MINISTER JOE BORG ADDRESSES MINISTERIAL MEETING OF THE OSCE IN VIENNA

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Joe Borg, this morning addressed the 8^th Ministerial Meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) being held in Vienna (statement attached).

In the margains of the OSCE Ministerial Council, Minister Borg also held a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Lithuania, Greece, the Slovak Republic and Finland. A number of bilateral issues were discussed with the respective Ministers ranging from the early conclusion of pending agreements, establishing new forms of co-operation and consolidating already existing relations.

Dr Borg also discussed Malta's accession negotiations with the respective Ministers, highlighting the progress made to date and Malta's expectations for the forthcoming negotiations. Support for Malta's candidature to the European Union was expressed and it was agreed that ongoing co-operation and technical assistance would be further intensified

Minister's statement follows…

Intervention by the Hon. Joe Borg, Minister of Foreign Affairs at the OSCE Ministerial Meeting Vienna, 27-28 November 2000

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Mr President, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen

It is indeed an honour for me to be addressing the OSCE Ministerial Council for the first time as Foreign Minister of Malta. It is a simple twist of fate that I shall be doing so here in Vienna – seat capital of the OSCE – and on the Organisation's twenty-fifth anniversary. A word of appreciation goes towards the impeccable outgoing chairmanship of Austria, under the skilful direction of Foreign Minister Ferrero-Waldner. We augur a fruitful and successful chairmanship to Romania during the course of the year 2001.

Mr President,

The OSCE is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary. When an Organisation reaches similar milestones, it becomes customary for its members to glance in retrospect and attempt to judge its merits and demerits on the basis of its achievements and its failures. Mine today, Mr President, shall not be a historical analysis on the development of the CSCE process as vanguard of d'�tente during the Cold War years and as beacon for democratic institution-building in the post-Cold War era. On that much has been written.

On the contrary, what is of the essence at this crucial juncture in our European security dialogue is to define what sort of security environment we are aiming to create in response to the lessons learnt from our recent past. To what extent are we seeking to render our politico-security dialogue truly effective and operational in the event of another Bosnia or Kosovo? Are we being far-sighted enough to develop the right instruments that seek to eliminate factors that by causing time loss, further aggravate conflict situations in the absence of a rapid response?

These are some questions being asked today with a view to solving the security equation of tomorrow.

Mr President,

The Charter for European Security has sought to address some of the points I have just raised. In this respect, Malta is keen to see effective implementation of two well-thought out notions emerging from the Charter, containing the essential rationale to deal with the realities prevalent in the so-called post-Kosovo era.

The platform for Co-operative Security - originally an idea of the EU which promotes the principle of mutually re-inforcing institutions each engaged according to their respective comparative advantage - we believe should run, like a leit motif, throughout our projections.

The REACT concept which focuses on a civilian rapid reaction capability, we believe is wholly complementary to the EU's own Rapid Reaction Force. Its innovative methods aimed at lessening the prospect of time-loss will clearly address some of the shortcomings of the past.

These two concepts, in principle, should provide the backdrop for our thinking in our efforts to enhance security and stability in the region. At the same time we should continue to make good use of other concepts that have succeeded in providing early warning signals, preventing conflict and assisting with re-building of societies in crisis-torn situations.

The OSCE missions spread across the entire OSCE area-of-application deserve special mention, as do the CIO Personal Representatives, the High Commissioner on National Minorities and the efforts of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

Mr President,

Security remains a vulnerable commodity. Its threats and challenges have a habit of changing hide, hue, source or factor. The dangers of conventional arms during the Cold War era have given way to the threat of small arms and light weapons in the post-Cold War idiom, while the reduction of troops during the d'�tente era have given way to the phenomenon of children being assigned to armed combat. Malta welcomes the decisions being taken by this Council aimed at curtailing such negative phenomena which can, at a moment's notice, destroy what has been patiently constructed through collective endeavour over time.

