Special Representative

 

 

To:

 

PA President

 

and

 

PA Secretary General

 

 

 

 

Permanent Council Brief Week 6, 2009

 

 

This week, we participated in meetings of the Permanent Council, the Forum for Security Cooperation, with the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, and with the OSCE Advisory Council on Freedom of Religion or Belief, an advisory panel of experts from different backgrounds and of various faiths from throughout the OSCE region. I also briefed the new Head of the Swiss OSCE Desk and the OSCE Director of Internal Oversight about relevant issues, with particular emphasis on Election Observation. Internal Oversight is about to audit the OSCE Elections Activities and seems to be asking the pertinent questions, especially with regard to the recruitment of external experts for the missions by the ODIHR.

 

The Permanent Council did not take any decision. There is still no movement on the budget. Since the Mission to Georgia has been without a mandate since the end of 2008, it should normally be terminated, which needs to be budgeted. However, several participating States object to such a budget, still hoping for an extension of the mandate. However, the mandate of the Military Monitoring Officers that has been used as a justification to pursue mission activities in Georgia will expire on 18 February. At the same time, there is no consensus on any interim solution. Other issues, like proposed cuts to ODIHR’s budget, also remain in a deadlock. However, after several cancellations, the ACMF will now resume its work on the subject.

 

Other issues: like other ambassadors of his country on important posts, the Georgian ambassador has been asked to resign by the new Georgian FM. Albania has reiterated its readiness for the Chairmanship in 2012 by distributing a non-paper. Many delegations are displaying a vivid interest in the upcoming Parliamentary Assembly Winter Session.

 

 

 

 

Andreas Nothelle

Ambassador

February 17, 2009