[Joint House and Senate Hearing, 113 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
SWITZERLAND'S LEADERSHIP OF THE OSCE
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND
COOPERATION IN EUROPE
ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
FEBRUARY 25, 2014
__________
Printed for the use of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in
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COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS
SENATE
HOUSE
BENJAMIN CARDIN, Maryland,
Chairman
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island
TOM UDALL, New Mexico
JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
ROGER WICKER, Mississippi
SAXBY CHAMBLISS, Georgia
JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
CHRISTOPHER SMITH, New Jersey,
Co-Chairman
JOSEPH PITTS, Pennsylvania
ROBERT ADERHOLT, Alabama
PHIL GINGREY, Georgia
MICHAEL BURGESS, Texas
ALCEE HASTINGS, Florida
LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER,
New York
MIKE McINTYRE, North Carolina
STEVE COHEN, Tennessee
SWITZERLAND'S LEADERSHIP OF THE OSCE
----------
FEBRUARY 25, 2014
COMMISSIONERS
Page
Hon. Benjamin Cardin, Chairman, Commission on Security and
Cooperation in Europe.......................................... 1
Hon. Christopher Smith, Co-Chairman, Commission on Security and
Cooperation in Europe.......................................... 3
WITNESSES
Didier Burkhalter, President of the Swiss Confederation, Foreign
Minister and Chairman of the OSCE.............................. 6
Heidi Grau, Ambassador and Head of the OSCE Chairmanship Task
Force, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs............. 21
APPENDICES
Prepared Statement of Hon. Christopher Smith..................... 28
Prepared Statement of Didier Burkhalter.......................... 30
SWITZERLAND'S LEADERSHIP OF THE OSCE
----------
FEBRUARY 25, 2014
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe,
Washington, DC.
The hearing was held from 10:08 a.m. to 11:43 a.m. in Room
562, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., Senator
Benjamin Cardin, Chairman of the Commission on Security and
Cooperation in Europe, presiding.
Commissioners present: Hon. Benjamin Cardin, Chairman,
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; and Hon.
Christopher Smith, Co-Chairman, Commission on Security and
Cooperation in Europe.
Witnesses present: Didier Burkhalter, President of the
Swiss Confederation, Foreign Minister and Chairman of the OSCE;
and Heidi Grau, Ambassador and Head of the OSCE Chairmanship
Task Force, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
HON. BENJAMIN CARDIN, CHAIRMAN,
COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE
Mr. Cardin. Well, good morning. Welcome to the hearing of
the Helsinki Commission. It's our great honor to have Didier
Burkhalter with us today. He has many titles. He's the
president of the Swiss Confederation, foreign minister--that
you got to explain to me, how you're president and foreign
minister--but the most important position and the reason that
you're here today is that you're chair in office of the OSCE.
And we thank you very much for continuing the tradition of the
chair to come to Washington and appear before the Helsinki
Commission.
As I think you are aware, the Helsinki Commission in and of
itself is a unique organization. It was created as the
implementing arm by the Congress for our participation in the
OSCE. It's unique because, as you know, we have separation of
branches, but in the Helsinki Commission we have both the
legislative and executive branch together. We have three
members of the executive branch that serve on the Helsinki
Commission, in addition to members of the House and the Senate.
The chairmanship rotates. I am the chairman this year from
the Senate, and Chris Smith, who is the chair in the House,
will assume the chairmanship after the next elections.
It's bipartisan. As you may know, Chairman Smith is a
member of the Republican Party, I'm a member of the Democratic
Party, and we work together on these foreign policy issues.
I did see Spencer Oliver here, our secretary-general of
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. We are active participants in the
Parliamentary Assembly and will want to work with you as we
organize how all of the arms of the OSCE can work together to
accomplish our objectives.
I also saw Andy Baker in the audience, our special
representative for anti-Semitism, and it's nice to have Rabbi
Baker with us also today.
Is Ambassador Baer, there you are, sitting in the front
row. I was told that you were going to be here. Ambassador Baer
is also here, our ambassador to the OSCE. It's a pleasure to
have you here also today.
The OSCE is now reaching its 40th birthday, and of course
it's time to calculate how the OSCE's incredible importance
will be elevated to the next level as we re-evaluate at 40
where OSCE needs to deal with priorities.
Let me just talk a moment about the priorities of the
Helsinki Commission. Throughout its history, it has promoted
many priorities within OSCE. We are probably best known for our
priority on tolerance. We--Congressman Smith and I--
participated in the different conferences that were held in
regards to anti-Semitism. We're now celebrating the 10th
anniversary of the Berlin conference, in which I participated.
As a result of the work of our Commission, and leadership
around Europe, we established three special representatives,
and Mr. Chair, I'm glad that you are continuing the tradition
of having three representatives deal with the tolerance agenda.
The Commission hosted the OSCE ODIHR of people of Africa
descent conference here in Washington, D.C. We found that to be
a logical extension of our priority for dealing with the human
rights/tolerance agenda. And of course this Commission has
taken a definite interest in the concerns of the Roma
population in Europe, and we would welcome your thoughts as to
how we can constructively work to continue to deal with the
concerns of the Roma population.
This Commission has taken on the issue of human
trafficking. I want to acknowledge the incredible work of
Chairman Smith not only here in the United States but globally
in dealing with trafficking. As a result, we have our TIP
reports here in the United States, which has been very valuable
in helping us advance the end of modern-day slavery.
This Commission has put a very high priority on good
governance, particularly in countries in transition. Now
there's no more dynamic example of that than the current
circumstances in Ukraine. We had a chance to talk about that a
few moments ago, but our first priority, of course, is to re-
establish order in Ukraine. We need to have a functioning
government, and we need to protect the human rights of all of
its citizens. It is where I think OSCE needs to use all of its
tools to help bring about the proper resolution of the current
crisis in Ukraine.
There are too many countries that are backsliding on their
commitments to good governance. That is why this Commission has
put a high priority on transparency, good governance, dealing
with corruption issues in countries, many of whom have valuable
resources, and we have been very much committed to transparency
in dealing with good governance and fighting all forms of
corruption.
I know as part of the Economic and Environmental Forum you
will be including good governance, which I think is critically
important. And the Helsinki framework recognizes that without
human rights, you can't have security, and without human rights
and security, you can't have economic and environmental
commitment. So it's all interwoven into the fabric of the OSCE.
This Commission is a very active participant in the
Parliamentary Assembly. I mentioned that a little bit earlier.
I have had the honor of being the vice president in the
Parliamentary Assembly. Currently Robert Aderholt on our
Commission is the vice president on the Parliamentary Assembly,
and of course Alcee Hastings, the former chair of this
Commission, was the president of the Parliamentary Assembly. So
we look forward to your ideas as to how we can leverage
parliamentarians in the work of the OSCE.
You clearly have a very busy agenda. From the current
crisis in Ukraine to the western Balkans to the Mediterranean
Partnership issue, which is an area that we have paid a lot of
attention to in this Commission, dealing with our partners and
advancing the core values of the OSCE, our role in Afghanistan,
Central Asia, the list goes on and on.
So we look forward to your testimony, let me yield to
Chairman Smith for any opening comments that he would like to
make.
HON. CHRISTOPHER SMITH, CO-CHAIRMAN,
COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE
Mr. Smith. Mr. Chairman, thank you for calling this very
important meeting of the Commission and to welcome President
Burkhalter to this important Commission on Security and
Cooperation in Europe. I've been on it now for 32 of my 34
years as a member of Congress and it has been an oasis of
action, of commitment to ensuring that human rights are
robustly defended.
And I look out at Spencer Oliver during some of the worst
days of the Soviet Union in the 1980s, when we were working on
behalf of Soviet Jewish refuseniks and so many others who are
were incarcerated because of their faith or their identity
simply as Jews. And he has done yeoman's work and outstanding
work for years at the Parliamentary Assembly. He is a walking
institutional memory. So it is so encouraging and it's always a
delight to see him here. So thank you, Spencer, for your work.
Mr. President, just let me say a couple of opening
comments. Obviously Ukraine is at the top of the OSCE's agenda
today, and there the task is absolutely enormous. The situation
remains very fragile, as we all know, and the Crimea could
become a significant hot spot.
I was in the Republic of Georgia a week after the Russians
rolled into Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions. I was in
Tbilisi. The tanks kept making feinting moves, where they would
come in as if they were going into Tbilisi. Our embassy was
evacuated. And there was a sense that they weren't going to
stop at the borders. And obviously to this day we all have
recognized that that was a profoundly unjust invasion. And as
it has been unfortunately not rolled back--but all of us are
concerned that a similar pretext might be used, given the right
set of circumstances, for the Russians to make a move on the
Crimea.
I'm very concerned that the United States and Europe need
to work closely with the Russians and supporting the Ukrainians
and implementing the six-point agreement. And I want to
especially thank the European Union for its leadership on that.
The three foreign ministers, including Foreign Minister
Sikorski, the German and French did a wonderful job in what
could have far worse had they not intervened at that precise
moment where the tipping point had been reached and large
numbers of casualties over and above the wounded and the dead
might have occurred.
Ukraine obviously is a sovereign country, but at the same
time Russia clearly means to play a role in the coming months.
We have to obviously factor that into all things related to
Ukraine. And we need to continue working to protect Ukraine's
sovereignty, its borders, and to ensure that matriculates into
a more robust democracy. And we will have to engage meaningful
and, I believe, respectfully with the Russians as well.
Our government has not done all that well in recent years.
I hope that the OSCE will continue its work. It seems to me
that the OSCE is a place where all parties could meet to
support the six-point agreement. The OSCE, as a consensus
organization founded to ensure respect for borders, through a
concept of security that embraces human rights and the rule of
law, will play a very significant role. And of course with you,
Mr. President, at the helm, we have every reason to have hope
and expectation that it will play that role and do it well.
Reconciliation should be at the top of the agenda. Yes,
there needs to be justice. Those who have committed atrocities
need to be held to account. But there needs to be also a
reconciliation agenda. If reconciliation becomes the order of
the day, as it did in South Africa after its decades of
apartheid and the killings and the tortures went on in their
prisons, as they happened in El Salvador with the FMLN and with
the government that was in place, surely we need to be
promoting a reconciliation agenda as well for the Ukraine.
I do believe this is a serious test for our organization.
So again, I welcome your appointment, Mr. President, of a
personal envoy on Ukraine, and look forward to discussing the
role you envision for the envoy and the organization, including
the observing of the May elections. And frankly, I hope that I
and others will be able to become part of an election
monitoring team for the May 25th elections.
It will be important as well to vigorously implement the
addendum to the OSCE action plan on combating trafficking in
human beings, which was adopted at the Kiev ministerial in
December. The addendum, as you know, raises some issues that I
had raised in supplementary items that were passed by the OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly. These included calling on corporations
to ensure that their supply chains do not include trafficked
labor, focusing on anti-trafficking efforts on vulnerable
groups like the Roma, increasing cooperation among law
enforcement in different countries to prevent sex tourism,
involving the trafficking of minors and calling for anti-
trafficking training for the transportation of hospitality
industries.
