the Vienna Document were being implemented with a high degree of success and that we looked forward to discussing ways to make this instrument more effective. We will be interested to hear from our partners about their suggestions to strengthen stability and security and increase transparency, cooperation and confidence within the OSCE area. Our work within the Corfu Process adds another level for consideration as we carefully evaluate how new ideas can support our work on European security more generally. Our activity must be tempered with a firm understanding of the larger context within which we operate. The negotiation and implementation of Confidence- and Security-Building Measures are this body's bread-and-butter, and we note that a number of proposals are currently awaiting the Forum's attention and action. We look forward to a thorough evaluation of the merits of each proposal. Furthermore, we want to continue our efforts to further intensify the Security Dialogue, in order to better address key security issues in the OSCE region, and explore means to improve implementation of the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security. We also look forward to building on the momentum of the last session with regard to UNSCR 1540. We anticipate these discussions will evolve productively in the coming months. The United States wishes success to the incoming chair, and continues to assure our FSC partners of our cooperation and support in the coming session. Mr. Chairman, I request that this statement be attached to the Journal of the Day. CLINTON