Madrid - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday
expressed pessimism over the state of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), saying an annual meeting which was
concluding in Madrid had failed to 'overcome a serious crisis.'
The human rights and security body had been unable to follow the
example of other international organizations in adopting reforms and
in adapting to new times, Lavrov said during the meeting which
brought together more than 40 foreign ministers from 56 OSCE
countries.
There had been no response to Russian proposals to reform the
OSCE, which some countries or groups of countries were using for
their own benefit, Lavrov said, without naming the United States or
other Western countries.
'Some partners have not moved one millimetre,' the minister
charged, complaining that 'such talks have no meaning.'
The OSCE still had no charter clarifying questions such as the
role of electoral observers and field missions, Lavrov observed.
The minister denied accusations that Russia was trying to weaken
the OSCE's election monitoring body ODIHR, which is boycotting the
Russian parliamentary elections on Sunday.
The West suspects Russia of having barred OSCE observers from the
elections with bureaucratic obstacles, but Lavrov said Russia wanted
to boost the ODIHR mandate which had been 'watered down.'
Lavrov backed Kazakhstan's bid to chair the OSCE, saying Moscow
would have preferred Astana to take over already in 2009, instead of
doing so only after Greece in 2010, as has been proposed by the
Spanish OSCE presidency.
The US and several other countries have frowned on the Kazakh bid
because of doubts over the country's democratic credentials. The next
country to chair the OSCE will be Finland, which is taking over from
Spain on January 1.
The two-day meeting has been overshadowed by disputes between
Moscow and Washington, which have accused each other of weakening the
OSCE.
Russia accuses the West of using the OSCE to promote its political
interests by focusing on human rights and democracy issues, while the
US suspects Russia of trying to undermine democracy within the OSCE.
No progress was reported on the possible extension of the
OSCE mandate in Kosovo, which Russia opposes if the province declares
independence unilaterally from Serbia, or on Russia's plans to
scrap the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) arms control
treaty.
Lavrov said on Thursday that a 'fragmentation' was threatening
Europe whose security architecture could collapse.
Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gutch also expressed 'concern'
over the state of the OSCE on Friday, saying that a continuing lack
of agreement 'has led to an erosion of our achievements.'
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said late Thursday
that it might be difficult for the OSCE to approve a joint
declaration, though the Spanish presidency would issue one of its
own.
Decisions by the OSCE require unanimity, and its members have not
issued a joint political declaration since 2002.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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