I would note parenthetically, New Jersey just served as the
host for the Super Bowl. Well, I have to tell you, New York and
New Jersey engaged in a very cooperative but very aggressive
plan of prevention, and as a direct result, whether it be
social media, training--not hospital--hotel workers to spot
trafficking and to call police hotlines, many what would have
been trafficking situations were mitigated. About 45 pimps and
associates were arrested. Seventy victims totally were
identified and rescued, 25 of whom were children, minors who
otherwise would have been sexually exploited.
And actually, the police--state police and all other local
police--really got into the social media side, whether it be
Backpage and some of the other areas where they're selling
women right online. And they intercepted it and obviously
warned everyone, we're watching and we're going to arrest. I
was with our New Jersey attorney general just a week and a half
ago for an after action report. We worked with them throughout
the whole deal. And, frankly, they did an incredible job.
And they did all kinds of training. They worked for months.
And now they're going to sustain that effort because the Super
Bowl is gone. Trafficking continues and I think they'll do much
more. Lessons could be learned for all of us for that, because
when we apply resources to make it a priority, little children
and young women do not get raped and exploited by the
traffickers and by the Johns who exploit them.
Another issue of deep concern for the Commission obviously
is anti-Semitism, and it has been for many years. I would note
parenthetically, my first trip to the Soviet Union was in '82
with the National Conference on Soviet Jewry. We met with
Sharansky's mother in Moscow. We met with refuseniks in
Leningrad. And I'll never forget how dire their situations
were. We've been working on it as a Commission ever since to
make combating anti-Semitism the highest priority.
And Rabbi Andy Baker, thank you for continuing his
extraordinary service and methodically talking to governments,
putting on paper as well as in recommendations what the true
status of any country's record is on anti-Semitism, to try to
make a difference on that. Obviously it's Berlin plus 10. We
need to look at it. It doesn't mean we need a whole lot of new
ideas. We need to implement and implement and implement that
with maybe some new ideas that might come forward.
Let me also just say that--without objection I would like
my full statement to be made a part of the record, Mr.
Chairman. The last thing I'd like to mention is on the freedom
of religion issue. Last June I chaired a hearing on the Syrians
and the fact that so many Syrian Christians are being targeted
simply because they're Christians. And we had people come and
testify that said, it is genocide. Christians are not being
killed as collateral damage or because they happen to be in the
wrong place at the wrong time, but many of the rebels
especially infiltrated by al-Qaida, as we all know, and al-
Nusra, has been targeting Christians because they're Christians
and killing them because they're Christians.
And I would hope that there would be an increased emphasis
on this growing intolerance. The hearing we just had was about
how persecution against Christians are the worst in the whole
world, particularly in Asia, in China, North Korea and in other
parts of Asia, and certainly in the Middle East and many of our
partner countries there, and even in some of the mainstream and
mature democracies of the European Union.
I was in Jos, Nigeria last September; spent several days in
Nigeria pushing against Boko Haram, which we all know is a
horrific offshoot of al-Qaida. And they do terrible things just
like the other offshoots have done, including al-Shabab in
Somalia. This morning a number of people in university men, 40
is the estimation, were slaughtered, throats were slit.
Well, I met with a man while I was in Jos because they have
firebombed so many churches there. And of course Nigeria is not
an OSCE country or even a partner country but is part of a
global trend of gross intolerance on the part of radical
Islamists. And this man, who came--I met him. He was a survivor
of a bombing. They came to his house, put an AK-47 to his jaw
and said: You will renounce Jesus Christ and become a Muslim or
we shoot you. And he said: I'm ready to meet my Maker. I will
not renounce my Lord. And they shot him, right to his jaw.
Obviously he's had some serious reconstructive surgery. He
survived.
And I invited him and he came and testified. And he said,
you Americans underestimate the vehemence and the hatred and
the prejudice and the bias that this people bear Christians,
and unfortunately much of the diaspora, particularly out in the
Middle East, that carries some of those extremist views has
made its way into many of the OSCE countries. So I would
respectfully ask that there be a really robust look at that
during your chair in office.
Thank you for coming and thank you for your leadership.
And, Mr. Chairman, thank you.
Mr. Cardin. All members' opening statements will be made
part of the record without objection, including the president's
statement will be made part of our record.
Mr. President, again, it's a pleasure to have you here. We
acknowledge the members of the embassy. Your ambassador is
here. He's a good friend and does a great job for you here in
our country. You may proceed as you wish.
DIDIER BURKHALTER, PRESIDENT OF THE SWISS CONFEDERATION,
FOREIGN MINISTER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE OSCE
Mr. Burkhalter. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Co-
Chairman, ladies and gentlemen. Let me start by answering your
question you asked at the beginning of your introduction, how
it was possible that I was president of the confederation and
at the same time minister of foreign affairs? Frankly speaking,
Mr. Chairman, it happened during the last two months that I
asked myself the same question.
Actually, and paradoxically, this is a result of the
willingness of our nation to chair the board. We are seven
members in the government. There is a rotation for the
presidency each year. Every year there is a new president. In
the government seven members but all main parties are
integrated. The idea is to share or to integrate the main
parties to the responsibilities. And the fact that we don't
have any presidents that last more than one year, it is a way
to feel integrated for all parties, all great tendencies in the
politics in Switzerland to feel integrated. And this is also an
expression of a consensus. And I will speak to the consensus
and the framework of the OSCE, which is something that works to
some extent like the Swiss Confederation.
Thank you once more for the invitation to speak before your
Commission. It's my very first time in Washington in my whole
life, and a very nice city, I must say. And I feel it as a
privilege to discuss with you and also with Vice President Joe
Biden later on this day. It's a great honor. It's also an honor
and a pleasure for me to address the issue of security and of
Europe and security in particular. Over the past 100 years,
United States has played a vital role in defending the values
of liberty and security in Europe, and I wish to start by
acknowledging this role. And let me maybe, Mr. Chairman, give
you a personal story.
I have three sons, and my wife and I, we wanted to give
them a taste of liberty--not liberty for fun but liberty for
people, liberty for the societies where we live. And we wanted
to do that very early, and they were teenagers. And we decided
to move to Normandy to Omaha Beach, and to the American
cemetery of Omaha Beach, to the sea and the beach of Omaha. And
I'm convinced that my sons won't forget during their whole life
what they saw, the courage they felt, the courage and the sense
of liberty of the young Americans that were fighting and they
were falling for another continent, for Europe. And I just
would like to start to say thank you.
Coming again to the time being, the tragic developments in
Ukraine in recent weeks have been sobering reminders that
security in Europe cannot be taken for granted. These
developments have also revealed the need to force a dialogue to
rebuild trust, to reaffirm shared norms, and to consolidate
bridges across the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian region. It is my
firm conviction that the OSCE has a major role to play in this
regard to build bridges, building bridges between East and West
for the benefit of everyone.
The Swiss chairmanship wishes also to acknowledge the
important role the Helsinki Commission plays within the OSCE.
We also appreciate the close cooperation with the U.S.
Department of State on a wide range of OSCE issues. United
States is a crucial participant in the OSCE, the biggest
contributor to its budget, which is a modest one. I will come
back to that. And in many ways the U.S. is indispensable to
move the OSCE forward.
Switzerland has agreed to take the helm of the OSCE. Why? I
should say first, strategic reasons. First of all, promotion of
stability in Europe and beyond is a priority of our foreign
policy. We have a new strategy for 2012 to 2015, but we aim to
2022. By the way, it will be the year where we will apply for a
first-time seat in the Security Council. But we have the idea
to have really this security issue as a main priority for 10
years.
We also believe that we have something to offer: the
neutral country. I know that neutrality is not really very
well-understood in the States, but we think there is a place
and an importance for a neutral country with a tradition of
good offices and mediation.
The third reason, that the United States and a number of
other countries asked us to take on this role. Actually we were
not candidate at the beginning, and then it was a problem with
Serbia, and in line with this problematic of Serbia being
candidate for 2014, there was this idea to have a package or a
situation with two consecutive chairmanships working together.
And I therefore very much count on your valuable support. You
supported us for taking up this chairmanship-in-office; you
should support us as we have met our responsibilities. Above
all, I'd like you to support our priorities.
Therefore, let me make some general remarks about the OSCE
and the priorities of the Swiss chairmanship. First point, I'd
like to underline that the OSCE is very important to us,
simply. The fact that Switzerland is the first country to chair
the OSCE for the second time indicates that we attach great
importance to this organization. We value the OSCE as a forum
for dialogue, a platform, a platform to generate and assist
implementation of common norms and a field-based organization.
We also acknowledge that the OSCE performs its many
important tasks with a surprisingly low budget. Its annual
budget is not much higher than the transfer fees paid for one
top-class soccer player, 145 million euro. I mean, if I
calculate well, that's something like $470 million. It's not
very high for an organization with 57 member states. 11 partner
states, four institutions, specialized, 16 field missions from
Bosnia to Kyrgyzstan; $170 million, it is 15 times less than
the yearly expenditure of my country for the international
cooperation.
That said, the OSCE is currently not in a position to tap
its full potential. The fact that its membership spans three
continents is a key asset, which is also a major challenge for
decision-making. This is why, as chairperson-in-office, I
encourage all participating states to approach the OSCE in a
spirit of cooperation and compromise.
You cannot progress, Mr. Chairman, if you just want to
affirm and maximize your national position. You need the spirit
of consensus. And it is something like Swissness. In
Switzerland we are used to look for this consensus, as I said
at the beginning. If we want the OSCE to move forward, we need
to be both principled and pragmatic--principled in the sense
that we should all stand up for our shared values and our
commitments in the OSCE, and pragmatic because no participating
state will be able to see its objectives in the OSCE realized
if it ignores the priorities and needs of others.
Let's remind us, in the mid-'70s the CSCE, at that time,
was a success. Why? Because participants made compromises and
tradeoffs across the three baskets--political-military,
environmental, economic and human. And today I strongly believe
that if all participating states engage with a balanced
approach among the OSCE's three dimensions, we will find much
common ground.
The OSCE's comprehensive approach to security is a key
asset of the organization and corresponds to today's security
needs. Making full use of this holistic approach, of this
integrated security approach, will make it possible to increase
the level of security not just of states but also of citizens,
and that's what precisely we Swiss want. As you are well aware
as senators and members of Congress, your citizens are no
longer primarily concerned about traditional military threats.
The OSCE's security approach is very much consistent with a
broader security perception.
This is all the more important because the future relevance
of the OSCE will much depend on its ability to produce tangible
results for the individuals and communities of its
participating states. Good politics, after all, is a service of
the people. And like Abraham Lincoln said, I could add, by the
people, for the people. This is why the leitmotif of the Swiss
chairmanship is to create a security community for the benefit
of everyone.
