Rupel Discusses OSCE with Rice and De Gucht

Ljubljana, 3 February

Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, the OSCE chairman-in-office, held separate telephone conversations on Thursday with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht on the open issues in the security organisation, including the current deadlock on the budget.

Rupel briefed Rice and De Gucht of Tuesday's talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. Moreover, he consulted with the pair on possible solutions to the deadlocks on the OSCE budget and the scale of contributions for the participating states.
According to a press release from the Foreign Ministry, Rupel and Rice agreed that Russia was one of the leading countries in the OSCE, and that this must must be respected. However, Russia must also be aware of its responsibility in the organisation, the pair concluded.
Rice said she intended to bring up the question of the OSCE at her upcoming meeting with Lavrov.
The Foreign Ministry also said Rice agreed with the Russian proposal for the staging of a seminar on military doctrines and a conference on energy security.
Rice also agreed that the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights should enhance its cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States in regards to its activities aimed at maintaining election standards.
The Foreign Ministry also revealed today that Rupel will hold meeting with both Rice and De Gucht at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on 9 February.

Rupel Discusses OSCE with Rice and De Gucht

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