OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 14: Nyhedsbrev fra Ambassadør Andreas Nothelle, uge 3, 2013

This was the traditional opening week of the new OSCE Chairmanship, combined with thetwo-day Annual Meeting of Heads of Institutions and field operations. The PA was repre-sented by SG Spencer Oliver, DSG Tina Schøn and Program Director Anna Chernova, inaddition the staff of the Vienna Office. They participated in all meetings taking place in thiscontext, including in the regional working groups on Central Asia, the Caucasus, EasternEurope and South East Europe. SG Oliver and I hosted a reception marking the tenth an-niversary of the Vienna Office attended by Vice President Wolfgang Grossruck, most Per-manent Representatives (ambassadors) of the participating States, and OSCE SGAmb. Lamberto Zannier as well as several staff of the International Secretariat.The new OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara, outlinedhis priorities for the year, followed by comments from participating States. The prioritiesentitled “Promoting trust and confidence within the OSCE area - Pursuing the Helsinki + 40process” are laid out in a seven page document. As to be expected, they are a balancedlist of what is feasible in an organization that works on the lowest common denominator.All hope is invested in the Helsinki+40 Process. This focus combined with the EU’s one-sided praise of the ODIHR’s election observation (while failing to mention the PA in thiscontext) prompted me to deliver a brief statement in which I also replied to the most fre-quently asked questions I receive in background discussions.The core sentences of my statement were: “We stand ready to make our contribution tothe work of the Helsinki +40 Working Group. For that purpose, the OSCE PA has mandat-ed a committee to prepare our input into the process. We will also continue to help theOSCE achieve greater effectiveness, transparency, accountability, and visibility. Accordingto all democratic constitutions, members of parliament have been democratically mandat-ed by our citizens to exercise oversight over any activity of the executive branch of gov-ernment. We will continue our successful, independent, non-partisan, fact-based and fu-ture-oriented election observation activities which increase the legitimacy and visibility ofthe OSCE’s work in this field. All in all, you will find us to be firm supporters for every effortaimed at strengthening the implementation of our common commitments in all three di-mensions.”Andreas NothelleAmbassadorJanuary 22, 2013

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