Calling for pragmatism does not mean that we should shy
away from criticism in the OSCE. Recalling the OSCE's
principles is more vital today than ever, especially when
adherence to these principles is uncertain. I therefore
encourage participating states to engage with each other in
constructive ways to pave the way for shared solution rather
than alienation. With its consensus-oriented political system
and linguistic diversity, Switzerland is a kind of mini-OSCE.
Based on our own experience, we seek to revitalize the OSCE's
culture of dialogue by calling on all participants to take a
step towards one another. We encourage all states to make
gesture of good will, to rebuild trust and allow for progress
within the OSCE.
Since assuming the chairmanship of the OSCE at the
beginning of 2014, my agenda has been dominated by something
which was not on the program. It was dominated by the political
crisis and recent escalation of violence in Ukraine. During the
past weeks, I have repeatedly called on all sides to refrain
from violence, to resolve the crisis through dialogue and
political means and respect human rights. In a series of
meetings, I have discussed options for OSCE assistance with the
then-Ukrainian government as well as with members of the
opposition. The agreement reached on February 21st, you
mentioned beforehand, marked an important step towards ending
the violence and paved the way for a political solution of the
crisis. I congratulate everyone involved who made these
breakthroughs possible--like you said, the Polish chairman and
French foreign minister and the special envoy of the Russian
Federation.
With the appointment of an interim president by the
parliament, Ukraine has now entered a new phase. It is now a
new phase, a transition. Formidable challenges lie ahead. We
should unite in our effort to support Ukraine in these
difficult times. A stable, democratic and a united Ukraine is
in the interest of all.
Against this background, I proposed yesterday during my
briefing at the U.N. Security Council to establish an
international contact group on Ukraine. Ukraine should, of
course, play a prominent role in the group, and all
international key actors should be included. We are currently
consulting with the idea with all actors concerned.
The main task of the proposed contact group would be to
support Ukraine in its transition period. The contact group
would serve as a platform for coordination and sharing
information on international assistance and project activities
in Ukraine. The OSCE, through its impartiality and inclusivity,
has the necessary attribute to host and moderate this group.
Ukraine and all international actors involved in this crisis
are, in fact, participating states of the OSCE.
I also announced yesterday my decision to appoint
Ambassador Tim Guldimann as my personal envoy to Ukraine. He
will coordinate all ongoing and planned activities of the OSCE
in Ukraine on behalf of the chairmanship. He will rapidly take
consultation with all sides and will cooperate closely with
international partners.
A small OSCE core team has been sent also to Ukraine to
conduct a needs assessment mission. There is an urgent need to
rebuild trust among all parties involved. As I underlined
yesterday at the U.N., I encourage the new leaders of Ukraine
to invite ODIHR to send a human rights assessment mission to
the country to establish the facts and circumstances of the
incidents that took place in Ukraine. The human rights
assessment mission would recommend measures to deal with
serious violation of human rights allegedly committed during
this crisis. Its findings would be presented in a report and
would help advance national reconciliation in Ukraine.
Presidential elections will be a crucial moment in this
current transitional period. We expect the Ukrainian
authorities to issue an early invitation for an ODIHR election
observation mission in view of the rapidly changing
developments. We are also ready to review and further specify
the activities of the OSCE's project coordinator's office,
which is in Kiev.
We are currently witnessing a phase of de-escalation in
Ukraine. It is essential to support a fair and an inclusive
process of transition which does not marginalize any part of
Ukraine or any community. Ukraine deserves full international
attention and support. I'm convinced that the OSCE has the
necessary tools to assist Ukraine in this difficult phase.
Let's move to Afghanistan, Mr. Chairman. Afghanistan is one
of the OSCE's six Asian partners. It is another hot spot where
the OSCE can play a valuable role. While the international
community develops a strategic vision for Afghanistan after
2014, the OSCE remains a good platform for practical, forward-
looking regional cooperation and dialogue among all
stakeholders. We continue to work closely with other
international actors to ensure stability in Afghanistan and the
wider region, at least to contribute to.
OSCE activities worth mentioning in this context are police
training, borders and customs training and counternarcotics.
Our Central Asian field offices, the OSCE Academy in Bishkek,
Kyrgyzstan, and the Border Management Staff College in
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, are building local capacities and expert
networks linking Afghanistan and the Central Asian states. We
are currently also working towards establishing an OSCE
research center on Afghan-Central Asian issues. In addition,
ODIHR will send an election support team to Afghanistan to
assist with preparation of the Afghan elections this year, and
it will be, by the way, the fifth time that ODIHR will work
there.
And let me now submit an idea for Asia-Pacific, for this
region, Asia-Pacific. With Switzerland chairing the Asian
Partner for Cooperation next year, we are eager to discuss
ideas of applying elements of the OSCE's cooperative security
model to East Asia. Against the background of unresolved
territorial disputes, rapidly rising defense budget and growing
risks of political polarization, East Asia could well benefit
from the OSCE's experience in creating confidence and common
norms through dialogue and transparency. That should be
interesting for members of the U.S. Congress. The zone Asia-
Pacific is an economic motor and integrated region for economic
reasons. But nothing or almost nothing happened at the level of
subregional security platform. And I submitted this idea this
year to the heads of state of South Korea and Japan, and we
will see if it is possible to invent or to see something
growing next year.
Ladies and gentlemen, now I would like to go over the
chairmanship in office 2014 and to outline the priorities of
the Swiss chairmanship. You can see in our tableau, which is a
summary, in one page, one-page summary, it's something very
rare in the politics, and we try to do that because that give a
clear picture of what we want in a nutshell.
First, the big picture. Precisely, the Swiss chairmanship
has set three other objectives. We seek to contribute to
fostering security and stability, to improving people's life
and to strengthening the OSCE's capacity to act. In a nutshell,
our mission is to enhance security, freedom and responsibility.
These three values--also Swiss and American values, in the
Constitution--these three values are important, and the
objectives, main objectives, they stem from these values. For
each of our values and objectives, we have defined a number of
priority areas. You have also received a fact sheet on these
priorities, and I would like to highlight a few points here.
With regard to our first objective of fostering security
and stability, the Western Balkans figures prominently on our
agenda. My special representative for the Western Balkans,
Ambassador Stoudmann, a former head of ODIHR, has been tasked
with facilitating regional cooperation and reconciliation.
I plan to visit this region in the coming months. The OSCE
should play a supporting role in the implementation of the
Belgrade-Pristina agreement. Indeed, the OSCE has recently
facilitated local elections in northern Kosovo and will
continue to monitor this year's electoral processes in
southeastern Europe.
Let me add that we have arranged with Serbia, the next
chairmanship in office, that Ambassador Stoudmann will be
reappointed next year, will be so a Swiss ambassador and
special representative for the Western Balkans during the
Serbian presidency in 2015.
I'm also planning to travel to the South Caucasus. My
special representative for this region, Ambassador Gnadinger,
who will also be reappointed next year by the Serbian
presidency, is co-chairing the Geneva international discussions
on the conflict in Georgia. His discussions are a unique,
albeit fragile, platform to tackle the security and
humanitarian aspects of the conflict. It is our hope that they
will one day evolve into a forum that lays the grounds for a
real settlement of the conflict.
Nagorno-Karabakh is one of the most dangerous conflicts in
Europe. One of my first meeting as chairman in office was with
the three co-chairs of the Minsk Group. I wish to emphasize
that this bond, both in Karabakh and in Georgia, United States
involvement at the highest political level would be helpful for
our efforts. I'm convinced that the stalemate in these
protracted conflicts can only be overcome with greater
engagement and attention by international key players such as
the United States. We very much appreciate the work of
Ambassador Warlick, U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, and
of Deputy Assistant Secretary Eric Rubin, the U.S.
representative in the Geneva discussion.
Conventional arms control, Mr. Chairman, and confidence and
security building measures play a key role in joint efforts to
strengthen military stability, transparency and predictability
in this OSCE area. Yet while the need for conventional arms
control remains undisputed, the Treaty on Conventional Arms
Forces in Europe has reached an impasse. Conventional arms
control in Europe can likely only be relaunched on the basis of
a new conceptual approach. This will require many countries to
modify long-held positions. We should also seek ways to ensure
that unresolved territorial conflict do not block progress on
banning regional arms control. All this will require initiative
and leadership by the United States. The Swiss chairmanship
regards the OSCE as a useful marketplace for ideas on
conventional arms control. We are ready to facilitate
conceptual discussion in this respect.
These were, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Co-Chairman, some comments
about the first column on our tableau. Let's move now to the
second.
As for our second objective of improving people's lives,
implementation of all existing commitments in the human
dimension is a key priority for us. As the co-chairman just
said before, implementation, implementation, and
implementation. We have defied and prepared our activities in
this area on the basis of our two years' experience as chair of
the human dimension committee. We aim to strengthen the
implementation of commitments in full cooperation with the
participating states, with the OSCE structures and with the
civil society. So our focus is not in having new commitments,
our focus is clearly about respecting the current commitment,
giving assistance to member states for monitoring and improving
the situation.
Switzerland will host a chairmanship event on human rights
defenders in Berne, our capital, in June. On this occasion, the
director of ODIHR, Ambassador Lenarcic, will present guidelines
prepared by ODIHR on the protection of human rights defenders.
I should add I visited ODIHR in Warsaw at the end of January
and that recruiting a successor for Mr. Lenarcic will be
another major task in 2014. We now have had the application
time till the 6th of February. We have four candidates. A good
situation is possible. We have candidate from Germany, from
Latvia, from Czech Republic and from Iceland.
The Swiss chairmanship will also put the issue of torture
back on the agenda of the OSCE. We are planning an event on
torture prevention in Vienna at the beginning of April.
Cooperation between national mechanisms, NGOs, persons,
international organizations, the U.N. and the OSCE will be at
the center of the discussions at this event. Preventing of
torture will be clearly a priority for respecting the
commitment precisely.
Another theme, the fight against human trafficking,
hundreds of thousands of people, mainly women and children, are
being forcefully trafficked in their own countries and across
national borders. These victims are often sexually exploited or
forced into slavery. This is a terrible crime. And I wish to
commend Co-Chair Smith for the three comprehensive bills you
authored in the United States to combat trafficking to help
victims.
A week ago, the Swiss OSCE chairmanship together with the
Austrian chairmanship of the Council of Europe organized a
conference against trafficking human beings. The goal was to
discuss how legally binding standards, monitoring mechanisms
and political strategies can mutually reinforce each other and
lead to effective action to counter trafficking in human
beings. It was a success with a lot of participants and a
strong testament that human trafficking remains on the top of
the agenda.
As for the priority of more reliable management of natural
disasters, this is very much in the interest of the security
and safety of our citizens. Disasters can hit anywhere at any
time. And the United States knows from its own experience that
the scale, frequency and severity of disasters triggered by
natural hazard will continue to grow at an accelerating pace.
