VZCZCXRO7456
OO RUEHAST RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR
DE RUEHC #7832/01 0290035
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 290026Z JAN 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE IMMEDIATE 7398
INFO ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 007832 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OSCE PREL PHUM GG EU
SUBJECT: OSCE/PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO EU PRESIDENT, 
CZECH FM SCHWARZENBERG 
 
¶1. Post is authorized to present the following statement at 
the January 29 Permanent Council meeting in Vienna. 
 
Begin text: 
 
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Permanent Council, 
Foreign Minister Schwarzenberg.  The United States and the 
Czech Republic have a close bilateral relationship, and we 
also enjoy a close partnership with the European Union based 
on shared values and a strategic outlook.  We look forward to 
building on both relationships to address the many challenges 
facing the OSCE in the coming months.  Some of these dovetail 
well with your country's priorities for its EU Presidency. 
 
An issue of immediate concern is Georgia.  First off, I would 
like to take this opportunity to welcome the work of our 
Chairman-in-Office in helping smooth the way for resumption 
of gas deliveries to South Ossetia, and hope the commitment 
for follow-on work on water deliveries will prove just as 
successful. 
 
Nevertheless, the security situation in Georgia remains 
highly unstable.  While the August 12 cease-fire and the 
September 8 agreement ended the active phase of fighting in 
the war, we continue to hear reports of kidnappings, 
banditry, and ethnic cleansing, and attacks on Georgian 
officials and property.  Human Rights Watch recently called 
attention to violations of international law by all parties 
during the August conflict, including indiscriminate and 
disproportionate attacks by both Georgian and Russian forces 
and South Ossetian forces' campaign of deliberate destruction 
of ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia.  Human Rights 
Watch also reported Russia's failure to ensure public order 
and safety in the areas of Georgia that remain under its 
control. 
 
These failures underscore the need for further OSCE 
engagement and an OSCE monitoring presence with uninhibited 
access to the whole of Georgia. Now is the time for more -- 
not less -- international engagement to help prevent 
violence, identify ongoing cease-fire violations, deter human 
rights abuses, and facilitate humanitarian assistance.  In 
that respect, we value highly the role the EU Monitoring 
Mission is able to play in ensuring transparency and 
providing an additional international presence.  We also 
greatly appreciate the contribution by EU Special 
Representative Morel to launching and sustaining the Geneva 
process.  We are convinced the OSCE continues to have a vital 
role to play in restoring stability and security in the 
region, and trust that other delegations share this view. 
 
As we noted last week, we stand ready to work with the 
Chairmanship to ensure a continued OSCE presence in Georgia, 
and are prepared to support the Chairmanship's basic 
approach, while remaining sensitive to the need to support 
Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its 
internationally recognized borders.  Foreign Minister 
Schwarzenberg, we would appreciate hearing more about how the 
Presidency and the EU as a whole views the OSCE's evolving 
role and the added value it provides on the ground, and how 
OSCE activities fit in the larger picture of EU priorities 
for the region. 
 
We also welcome the Czech Presidency's emphasis on energy 
security as one of its priority issues. The OSCE affirmed its 
commitments on energy security in the 2003 Maastricht 
Strategy Document and in the 2006 Ministerial Council's 
Decision on Energy Security Dialogue. We believe that the 
OSCE can usefully supplement what is occurring in other fora 
in this critical area. 
 
The OSCE has a role to play in fostering an exchange on 
energy security, drawing from the collective knowledge base 
of participating States with a variety of interests and 
concerns. The OSCE brings together energy producers, 
consumers, and transit countries, all of which have roles in 
securing supply and transit, protecting infrastructure, 
managing demand, and bringing new technologies to market. 
The OSCE should continue with the commitments made in 2003 
and 2006 by engaging in activities that will help us identify 
where our interests converge and what policies and 
instruments we can bring to bear that will enhance energy 
security for us all. 
 
As in the past, we will work with the European Union to 
strengthen all aspects of the human dimension.  In line with 
the spirit of Helsinki, the European Union and the United 
 
STATE 00007832  002 OF 002 
 
 
States, together with other OSCE participating States, must 
resolutely support the core values of this organization -- 
the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and 
the promotion of democratic institutions and the rule of law. 
 These commitments serve as the foundation for peace and 
security in the OSCE region. 
 
We also welcome the Czech EU Presidency's emphasis on 
fortifying links with the EU's eastern neighbors through your 
'Eastern Partnership Initiative.'  These countries benefit 
significantly from increased contact with EU and OSCE 
partners. This important proposal reinforces our view that 
the previous enlargements by the EU and NATO over the past 
decade have made a significant contribution to stability and 
prosperity in Europe.  The integration of additional 
countries into these euro-Atlantic structures has not come at 
the expense of any other, neighboring country or region, but 
has strengthened stability, security, and prosperity for us 
all. 
 
In these and other areas, we look forward to continuing to 
work with our EU partners to update and vitalize our existing 
security and cooperation agenda that have been nurtured by 
the OSCE over the years. 
 
Mr. Minister, we wish you and your mission here all the best. 
 Please be assured of the full cooperation of the United 
States during the Czech presidency. 
 
Thank you. 
 
End text. 
CLINTON