FM Rupel Pleased With OSCE Chairmanship so Far

Ljubljana, 25 July

Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, the OSCE chairman, is pleased with the achievements of the first seven months of Slovenia's chairmanship. The organisation has a budget and a new secretary general, and reform talks are under way, Rupel told the press on Monday.

However, the path of reform will be tough, the head of the OSCE task force at the Slovenian Foreign Ministry, Boris Frlec, pointed out. All 55 participating countries must reach consensus on the proposals, which will be very tough, he said.
Asked about Russia's support for the reforms, Rupel said the views of Russian FM Sergey Lavrov at their recent meeting "were not negative". "On the contrary, we see eye to eye on most proposals, so I have a relatively good feeling about it," he said.
The reform proposal was put forward at the end of June by a panel of eminent persons appointed by the OSCE chair. According to plans, the reform package is to be confirmed at the organisation's ministerial in Ljubljana in December.
Rupel noted that the panel of eminent persons proposed that the OSCE should become a true international organisation with a legal personality. He also deems as important the proposal whereby countries blocking consensus would have to publicly present their reasoning.
The blocking of decisions would thus be made more difficult, Rupel noted. He was upbeat about this proposal, as well as about the idea that the organisation would have regulations and mechanisms that would represent its "constitution".
According to Rupel, there could be "some problems" with the decision whether to give the OSCE a legal personality, especially in the US, where procedures for the ratification of such decisions are very complex.
Slovenia has also drawn up a new proposal for membership contributions, as Russia in particular is displeased with the current system. Rupel said the latest scheme is "a step towards Russia's ideas", while Lavrov has agreed with him recently that solutions to these issues must be sought gradually.

FM Rupel Pleased With OSCE Chairmanship so Far

More articles from this issue:

Archive