Senator Cardin, Congressman Smith, you witnessed with your own
eyes the destructive force of Tropical Cyclone Sandy in October
2012. You visited the impacted areas on Maryland's Eastern
Shore and New Jersey, where over 30 of your compatriots lost
their lives and where 357 housing units were damaged, causing
economic losses of well over $30 billion.
Switzerland considers that disaster risk reduction should
be firmly embedded in the sustainable development goals. Our
aim must be to move from a disaster response to a disaster
prevention and climate change mitigation. There is a lot on our
plate for that. We'll address this issue at the meetings of the
second OSCE economic and environmental forum. In so doing, we
seek to contribute to societies becoming resilient to climate
change and disaster risk.
There is also a strong link between the human the
political-military dimensions of the OSCE in combatting
transnational threats. For instance, this year we are tackling
issues such as human rights in countering terrorism, kidnapping
for ransom that we have to fight against at an international
level, and the return of foreign fighters, which could become a
major issue after the Syrian conflict.
A major opportunity to do so will be the annual OSCE
conference on counterterrorism, which will take place in
Interlaken in my country. We are counting on the presence of
American experience at the Interlaken conference and on your
continued support in tackling these issues. And I would be
interested to have your point of view about these topics of
counterterrorism, kidnapping for ransom, return of foreign
fighters in the discussion after on--later on.
In the area of cyberthreats, the Swiss chairmanship will
focus on the implementation of the initial set of OSCE
confidence-building measures agreed last year. And at that
place I would like to acknowledge the successful work of the
U.S. chair of Ambassador Baer. Thank you very much for having
worked very efficiently, U.S. chair of the informal working
group. The Swiss chairmanship is grateful that the United
States accepted to continue to chair this working group and
will support its efforts to develop additional confidence-
building measures. Let me also add that we will hold an OSCE-
wide conference on drugs in October in Vienna.
And now, regarding our third objective of strengthening the
OSCE's capacity to act, the Helsinki +40 process is of
particular importance. Adapting the OSCE to the security needs
of the 21st century is both challenging and vital. This process
is in itself an important confidence-building measure if it
helps address divergent security perspective in a result-
oriented manner. But it should be more than that, as Helsinki
+40 is about defining the ways and means of the OSCE, and hence
its future relevance. There are no road maps. There are also
aid coordinators in place to structure these discussions in
Vienna. Again, participating state will need to show a degree
of flexibility for this process to translate into meaningful
results.
I also believe that we need ministerial level debates to
get the solid idea of where the OSCE should be heading.
Numerous issues are being addressed in the context of Helsinki
+40. Let me mention here one issue where the Swiss chairmanship
would particularly appreciate your support, U.S. support. I'm
referring to the need to improve the effectiveness of OSCE
field operations. These field operations have proven very
valuable in assisting host countries in implementing their
commitments. But they have increasingly come under pressure in
a number of countries, the fact that we cannot maintain field
operation with far-reaching mandates against a will of host
countries. This is why it is important to achieve a balance of
OSCE activities that takes into account the interest of the
host state. Support for the United States for this discussion
will have to carry them forward. For instance, we can move here
or there from a specifically third basket mission to a more
balanced mission with element of the second basket.
As for the other means of rendering the OSCE more
effective, I would argue that the model of consecutive
chairmanship, as carried out by Switzerland and Serbia, has
already proven its merit. Berne and Belgrade have developed
joint work and implementation plans. We have also agreed that
our special representative would be reappointed by the end of
this year. As I said, consecutive chairmanship can provide the
OSCE with more continuity for the future, and support of the
U.S. would be welcome.
Linked to the Helsinki +40 debates is the Swiss priority of
strengthening the OSCE's role in mediation. The peaceful
settlement of disputes that was included in the Helsinki final
act remains one of the core tasks of the OSCE today. This is
why we are contributing to the mediation support capacity that
is currently being built in the OSCE secretariat. The aim is to
capture knowledge about mediation processes and make sure that
OSCE mediators are supported with training and expertise. In
this regard, I wish to acknowledge the important assistance
provided by the United States Institute of Peace and the
Conflict Management program at the Johns Hopkins School of
Advanced International Studies.
The Swiss Chairmanship attaches great importance to our
final priority of enhancing involvement of civil society and in
particular of young people. Young people are also the main
priority of the presidency of Switzerland this year. We firmly
believe that offering a platform for a dialogue with civil
society contributes to assisting OSCE institution in
participating states in implementing commitments.
It also provides an opportunity for our governments to
listen and to respond to the needs of our citizen once more, by
the people, for the people. Four original workshops are being
organized in four different regions of the OSCE in the coming
months. The first workshop is recently taking place these days
in Belgrade. The two topics identified by civil society at the
most pressing issue were torture prevention and hate crime and
hate speech, the latter with a particular focus on Roma and
Sinti.
It was an inspiring start to our workshop series, and the
next destinations for this workshop being Austria, Tajikistan
and Georgia The recommendations resulting from this process
should feed into the final (city ?) society conference that
will be held in parallel to the Minister Council in Basel in
December 2014, this year.
Finally, there is something very important in our
chairmanship--our use of Security and Cooperation in Europe
Project, which brings together 57 young people from all 57 OSCE
participating states. The project is particularly dear to me as
our shared responsibility as politicians is to shape a more
prosperous, equitable and sustainable future for the generation
to come.
In the course of this year, our youth ambassadors will
simulate a whole OSCE negotiation cycle, last month
assimilating for the first time a permanent council meeting in
Vienna. I also invited three of these youth ambassadors to
already address the real permanent council that met in the
Hofburg Palace in Vienna. There were applause for them, and
it's the very beginning of their work.
In July, a ministerial council meeting will be simulated in
Belgrade. The purpose of these meetings is to negotiate a youth
action plan with recommendation for the OSCE and its
participating states. The youth ambassadors will present their
action plan at the ministerial council in Basel; it will be
supportive, which I hope will serve as an inspiration for the
OSCE to work out its own action plan for youth next year.
Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude my
statement by a great thanks to you, thanks to the United States
for your continued commitment to the OSCE, of an institution
complementary to NATO. The OSCE constitutes America's second
foothold in Europe. It is a bridge between the Euro-Atlantic
and the Eurasian region. The stronger the bridge, the stronger
our common security. Thank you very much for your support.
Mr. Cardin. Well, Mr. President, thank you for your very
comprehensive outline of your priorities for chair and office.
As you were explaining the dual role you hold as president and
minister, I first thought that was just a budget-saving matter
for your country but now with your explanation, I fully
appreciate that.
And you for a one-page summary. That does help us. You're
right; our attention spans cannot take too much more than that.
But that's--I appreciate the conciseness of the priorities that
you have spelled out here. And I agree with your title--
``Principled and Pragmatic.'' That's OSCE--a consensus
organization. You need to be able to bring about consensus
among very different countries. That requires pragmatism, but
OSCE is built upon principle, and principles are very
important.
So let me challenge you on how you are going to proceed
under that banner as it relates to Ukraine, recognizing that
Russia will play a very important role. The United States and
the international community has been working with Russia and
Syria with some success, although it's been a challenge to
maintain our principles, recognizing the need to get broader
support. How do you see the future of the Ukraine as an
independent country, recognizing the role that Russia is
currently playing?
Mr. Burkhalter. You always find a lot of people saying that
is not possible for making summary in one page, but I think it
is always possible to go to the essential, and politics is also
to find a way to go the essential. About your second comments
and questions, we have to be principled and pragmatic, and the
question is, are we able to find not only balance but a common
balance between principled and pragmatic? Because we have to be
principled and pragmatic together. And there is another
conception of being principled and pragmatic in all the
countries of the OSCE.
With Russia, we tried to build on the good relations we
have developed from my country, not as chair of the OSCE but
from my country with Russia. In the last years, we have to have
a lot of contacts, because we had to assume or achieve the
mediation for helping Russia to become a member of the WTO.
And this gave the possibility to build a relation and to
build a dialogue in a lot of issues with Russia, and therefore,
we think that we can give help and be helpful in this difficult
situation for finding a solution in a political--an inclusive
solution, which will be very difficult in Ukraine with a
dialogue with Russia and not without that dialogue with Russia,
because we are strongly convinced that there will be no solid
and lasting solution if we don't find it with the main actors,
and with Russia in particular.
Mr. Cardin. Well, I thank you for that. They make decisions
a lot quicker than we do in Vienna. So you might want to get
some suggestions on how consensus can move towards decision-
making from our young people. They might help us in that
regard.
You mentioned that your country was willing to step in and
take on the leadership of OSCE. It's the second time and the
first country to take on the burden for a second time,
recognizing that Serbia was one year from becoming the chair in
office, and we do have representatives of the Serbian embassy
here with us today, and we thank them for being here.
It seems to me it does present a unique opportunity with
your priority on the Western Balkans and the agreements that
key people from OSCE will remain in for the two-year period.
Can you just expand a little bit more as to how we can move
forward during your chairmanship and transition to Serbia,
which will have a unique opportunity to demonstrate
statesmanship in dealing with long-time problems?
Bosnia, by now, we thought we'd be at the next plateau, and
we're not. We're still under an interim government structure
that everyone understands will need some constitutional reform
for their ability to transition fully into Europe. Kosovo is
still not resolved. How do you see your chairmanship working
with the Serbian government next year to be able to make
significant progress on the Western Balkans?
Mr. Burkhalter. First of all, I would like to add something
I didn't say before during my intervention, that we will have
the Swiss ambassadors reappointed, but we will also have a
Serbian ambassador as special representative reappointed; it is
for the Transnistrian conflict. That shows, really, that we
work totally together in order to find the best ways to ensure
this continuity, and also, the implementation of the joint
action plan--we decided to move together.
About the Western Balkans--as I said, we have three main
priorities. First of all, regional cooperation--and we will
work in the frame of the Regional Cooperation Council as well
for this regional cooperation. In looking for the ways to aim
at a good result in regional cooperation, I must say that
European Union has done a fantastic job in the last time. The
dialogue in Belgrade is a real progress, and we want to support
that.
And this model of the European Union is very strong, also,
for Serbia. That is the first point. The second point is
minority protection. We will try to work a lot in that sense,
and also, linked with reconciliation, the issue of missing
persons as far as--is of utmost importance, and we would like
to progress along that way, because we think that if we can
use--seize the opportunity of this consecutive chairmanship for
having real progress in the frame of the reconciliation, then
we will have done a very good job, I think.
And I told you that before as it was not official, but I
say it now once more. And there is also maybe for Serbian
presidency, an interest to show, during this year of
chairmanship, this capacity to be a motor for reconciliation.
It will be difficult, but the interest of having a successful
presidency is big, and can be a good advantage if we see this--
those things with a constructive manner.
Mr. Cardin. Thank you. We've been working on the tolerance
agenda for a long time, and significant progress has been made.
