FINLAND ASSUMED OSCE CHAIRMANSHIP

On 1 January 2008, Finland took over the Chairmanship of the OSCE today and described the Organization as a unique forum of dialogue between 56 participating States whose strength lies in the unanimity required for decision-making. "Finland’s Chairmanship will focus, above all, on intensifying the Organization’s operation and on the observance of existing commitments," said Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, the new OSCE Chairman-in-Office. Minister Kanerva took over from Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, whose country chaired the OSCE in 2007. Finland’s Chairmanship will be characterized by many uncertainties, according to Minister Kanerva. The question of Kosovo, the so-called protracted or unresolved conflicts and the fate of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe will be prominent during the year. The new Chairman-in-Office will outline the Chairmanship’s priorities in a speech on 10 January in Vienna to the Permanent Council, the OSCE’s main regular decision-making body. Soon after, he will make his first visit to OSCE field operations, to Ukraine and Moldova. The OSCE has become known, particularly, for its election observation activities, which are executed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights headquartered in Warsaw. The Chairman-in-Office noted there would be a presidential election in Georgia on 5 January, to be followed by several presidential and parliamentary elections in participating States ranging from the Russian Federation to the United States. The OSCE, during the Finnish Chairmanship, can also undertake activities assisting participating States to improve the security and management of their borders, he said. Finland was ready to contribute to such efforts, for example, in Tajikistan. "We could think of ways to involve neighboring countries in such activities, including Afghanistan, one of our Asian Partners for Co-operation," said Minister Kanerva. The Chairman-in-Office said he wanted to extend his deepest appreciation for the valuable work of OSCE personnel in different missions and at the Vienna headquarters, the OSCE communication unit reports.

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