OSCE head outlines 2006 program

BRUSSELS, Belgium (UPI) -- Combating cross-border crime, solving frozen conflicts in former Soviet republics and promoting the rule of law throughout the Euro-Atlantic region will be the main priorities of the Belgian presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2006.

Presenting Belgium`s program at the start of its first stewardship of the 55-state security organization, Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht outlined what he described as an ambitious but at the same time realistic plan of action for the coming year.

At the top of Belgium`s agenda will be fighting organized crime. This is an issue that concerns all OSCE countries, East and West. It is also a theme which directly preoccupies our citizens, De Gucht told reporters in Brussels.

The OSCE already has programs aimed at combating human trafficking, illegal drugs, weapon trading, money laundering and corruption, but Belgium`s top diplomat said the activities needed more coherence. Among the incoming presidency`s plans are to get member states to agree to threat assessments pinpointing the dangers posed by criminal gangs.

Another of Belgium`s priorities will be making progress towards solving the frozen conflicts in the former Soviet Union that are the source of much of Europe`s organized crime. De Gucht said that in Nagorno-Karabakh, the contested enclave between Armenia and Azerbaijan, there were for the first time in years, signs of progress between the two countries. The president-in-office of the OSCE, the largest security organization in Europe, also said that 2005 saw some positive developments in the breakaway republic of South Ossetia in the southern Caucasus.

However, De Gucht was less upbeat about the prospect of finding a solution to the problems of Transnistria, a lawless slither of land sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine. It is not obvious at this moment in time to see how we can make progress in this frozen conflict, he told journalists.

One of the flash-points of 2006 for the OSCE -- which is the leading election monitor in Eastern Europe and Central Asia -- could be Belarus, where presidential elections are due to be held in March. President Aleksander Lukashenko, who has been described as Europe`s last dictator, is standing for a third term after changing the former Soviet republic`s constitution in a widely-contested poll. De Gucht told United Press International he hoped the election would be more fair and open than in the past but admitted that progress in the country was likely to be incremental.

Kosovo will also be one of the OSCE`s preoccupations during 2006 as talks continue on the province`s final status. The 55-state club, which includes Canada and the United States, has over 1,500 staff in the contested region and is determined to play a full role in the U.N.-sponsored talks.

Belgium believes the recent stand-off between Russia and Ukraine over gas supplies underlines the need for the OSCE, which has members stretching from Vancouver to Vladivostok, to play a greater role in energy security. De Gucht also said Belgium would be pushing for the Vienna-based organization to promote transport links as a way of bringing countries together -- as the European Union has done in the Balkans.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

Presenting Belgium`s program at the start of its first stewardship of the 55-state security organization, Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht outlined what he described as an ambitious but at the same time realistic plan of action for the coming year.

At the top of Belgium`s agenda will be fighting organized crime. This is an issue that concerns all OSCE countries, East and West. It is also a theme which directly preoccupies our citizens, De Gucht told reporters in Brussels.

The OSCE already has programs aimed at combating human trafficking, illegal drugs, weapon trading, money laundering and corruption, but Belgium`s top diplomat said the activities needed more coherence. Among the incoming presidency`s plans are to get member states to agree to threat assessments pinpointing the dangers posed by criminal gangs.

Another of Belgium`s priorities will be making progress towards solving the frozen conflicts in the former Soviet Union that are the source of much of Europe`s organized crime. De Gucht said that in Nagorno-Karabakh, the contested enclave between Armenia and Azerbaijan, there were for the first time in years, signs of progress between the two countries. The president-in-office of the OSCE, the largest security organization in Europe, also said that 2005 saw some positive developments in the breakaway republic of South Ossetia in the southern Caucasus.

However, De Gucht was less upbeat about the prospect of finding a solution to the problems of Transnistria, a lawless slither of land sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine. It is not obvious at this moment in time to see how we can make progress in this frozen conflict, he told journalists.

One of the flash-points of 2006 for the OSCE -- which is the leading election monitor in Eastern Europe and Central Asia -- could be Belarus, where presidential elections are due to be held in March. President Aleksander Lukashenko, who has been described as Europe`s last dictator, is standing for a third term after changing the former Soviet republic`s constitution in a widely-contested poll. De Gucht told United Press International he hoped the election would be more fair and open than in the past but admitted that progress in the country was likely to be incremental.

Kosovo will also be one of the OSCE`s preoccupations during 2006 as talks continue on the province`s final status. The 55-state club, which includes Canada and the United States, has over 1,500 staff in the contested region and is determined to play a full role in the U.N.-sponsored talks.

Belgium believes the recent stand-off between Russia and Ukraine over gas supplies underlines the need for the OSCE, which has members stretching from Vancouver to Vladivostok, to play a greater role in energy security. De Gucht also said Belgium would be pushing for the Vienna-based organization to promote transport links as a way of bringing countries together -- as the European Union has done in the Balkans.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

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