Best practices have been identified on dealing with anti-
Semitism, on dealing with anti-Muslim activities and dealing
with xenophobia. We have had conferences that have looked at
best practices. As Chairman Smith pointed in his opening
comments, yes, we're open for new ideas, but it's now about
accountability and following through on commitments that have
been made where we show leadership.
In recent years, there has been a disturbing trend of
increased activities in bigotry. How do you see your
chairmanship focusing on how we can advance the human rights
agenda--the tolerance agenda, which is--to me, is what OSCE is
best known for internationally? How do you see your year
initiating and following through on a better understanding of
all people of the OSCE regions?
Mr. Burkhalter. I think this is, above all, work that we
have to move on the ground, and therefore, the special
representative on tolerance and nondiscrimination are very
important to us. We have already met them, and we want to build
on their job. I think you have also invited them for coming in
front of the Commission and discussing with you. I would
suggest that you wait some months before having this
discussion, because two of them are new, and they can build on
their experience this year for making a review and a report to
you of their activities on the ground. But we will work above
all with them direct on the ground.
Mr. Cardin. Thank you. And I appreciate your response to my
letter in that regard for the three representatives as we look
forward to having them before the Commission.
Mr. Burkhalter. You're welcome.
Mr. Cardin. I just want to highlight one area that we have
made a high priority on our Commission, and that deals with
transparency on corruption. We are strong believers in the
transparency initiative on extractive industries, and we have
passed legislation requiring our extractive industry companies
to make certain disclosures on the exchange. And Europe has
followed suit with certain legislation. I just really would
urge your chairmanship to expand upon the need for transparency
with companies that do business in countries where it is
questionable whether the governmental revenues are ending up
for public purpose or for funding corruption. I think OSCE can
play a major role here. I'm going to urge you to make that a
priority of your chairmanship.
Mr. Burkhalter. I share this point of view, and we have to
be very concerned and very active at the same time about
everything which is linked to corruption, and we have to fight
against everything which is linked to corruption. And it is
also not only the opinion of this chairmanship in office but
also for my country.
Mr. Cardin. I'd like to make two other observations. Then
I'm going to turn the gavel over to Chairman Smith. We have
votes starting at 11:15 on the floor of the United States
Senate, so I'm going to have to leave during Chairman Smith's
questioning, but I want to make two other observations.
First, thank you for your comments in regards to the
natural disaster in our states. It was a devastation,
particularly New Jersey, but Maryland got hit very hard on the
eastern shore. And these are now the new norms, these types of
extreme weather conditions. And we can argue about the science
as to--I don't think we can argue about the science. We can
argue about the causes. We're all but set to take steps in
order to deal with the--with carbon emissions. But one thing we
need to have--I don't think there's any debate--is we have to
deal with adaptation. We've got to deal with the realities of
the current circumstances and how we respond to keep people
safe.
And I think OSCE can play a very important role, and I was
pleased to see that as part of your priorities for your
chairmanship. And I can tell you, we have a group in the United
States Senate that meets weekly on this subject, so we'd be
glad to try to help provide support for your agenda in dealing
with these natural disasters and how we can be better prepared
to deal with it. We also think we need to deal with climate and
OSCE is dealing with the climate issues as well.
You mentioned your role in Asia, and I just really want to
underscore one other point, if I might, and that is when
President Park was here from the Republic of Korea she pointed
to an OSCE-type process for Northeast Asia as a way of having
dialogue between countries that have had a difficult past. Two
of America's closest allies are the Republic of Korea and
Japan, yet the relationship between Japan and the Republic of
Korea is not as good as it needs to be. And of course China
represents a unique challenge in that part of the world, and
North Korea is a real danger to regional and global security.
The OSCE process could very well help them deal with better
dialogue among themselves, and in talking with the governments
of China, Korea and Japan, they all agreed. I mention that to
you because I think your role in Asia being so strong, during
your chairmanship you might be able to expand our partners in
some way to take advantage of the principles of OSCE for a more
stable Asia. And I applaud you for your activism globally as
well as within the OSCE direct regions.
With that, I'm going to turn the gavel over to Chairman
Smith. And once again, thank you very much not just for being
here but for your willingness to take on this responsibility
during a critically important time, not only again for Europe
and Asia but also I think globally the work that you do will
have great consequences. And we clearly want to be your partner
and do everything we can to help.
Mr. Burkhalter. Thank you very much.
Mr. Smith. I want to thank the chair again for this
important hearing. And you did provide, Mr. President, very
comprehensive testimony and the answer to a number of the
questions that I know I and other Commissioners had, but I do
have a few additional, if I could pose them to you.
You know, back in 2002, at a hearing of our Commission, I--
joined by Senator Voinovich and of course Chairman Cardin and
others--recommended that a high-level OSCE meeting occur on
combating anti-Semitism. Ambassador Minikes, like Ambassador
Baer, was in the audience. He called down to the White House--
because we had already had, in the OSCE PA, a number of what we
called sidebar events where we focused on combating anti-
Semitism, and there was no doubt there was a rising ever-
escalating problem in our own countries, including the United
States, with combating anti-Semitism. Ambassador Minikes got a
very strong thumbs-up from the Bush administration, and
immediately there was a mobilization to make it happen.
And of course we first had the Vienna conference and then
the watershed conference in Berlin in 2004. I remember sitting
at that. I was the co-lead for the delegation. At that and
others we had very high-level people, including Ed Koch, the
former mayor of New York, Colin Powell, and many others at
these different conferences bringing the gravitas of some of
our top people in the diplomatic community and the political
community, to bring that sharp focus on combating anti-
Semitism. And of course countries throughout all of Europe did
the exact same thing.
A very fine listing of recommendations was made. We in the
OSCE PA constantly harkened back to the Berlin recommendations
as to how well are we doing. You know, what is ODIHR getting in
terms of monitoring? And of course Rabbi Baker does a wonderful
job going country to country to hold countries to account. He
does it in a very, very disarming way, straightforward but very
effectively.
My question would be about a commemorative event, which I
think is eminently doable. I know you're looking at it and I
certainly hope, you know, under your chairmanship perhaps in
July, maybe after we all meet in Baku, at the end of that when
we're out of session and both House and Senate members are free
to travel--we can't travel when we have votes. It's just our--
our rules and regulations, at least on the House side.
You know, if it happens without us, that's fine, but we'd
love to be there. But if you could give every consideration to
that kind of commemorative event to really bring a great deal
of, OK, 10 years ago, watershed event; how well or poorly have
we done? What remains to be done to combat this millennium-long
insidious hatred towards Jewish people and towards Jews?
Mr. Burkhalter. Maybe just two or three comments.
First of all, we had, last year in Tirana an event--a high-
level event about tolerance and nondiscrimination, and we would
welcome this year another event, but it's not yet in the
agenda. We have to work on it and find a good solution, but it
will be important that it attracts a high level of
participation and not an event more without any--any great
results. It is important to organize that and to find a
solution logistically and financially, which is not the case
until now--up to now.
Mr. Smith. Well, I know Ambassador Baer is very supportive
of it, just like Ambassador Minikes was 11 years ago, or 12
years ago in 2002. So whatever could be done, it would be
greatly appreciated and would move that ball forward. It is
getting worse, just like the intolerance towards Christians,
which is now getting onto a lot of people's radar as an
escalating evil. Well, anti-Semitism is certainly. So I thank
you for your willingness to really take a good, hard look at
that.
Let me ask you--obviously you have been appointed as the
special rep on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination,
also focusing on tolerance and discrimination against
Christians and other religions. A couple of questions in that
regard.
Intolerance and discrimination against Christians is a
phenomenon that is recognized by the OSCE, and it is on the
increase in Europe and even in the United States. The OSCE held
an expert roundtable on intolerance and discrimination against
Christians in Vienna on March 4th, 2009, and the Parliamentary
Assembly adopted a resolution on combating intolerance and
discrimination against Christians at the OSCE PA in Belgrade in
July of 2011.
The OSCE PA decided to intensify efforts to monitor
research and publicize the need to fight against intolerance
and discrimination and intensify consultation and cooperation
with the personal rep of the chair in office on a national and
international level. Let me ask you, if I could, a couple of
questions with regards to that.
I know that further action has been taken by the personal
rep, for example, convening an expert roundtable on intolerance
and discrimination against Christians in Vienna in 2014, five
years after the first meeting. Can you tell us how his efforts
might be enhanced by your chairmanship?
Secondly, can the OSCE produce guidelines in parental
rights and education? Under the Spanish chairmanship in 2007,
the OSCE produced the Toledo Guiding Principles on Teaching
about Religions and Belief in Public Schools. However, further
guidelines are needed to emphasize the rights of parents in the
field of education. Parental rights are under attack in an
unprecedented way among several OSCE-participating states.
In a growing trend, parents are being given less and less
say in how they can educate their children, while at the same
time, state education has become increasingly more radicalized.
In Germany, for example, 14 Christian parents were
imprisoned, some for more than 40 days, and most on multiple
occasions, simply for opting out that their 9- and 10-year-
olds--children from two days of mandatory sex education
classes. One of the hallmarks of American education is that
there is an opt-out capability. If that's what parents want,
that's what parents can do. In Germany, many of these parents
have gone to jail.
Also in Germany, a 15-year-old girl was placed in a mental
institution for wishing to be home-educated. And we know that
issue, you know, home education, home schooling is a trending
issue here in a positive way. It is increasingly being
criminalized in the OSCE space, particularly in places like
Germany.
There was also a case where in Sweden, a 7-year-old boy was
taken off a plane bound for India by police and social services
simply because he was home-educated. Now, I've been reading
these cases and becoming alarmed--not just concerned, but
alarmed about this trend. And it certainly is antithetical to
any concept of freedom and parental rights, and I would hope,
you know, you would take a good, strong look at this, if you
would.
And finally, follow-up initiatives being planned for the
publication of the ODIHR guidelines on the recognition of
religious or belief communities. Where is the status of that?
Mr. Burkhalter. Thank you very much, Mr. Smith, for this
very interesting question. They are also very specific, and I
would give the floor to my alternate for giving a complete
answer to these interesting questions, Mrs. Ambassador Grau,
chief of the task force, OSCE.
HEIDI GRAU, AMBASSADOR AND HEAD OF THE OSCE CHAIRMANSHIP TASK
FORCE, SWISS FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Mrs. Grau. Mr. Co-Chair, I'm happy to react to some aspects
of your question. I'm not going into all the details. What we
would try to do or to achieve this year--and this is something
that could really have a direct influence on the quality of the
work of all the three tolerance representatives, including the
one that is responsible for Christians--is what we call the
institutional setup. Our feeling is that these three
representatives do not yet have the full support for the work
that they would need coming from ODIHR side. I think it is
absolutely essential that we manage to upgrade, improve the
support structures that they should have for the organization
of their traveling, but also on substance, keeping records,
support them in each and every manner. And we are working on
that. This is hopefully making progress this year still. It's
very much also linked to ODIHR, the support that should come
from ODIHR to these representatives.