Mr President,

The Helsinki Council Conclusions last December gave Malta the green light to kick-start its accession negotiations with the European Union. In March this year, one of the first chapters opened for negotiations was that relating to the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy. It also happened to be one of the first to be provisionally closed. During our negotiations, we sought to be unequivocal on issues which lie at the core of our Malta's security policy.

Malta is a neutral country and its neutrality is entrenched in its Constitution. In safeguarding its Constitutional provisions, Malta has always upheld its status of active neutrality. No incompatibility has been encountered, in the process of aligning Malta's status with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy.

Mr President,

Malta seeks to contribute to the enhancement of international peace and security not simply at a declaratory level, but also in terms of active participation, especially when calls for peacekeeping, search and rescue missions and humanitarian operations are made with the blessing of the UN or the OSCE. To this end, in his address to the United Nations Millennium Summit, our Prime Minister expressed Malta's support for UN peace-keeping initiatives underway and signalled Malta's intention to significantly increase its peacekeeping contribution through a voluntary move from Group C to Group B.

In further confirmation of this, at the EU Capabilities Commitment Conference held in Brussels only last week, Malta pledged one of its infantry platoons, together with a small national headquarters element, to the humanitarian and rescue missions of the European crisis management effort under the emerging Rapid Reaction Force.

Given the complementary nature of the OSCE's REACT concept and the EU's concept of a Rapid Reaction Force – each with its distinctive characteristics, but both charged by the need to pre-empt time loss - we believe that further synergies may be obtained between the two, through better co-ordination. Given the close timing and parallel evolution of the two projects, we believe that the effectiveness of each may be enhanced whilst simultaneously falling in line with the spirit of the EU ‘Platform' principle.

Mr President,

There have been clear signs of progress registered in some of the most sensitive areas within the OSCE region. In Yugoslavia, the will of the majority has prevailed over that of the few and a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is turning its back on its tortuous past. Malta joins all those welcoming the return of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the OSCE fold.

In Kosovo, the OSCE should be lauded for its fine contribution to the preparation and conduct of free and fair municipal elections which took place last month in an area that staged the latest known horrors of human tragedy in Europe, just over a year ago.

On the other hand, the malaise of illicit trafficking in narcotics and persons in the OSCE area has been dominating our political agenda not without justified reason. Our collective appeal to fight against the root causes and the sources generating such crimes should be complementary to determined practical and effective commitments on our part in order to ensure that the issues are dealt with in a concrete manner.

Mr President,

Almost never, over the past 25 years, has there been a more opportune moment to justify Malta's unrelenting efforts towards the further improvement of a substantive Mediterranean dialogue within the OSCE. The global implications of unrest in the Middle East vindicates the underlying principle which Malta has always maintained, which is, that security in Europe is inextricably linked to security in the Mediterranean. The painstaking efforts that contributed to a decade of meticulous confidence and stability-building in the Middle East since the Madrid peace process, are now facing perhaps the most crucial test of endurance. The international community is tenaciously engaged in a global effort to restore peace in the region and to thereby re-kindle the vital will for all sides to return to the negotiating tables.

Now more than ever, the OSCE needs to extend the instruments of political dialogue and confidence building to its Mediterranean partners in the spirit expressed by the Istanbul Charter. A dialogue of half measures, would only be casting a blind eye towards the gravity of the situation. Our Mediterranean partners need to be provided with further access to and genuine engagement in our political fora, particularly the Permanent Council and Forum for Security Co-operation. It is by doing so that the principles of transparency, openness and interdependence may be more effectively fulfilled.

Mr President,

Before concluding, I would like to express Malta's welcome to Thailand as the most recent addition to the OSCE community of Partners in Co-operation.

The OSCE has come a long way in these last twenty-five years and has survived the test of time by applying the best form of defence: prevention of conflict via dialogue and co-operation. This is what the OSCE has been doing ever since Dipoli and this is clearly what the OSCE does best. It is also undoubtedly what is clearly needed in today's world which has witnessed a dramatic change in the nature of conflict.

Our presence here bears witness to our political will to sustain that effort.

Thank you.