Again, maybe also on the country visits, that is very
important. In that regard, what we would like to have this year
is make it possible that the tolerance representatives will get
invitation of the three countries they are coming from. So the
U.S. already has issued an invitation, and we are very
appreciative of that. What we would like to see is also an
invitation coming from Turkey, the--kind of the host country of
one of the representatives, and then a third invitation
hopefully coming from Russia. And we are working on that. This
is also in a way a political decision that the countries have
to make. But I think that would greatly advance the work and
also the attention to the work of these representatives.
Thank you.
Mr. Smith. Thank you. And if you could get back with some
additional answers to the very specific questions on home
schooling and children whose parents opt them out and the
criminalization of those decisions by parents--you know, in
terms of children's rights, I actually wrote and gave, with
U.S. Department of State clearance after I wrote it, the
Bushes' position on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
I was a special rep to the U.N. at the time in New York. So I
take a backseat to no one for recognition of the importance of
children's rights and respect for children, but there's also a
balance and countervailing issue of parental rights and the
importance of who is the chief mentor for a child. And if
governments increasingly usurp that and deem home schooling as
a criminal offense, that is absolutely outrageous, and I think
it cuts against a human rights perspective. So if you could get
back specifically on some of those questions, I would--and the
Commission would deeply appreciate it.
Let me ask you, with regards to media freedom and press
freedom, can the representative of the freedom on media revisit
the issue of criminal libel and insult laws in Europe? As you
know, in 2004 the representative on freedom in the media
produced a document entitled ``Ending the Chilling Effect:
Working to Repeal Criminal Libel and Insult Laws.'' We talked
about it often in this Commission. We talked about it at the
PA. It was an excellent blueprint for action. The publication
followed a round table in Paris in 2003. Ten years on from this
publication, very little progress has been made. Many countries
in Europe continue to limit speech to an extraordinary degree.
For example, again in Germany, committing an insult is a
criminal offense with a one-year prison sentence. However, the
United Kingdom, to its credit, repealed its insult law in 2013,
demonstrating that progress can be made in this area.
Also in the area of press freedom, many of us are really,
really concerned about a deterioration of press freedom
throughout the country and throughout the world. Reporters
Without Borders, a group that I highly esteem and have had
testify at many of my hearings on the Foreign Affairs Human
Rights--Subcommittee on Human Rights that I chair, have come
out with their rankings, and I was shocked and dismayed and
disappointed that the United States now is 46 on their index.
At 44 is Papua New Guinea; 45 is Romania; 46, United States of
America; 47, Haiti; 48, Niger, just to give it some kind of
context. So there is a concern that journalists are
increasingly being subjected to censorship, to prior restraint
out of fear of some kind of action being taken against them.
And again, these libel laws, these--the insult laws that,
again, Germany still backs have an absolute chilling effect on
a robust inquiry and the ability to ask the tough questions of
politicians and all others.
So could there be a follow-up on the 2003 effort, you know,
a reissue, a more robust effort to ensuring freedom of the
press?
Mr. Burkhalter. We are fully aware about the importance of
freedom of media. I can just also add that in the very actual
current issue of Ukraine, the special representative of freedom
of media plans a country visit in the next weeks, and also at
the same time, there should be also a visit of the high
Commissioner on the minority protections.
About freedom of expression, we will work very closely
during our whole year of presidency with the special
representative of freedom of media. She made a very good job,
and she will make in the future also a very good job, we are
sure of it. And we have also supplementary human dimension
meeting on the freedom of expression, which will take place in
Vienna during the month of July. Then we have already a series
of events or of activities in that case and in that field.
Mr. Smith. Thank you. If I could, just a couple final
questions, Mr. President. And thank you for, again, your
extensive testimony and answers.
With regards to the Ukraine, what--I know you spoke about
it, and I appreciate that, but just a--some final insights or
comments as to what role do you think the OSCE can play,
particularly in bringing Russia into an effort to ensure that
the bloodshed does not re-erupt? We all know that this isn't
over by far. Even though it looks like the immediate problems
in Kiev have abated, there are flare-ups that are going to
occur in all kinds of areas. And it could happen with
provocation, obviously, from Moscow.
Are you planning any kind of special initiatives, like a
visit to the Crimea, for example, which I think, just like
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, when pushed terrible react, but
that's what the Russians did. Who knows what they might do with
regards to the Crimea. And what would be your recommendation to
us, the United States of America, Congress and the president,
as to what we should be doing vis-a-vis Ukraine?
Mr. Burkhalter. Beside everything I already said about the
Ukraine, you're right that a special initiative, which shall be
good organized, in the direction of Crimea is--are very
important. We plan to have a visit of our special envoy,
Ambassador Tim Guldimann. And at the same time, it will be very
important to have what I said before, this visit of the high
Commissioner on national minorities.
Once more, I would like to underline the fact that clear
U.S. support to the OSCE actions--the proposal of the
international contact group and the decision of sending a
special envoy and the need assessment mission--during these
days would be very important for us and for the OSCE to be
efficient and to give real assistance to this aim we all have,
finding a political-inclusive solution.
Mr. Smith. Just let me ask you, if I could, on trafficking.
Last year we did ask--I asked the chair in office if they would
make trafficking a serious part of their agenda. They did. The
chair in office who sat where you sat--sit now, who has
recently been, obviously, sacked, actually had a huge
conference in June in Kiev. And it was an excellent conference.
And one of the focuses was the training of flight
attendants, buses, trains--you know, the people involved with
transportation because every trafficking victim, or almost
every one of them, are transported at some time in their
enslavement. And eyes and ears are on every aircraft, if
they're properly trained, situationally aware. Tell the pilot
and the pilot then tells law enforcement, who then separate.
And there were dozens of examples given in testimony at a
hearing that I had again just a few weeks ago. Delta Airlines
is doing it. I'm sorry to say some of our other airlines are
not--like American, which is--you know, we've asked them
repeatedly, we asked them to be at the hearing. And for no
cost--or absolutely a de minimis amount of money they can do
this kind of training.
And what happened in Ukraine was that there was a training
of the flight attendants. And the enthusiasm with which they
embraced this--some many, as you know, of the Ukrainian women
are trafficked into the Middle East, where they think they're
going to be waitresses and they are put into brothels and they
are horribly exploited.
Would you consider making such a continuance effort of that
training? We passed, as Spence remembers, a parliamentary
assembly recommendation. It is in the addendum which came, we
think, in part out of our request. And thank you, Ambassador
Baer, for fighting so hard for that in December.
This is a low-cost, highly efficacious way of training
those eyes and ears to say: That doesn't look right. They have
all kinds of ways of doing it in a nonconfrontational way. And
they will save lives. And it'll also have a potential chilling
effect on how the bad guys move these women.
One of the great takeaways from the recent Super Bowl, was
that because there was so much preventive aspects done,
particularly in the training of hospital employees and the
trains--Amtrak, for example, and the top cop for Amtrak
testified at my hearing just a few weeks ago--they said: We're
serious about this. If they're not a plane, they could be on a
train, the buses are still laggards so they need to be involved
in this.
But we can shut these people down and make it harder and
harder and harder for these nefarious enterprises to do the
horrible things they do. So if you would seriously consider--
you know, obviously it's an addendum item that was passed, but
make it a priority, please. I know you care about it, but I
know you have so many balls in the air. You'll save lives by
doing it.
I mean, Swiss Air could do it. Obviously we have Delta, but
our others have not done it and that's shocking. Homeland
Security has put together an excellent packet called blue
lightning, lays out best practices. Nancy Rivard. We've invited
her to other parts of the world. She's gone. She was in Kiev.
And she says: Look, we saw little kids coming out of
Haiti--it was a pedophile ring. And 80 kids, according to her
estimations, were sold into the cruelest exploitation
imaginable. They broke that up. Law enforcement got involved.
And they shut that thing down like it was a tourniquet. And of
course, they held the bad guys to account. She told another
example of a Moscow to Chicago flight that was--you know, there
were all these young, Russian girls, time and time again, five,
six of them per flight, with some guy. And they said there's
something wrong.
In the past they would have went, oh, not my business, look
away, look askance. And finally they got involved because they
were trained. And they broke up that ring because when they got
onto a bus after being offloaded in Chicago, that was the last
anybody heard of those girls who thought they were going to be
waitresses or even models somewhere, or au pairs. So it's a
low-cost, highly efficacious way of saving women's lives, if
you could consider that.
Mr. Burkhalter: Thank you, Mr. Co-Chairman, for your
enthusiasm and for your engagement, commitment in fighting
human trafficking. As I said before, it is a--to recognize what
you have personally done in this field. We have decided,
generally speaking, to let and to do so that the issue of human
trafficking remains very clearly at the top of the agenda. We
have already during these first months of presidency and in
collaboration with the Council of Europe demonstrated it was
possible to mobilize not only one organization but a series of
them. And I'm sure that we can make some progress during the
whole year in this important field. For the details and
modalities, I would like to give the floor to Mrs. Grau.
Mrs. Grau. Yeah, thank you, Mr. Co-Chair. And I would like
to join my president in praising your engagement for this
really important issue. What I think is also important to keep
in mind that this is an issue that all the participating states
of the OSCE are in full agreement that this has to be countered
and we have to fight against it. So I think it's quite unique
that all the countries agree on the importance of a specific
issue and show commitment on that.
What is important is also the work of the field missions in
that regard. We try to support them wherever possible in very
practical examples of fighting against trafficking. The example
that you just mentioned I think is a very valid one, a very
important one. There is another example of joint work, of
cooperation between Switzerland and the U.S. in the OSCE
framework, where we fight together against domestic servitude
in diplomatic households.
This is, I think, for your country with a big diplomatic
community here in Washington but also as well in New York, as
well as for our country with Geneva, the international Geneva,
of course, a very important topic. And that is an initiative
that we would like to continue this year. This month, still,
there should be a workshop, a training, in Brussels. But there
are many other ways how we can join forces and support this
important cause. And once again, I would like to thank you for
your engagement.
Mr. Smith. Thank you so very much. And thank you both. Was
there anything else you would like to add before we conclude?
Thank you for your time as well, because I know you're a very
busy man.
The hearing's adjourned and we'll look forward to working
with you going forward.
A P P E N D I C E S
=======================================================================
Prepared Statements
----------
Prepared Statement of Hon. Christopher Smith, Co-Chairman,
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
I would like to warmly welcome His Excellency President Didier
Burkhalter. We all look forward to hearing your plans for your 2014
chairmanship of the OSCE.
Ukraine is at the top of the OSCE's agenda today--and there the
task is enormous. The situation remains very fragile, and the Crimea
could become a hotspot. I was in the Republic of Georgia a week after
the Russians rolled into the Abkhaz and South Ossetian regions under a
situation in many ways similar--there are many who want to be aligned
with Russia. And I'm very concerned that the U.S. and Europe need to
work closely with the Russians in supporting the Ukrainians in
implementing the six-point agreement, with the goal that the country
matriculate into a more robust democracy.
Ukraine is a sovereign country--but at the same time Russia clearly
means to play a role in the coming months, and to protect Ukraine's
sovereignty and matriculate it into a more robust democracy we will
have to engage meaningfully and respectfully with Russia as well.
Our government has not done this well in recent years--I hope the
OSCE will do better. It seems that the OSCE is a place where all
parties can meet to support the six-point agreement. The OSCE, as a
consensus organization founded to ensure respect for borders through a
concept of security that embraces human rights and the rule of law,
must be able to play a role here.
Reconciliation should be at the top of its agenda--bringing parties
together, facilitating them to set aside differences and work
together--for the good of their country and to mitigate bloodshed.
I believe this is a test for the organization. So I welcome your
appointment of a Personal Envoy on Ukraine and look forward to
discussing the role you envision for the envoy and the organization,
including observing the May election.
It will be important as well to vigorously implement the Addendum
to the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings--which
was adopted at the Kyiv Ministerial in December.
The addendum includes issues I raised in supplementary items that
were passed by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. These include: calling
on corporations to ensure that their supply chains do not include
trafficked labor; focusing anti-trafficking efforts on vulnerable
groups; increasing cooperation among law enforcement in different
countries to prevent ``sex tourism'' involving the trafficking of
minors; and calling for anti-trafficking training for the
transportation and hospitality industries.
Anti-trafficking training in the transportation industry should be
a priority in every country--including the U.S. Just this month I
chaired a hearing at my Foreign Affairs Subcommittee to evaluate how
the United States is doing on this training. In addition, as the
Parliamentary Assembly's Special Representative on Human Trafficking, I
am currently conducting a survey of OSCE countries' implementation of
antitrafficking training, through parliamentarians active in the PA.
So I look forward to discussing your plans to promote
implementation of the Addendum, and to working with you on this.
Another issue of consistent concern for this Commission is anti-
Semitism in the OSCE region. This year marks the tenth anniversary of
the Berlin High-Level Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism--a
milestone for the organization in recognizing the seriousness of the
problem in Europe, which was witnessing a resurgence of anti-Semitic
incidents and attacks. I and other members of this Commission took part
in that meeting as part of the U.S. delegation, and our Commission
worked hard--including through the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly--to put
the issue on the OSCE agenda.
As some of us who were there recall, that conference helped
galvanize attention and led to some of the first government
commitments, presented in the OSCE's Berlin Declaration that was issued
at its close. It also resulted in the creation of ODIHR's department on
tolerance and non-discrimination with its education programs and police
training for combating hate crimes, among other initiatives.
Despite these important contributions the problem of anti-Semitism
is still very much with us. This past November the EU Agency for
Fundamental Rights (FRA) released the findings of a survey it conducted
among 6,000 Jews in eight EU countries. Three-quarters of those polled
said anti-Semitism remained a serious problem. Nearly 25 percent said
they avoided attending Jewish events or visiting Jewish sites for fear
of encountering it. In some countries such as Hungary, France and
Belgium, well over forty percent said they had considered emigration
because of it. Clearly there is still more to be done.
We think it would be quite appropriate to mark the tenth
anniversary of the Berlin Conference with a high level event that could
both look back at the achievements and contributions that OSCE has made
in fighting anti-Semitism and intolerance and look ahead at the
challenges that are still very much present. We understand that Germany
would again be prepared to host such an event in Berlin. And you should
know you will have the strong support of this Commission in undertaking
it. But ultimately this must be spearheaded by the Chairmanship-in-
Office, so we hope you will take the lead in making this a reality.
The last thing I'd like to mention is freedom of religion--this
warrants renewed OSCE attention. Intolerance and discrimination against
Christians is a phenomenon that is recognized by the OSCE and is on the
increase in Europe--despite occasional roundtables and resolutions, the
organization has not delivered much intensity on this issue. I hope you
will be able to set us an example on this--perhaps by convening a new
Expert Roundtable on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians
in Vienna in 2014.
President Burkhalter, I look forward to working with you and your
Swiss chairmanship team this year.
Prepared Statement of Didier Burkhalter, President of the Swiss
Confederation, Foreign Minister and Chairman of the OSCE
Thank you for the invitation to speak before your Commission. It is
an honour and pleasure for me to address the issue of security--and of
European security in particular--in front of members of the American
Congress. Over the past 100 years, the United States has played a vital
role in defending the values of liberty and security in Europe--and I
wish to start by acknowledging this role. The dramatic developments in
Ukraine in recent weeks have been a sobering reminder that security in
Europe cannot be taken for granted. These developments have also
revealed the need to foster dialogue, rebuild trust, reaffirm shared
norms, and consolidate bridges across the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian
region. It is my firm conviction that the OSCE has a major role to play
in this regard.
The Swiss Chairmanship wishes to acknowledge the important role the
Helsinki Commission plays within the OSCE. We also appreciate the close
cooperation with the US Department of State on a wide range of OSCE
issues. The United States is a crucial participant in the OSCE. It is
the biggest contributor to its budget and in many ways indispensable to
move the OSCE forward.
Switzerland has agreed to take the helm of the OSCE because the
promotion of stability in Europe and beyond is a priority of our
foreign policy. We also believe that we have something to offer as a
neutral country with a tradition of good offices and mediation. A third
reason is that the United States and a number of other partner
countries asked us to take on this role. I therefore very much count on
your valuable support. I have listened to your introductory remarks
very carefully and hope that we can discuss the issues raised in some
detail today. But before we engage in this discussion, let me make some
general remarks about the OSCE and the priorities of the Swiss
Chairmanship.
The fact that Switzerland is the first country to chair the OSCE
for the second time (after 1996) indicates that we attach great
importance to this organization. We value the OSCE as a forum for
dialogue, a platform to generate and assist the implementation of
common norms, and a field-based organization. We also acknowledge that
the OSCE performs its many important tasks with a surprisingly low
budget. Its annual budget is not much higher than the transfer fees
paid for one top-class soccer player.
That said, the OSCE is currently not in a position to tap its full
potential. The fact that its membership spans three continents is a key
asset, but it is also a major challenge for decision-making. This is
why as Chairperson-in-Office, I encourage all participating States to
approach the OSCE in a spirit of cooperation and compromise.
If we want the OSCE to move forward, we need to be both principled
and pragmatic. ``Principled'' in the sense that we should all stand up
for our shared values and our OSCE commitments. ``Pragmatic'', because
no participating State will be able to see its objectives in the OSCE
realized if it ignores the priorities and needs of others. In the mid-
1970s, the OSCE was a success because participants made compromises and
trade-offs across the three ``baskets''. Today, I strongly believe that
if all participating States engage with a balanced approach among the
OSCE's three dimensions, we will find much common ground.
The OSCE's comprehensive approach to security is a key asset of the
organization and corresponds to today's security needs. Making full use
of this holistic model will make it possible to increase the level of
security not just of states but also of citizens. As you are well aware
as Senators and Members of Congress, our citizens are no longer
primarily concerned about traditional military threats. The OSCE's
security approach is very much consistent with their security
perceptions.
This is all the more important because the future relevance of the
OSCE will much depend on its ability to produce tangible results for
the individuals and communities of its participating States. Good
politics, after all, is at the service of the people. This is why the
leitmotiv of the Swiss Chairmanship is to create a security community
for the benefit of everyone.
Calling for pragmatism does not mean that we should shy away from
criticism in the OSCE. Recalling the OSCE's principles is more vital
today than ever, especially when adherence to these principles is
uncertain. I therefore encourage participating States to engage with
each other in constructive ways to pave the way for shared solutions
rather than alienation.
With its consensus-oriented political system and linguistic
diversity, Switzerland is a kind of mini-OSCE. Based on our own
experience, we seek to revitalize the OSCE's culture of dialogue by
calling on all participating States to take a step towards one another.
We encourage all States to make gestures of good will to rebuild trust
and allow for progress within the OSCE.
Ladies and gentlemen, Since assuming the Chairmanship of the OSCE
at the beginning of 2014, my agenda has been dominated by the political
crisis and recent escalation of violence in Ukraine. During the past
weeks, I have repeatedly called on all sides to refrain from violence,
resolve the crisis through dialogue and political means, and respect
human rights. In a series of meetings, I have discussed options for
OSCE assistance with the then-Ukrainian government as well as with
members of the opposition.
The agreement reached on February 21 marked an important step
towards ending the violence, and paved the way for a political solution
of the crisis. I congratulate everyone involved who made this
breakthrough possible, including the Polish, German and French Foreign
Ministers and the Special Envoy of the Russian Federation.
With the appointment of an interim president by the Parliament,
Ukraine has now entered a new phase of transition. Formidable
challenges lie ahead. We should unite in our efforts to support Ukraine
in these difficult times. A stable, democratic and united Ukraine is in
the interest of us all.
Against this background, I proposed yesterday during my briefing at
the UN Security Council to establish an International Contact Group on
Ukraine. Ukraine should of course play a prominent role in the group
and all international key actors should be included. We are currently
consulting this idea with all actors concerned. The main task of the
proposed Contact Group would be to support Ukraine in its transition
period. The Contact Group would serve as a platform for coordination
and sharing information on international assistance and project
activities in Ukraine. The OSCE, through its impartiality and
inclusivity, has the necessary attributes to host and moderate this
group. Ukraine and all international actors involved in this crisis are
in fact participating States of the OSCE.
I also announced yesterday my decision to appoint Ambassador Tim
Guldimann as my Personal Envoy on Ukraine. He will coordinate all
ongoing and planned activities of the OSCE in Ukraine on behalf of the
Chairmanship. He will rapidly take up consultations with all sides and
will cooperate closely with international partners.
A small OSCE core team has been sent to Ukraine to conduct a needs-
assessment mission. There is an urgent need to rebuild trust among all
parties involved. As I underlined yesterday at the UN, I encourage the
new leaders of Ukraine to invite ODIHR to send a Human Rights
Assessment Mission to the country to establish the facts and
circumstances of the incidents that took place in Ukraine. The Human
Rights Assessment Mission would recommend measures to deal with serious
violations of human rights allegedly committed during this crisis. Its
findings would be presented in a report and would help advance national
reconciliation in Ukraine.
Presidential elections will be a crucial moment in the current
transition period. We expect the Ukrainian authorities to issue an
early invitation for an ODIHR election observation mission. In view of
the rapidly changing developments, we are also ready to review and
further specify the activities of the OSCE's Project Coordinator's
Office in Kiev. We are currently witnessing a phase of de-escalation in
Ukraine. It is essential to support a fair and inclusive process of
transition which does not marginalize any part of Ukraine or any
community. Ukraine deserves full international attention and support. I
am convinced that the OSCE has the necessary tools to assist Ukraine in
this difficult phase.
Ladies and gentlemen, Afghanistan--one of the OSCE's six Asian
partners--is another hotspot where the OSCE can play a valuable role.
While the international community develops its strategic vision for
Afghanistan after 2014, the OSCE remains a good platform for practical,
forward-looking regional co-operation and dialogue among all
stakeholders. We continue to work closely with other international
actors to ensure stability in Afghanistan and the wider region.
OSCE activities worth mentioning in this context are police
training, borders and customs training, and counter narcotics. Our
Central Asian field offices, the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan,
and the Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, are
building local capacities and expert networks linking Afghanistan and
the Central Asian states.
We are also working towards establishing an OSCE Research Centre on
Afghan-Central Asian issues. In addition, ODIHR will send an election
support team to Afghanistan to assist with preparations for the Afghan
elections this year. With Switzerland chairing the Asian Partners for
Cooperation next year, we are eager to discuss ideas of applying
elements of the OSCE's cooperative security model to East Asia. Against
the background of unresolved territorial disputes, rapidly rising
defense budgets and growing risks of political polarization, East Asia
could well benefit from the OSCE's experience in creating confidence
and common norms through dialogue and transparency.
Following these general observations, I will now outline the
priorities of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship. We have set three overall
objectives. We seek to contribute to fostering security and stability,
improving people's lives, and strengthening the OSCE's capacity to act.
In a nutshell, our mission is to enhance security, freedom, and
responsibility. For each of our objectives, we have defined a number of
priority areas. You have received a factsheet on these priorities. Let
me just highlight a few points here. Fostering security and stability
with regard to our first objective of fostering security and stability,
the Western Balkans figure prominently on our agenda. My Special
Representative for the Western Balkans, Ambassador Stoudmann, has been
tasked with facilitating regional cooperation and reconciliation. I
plan to visit this region in the coming months.
The OSCE should play a supporting role in the implementation of the
Belgrade-Pristina agreement. Indeed, the OSCE has recently facilitated
local elections in northern Kosovo and will continue to monitor this
year's electoral processes in South Eastern Europe. I am also planning
to travel to the South Caucasus. My Special Representative for this
region, Ambassador Gnadinger, is co-chairing the Geneva International
Discussions on the conflict in Georgia. These discussions are a unique,
albeit fragile, platform to tackle the security and humanitarian
aspects of the conflict. It is our hope that they will one day evolve
into a forum that lays the ground for a settlement of the conflict.
Nagorno-Karabakh is one of the most dangerous conflicts in Europe. One
of my first meetings as Chairperson-in-Office was with the three co-
chairs of the Minsk Group. I wish to emphasize at this point that both
in Karabakh and in Georgia, United States involvement at the highest
political level would be helpful for our efforts. I am convinced that
the stalemate in these protracted conflicts can only be overcome with
greater engagement and attention by international key players such as
the United States. We very much appreciate the work of Ambassador
Warlick, the US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, and Deputy Assistant
Secretary Eric Rubin, the US Representative in the Geneva Discussions.
Conventional arms control and confidence- and security-building
measures play a key role in joint efforts to strengthen military
stability, transparency and predictability in the OSCE area. Yet while
the need for conventional arms control remains undisputed, the Treaty
on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe has reached an impasse.
Conventional arms control in Europe can likely only be re-launched on
the basis of a new conceptual approach. This will require many
countries to modify long-held positions. We should also seek ways to
ensure that unresolved territorial conflicts do not block progress on
pan-regional arms control. All this will require initiative and
leadership by the United States. The Swiss Chairmanship regards the
OSCE as a useful marketplace for ideas on conventional arms control and
is ready to facilitate conceptual discussions in this respect.
As for our second objective of improving people's lives, the
implementation of all existing commitments in the Human Dimension is a
key priority for us. We have defined and prepared our activities in
this area on the basis of our two years' experience as Chair of the
Human Dimension Committee. We aim to strengthen the implementation of
commitments in full cooperation with the participating States, OSCE
structures, and civil society. Switzerland will host a chairmanship
event on human rights defenders in Bern, Switzerland, in June. On this
occasion, the director of ODIHR, Ambassador Lenarcic, will present
guidelines prepared by ODIHR on the protection of human rights
defenders. (I should add that I visited ODIHR at the end of January,
and that recruiting a successor for Mr Lenarcic will be another major
task in 2014).
The Swiss Chairmanship will also put the issue of torture back on
the agenda of the OSCE. We are planning an event on torture prevention
in Vienna at the beginning of April. Cooperation between national
mechanisms, NGOs, ombudspersons, international organizations, the UN
and the OSCE will be at the centre of the discussions at this event.
Another theme will be the fight against human trafficking. Hundreds of
thousands of people, mainly women and children, are being forcefully
trafficked in their own countries and across national borders. These
victims are often sexually exploited or forced into slavery. This is a
terrible crime. I wish to commend Co-Chair Smith for the three
comprehensive bills you authored in the United States to combat
trafficking and to help victims.
A week ago, the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship--together with the Austrian
Chairmanship of the Council of Europe--organized a Conference against
trafficking in human beings. The goal was to discuss how legally
binding standards, monitoring mechanisms, and political strategies can
mutually reinforce each other and lead to effective action to counter
trafficking in human beings. As for the priority of a more reliable
management of natural disasters, this is very much in the interest of
the security and safety of our citizens. Disasters can hit anywhere at
any time. The United States knows from its own experience that the
scale, frequency, and severity of disasters triggered by natural
hazards will continue to grow at an accelerating pace.
Senator Cardin, Congressman Smith: you witnessed with your own eyes
the destructive force of tropical cyclone Sandy in October 2012. You
visited the impacted areas on Maryland's Eastern Shore and New Jersey,
where over 30 of your compatriots lost their lives and where 350,000
housing units were damaged, causing economic losses of well over 30
billion dollars. Switzerland considers that disaster risk reduction
should be firmly embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals. Our aim
must be to move from disaster response to disaster prevention and
climate change mitigation. We will address this issue at the meetings
of the 22nd OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum. In so doing, we seek
to contribute to societies becoming resilient to climate change and
disaster risk.
There is also a strong link between the human and the politico-
military dimensions of the OSCE in combating transnational threats. For
instance, this year we are tackling issues such as human rights in
countering terrorism, kidnapping for ransom, and the return of foreign
fighters. A major opportunity to discuss these issues will be the
annual OSCE conference on counter-terrorism, which will take place in
Interlaken, Switzerland. We are counting on the presence of American
experts at the Interlaken Conference and on your continued support in
tackling these issues. In the area of cyber threats, the Swiss
Chairmanship will focus on the implementation of the initial set of
OSCE confidence-building measures agreed last year. I would like to
acknowledge the successful work of the US Chair of the Informal Working
Group. The Swiss Chairmanship is grateful that the United States
accepted to continue to chair this Working Group and will support its
efforts to develop additional confidence-building measures.
Strengthening the OSCE's Capacity to Act regarding our third objective
of strengthening the OSCE's capacity to act, the ``Helsinki+40''
process is of particular importance. Adapting the OSCE to the security
needs of the 21st century is both challenging and vital. This process
is in itself an important confidence building measure as it helps
address divergent security perspectives in a result-oriented manner.
But it should be more than that. ``Helsinki+40'' is about defining the
ways and means of the OSCE--and hence its future relevance. There are
now a roadmap and eight coordinators in place to structure these
discussions in Vienna. Again, participating States will need to show a
degree of flexibility for this process to translate into meaningful
results. I also believe that we need ministerial-level debates to get a
solid idea of where the OSCE should be heading.
Numerous issues are being addressed in the context of
``Helsinki+40''. Let me mention here one issue where the Swiss
Chairmanship would particularly appreciate US support. I am referring
to the need to improve the effectiveness of OSCE field operations.
These field operations have proven valuable in assisting host
countries in implementing their commitments. But it is vital that we
continuously evaluate such activities, with a view to maximizing their
effectiveness and local acceptance. We are currently conceptualizing
new types of field presences with a better balance of OSCE activities.
US support for these discussions will help carry them forward.
As for other means of rendering the OSCE more effective, I would
argue that the model of consecutive chairmanships, as carried out by
Switzerland and Serbia, has already proven its merit. Bern and Belgrade
have developed joint work and implementation plans. We have also agreed
that our Special Representatives will be reappointed by the end of this
year. Consecutive chairmanships can provide the OSCE with more
continuity and are a model worth considering for the future.
Linked to the ``Helsinki+40'' debates is the Swiss priority of
strengthening the OSCE's role in mediation. The peaceful settlement of
disputes that was included in the Helsinki Final Act remains one of the
core tasks of the OSCE today. This is why we are contributing to the
mediation-support capacity that is currently being built in the OSCE
Secretariat. The aim is to capture knowledge about mediation processes
and make sure that OSCE mediators are supported with training and
thematic expertise. In this regard, I wish to acknowledge the important
assistance provided by the United States Institute of Peace and the
Conflict Management Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced
International Studies.
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Swiss Chairmanship attaches great
importance to our final priority of enhancing involvement of civil
society and in particular of young people. We firmly believe that
offering a platform for a dialogue with civil society contributes to
assisting OSCE institutions and participating States in implementing
commitments. It also provides an opportunity for our governments to
listen and respond to the needs of our citizens.
Four regional workshops are being organized in four different
regions of the OSCE in the coming months. The first workshop has
recently taken place in Belgrade. The two topics identified by civil
society as the most pressing issues were torture prevention and hate
crime and hate speech, the latter with a particular focus on Roma and
Sinti. It was an inspiring start to our workshop series--the next
destinations being Austria, Tajikistan, and Georgia. The
recommendations resulting from this process should feed into the final
civil society conference that will be held in parallel to the
Ministerial Council in Basel in December 2014.
Finally, there is our ``Youth for Security and Cooperation in
Europe'' project, which brings together 57 young people from all OSCE
participating States. This project is particularly dear to me, as our
shared responsibility as politicians is to shape a more prosperous,
equitable and sustainable future for the generations to come. In the
course of this year, our Youth Ambassadors will simulate a whole OSCE
negotiation cycle. Last month they simulated a Permanent Council
meeting in Vienna. I also invited three of these Youth Ambassadors to
address the ``real'' Permanent Council that met in the Hofburg Palace
in Vienna. In July, a Ministerial Council Meeting will be simulated in
Belgrade.
The purpose of these meetings is to negotiate a Youth Action Plan
with recommendations for the OSCE and its participating States. The
Youth Ambassadors will present their Action Plan at the Ministerial
Council in Basel, which I hope will serve as an inspiration for the
OSCE to work out its own Youth Action Plan.
Chairman Cardin, Co-Chairman Smith, Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me
conclude my statement by thanking the United States for its continued
commitment to the OSCE. As an institution complementary to NATO, the
OSCE constitutes America's second foothold in Europe. It is a bridge
between the Euro-Atlantic and the Eurasian region. The stronger this
bridge, the stronger our common security. Thank you for your attention
and support. I look forward to your questions and comments.
[all]
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