Remarks by Minister Raul Mälk at the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting

Raul Mälk, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
2 December 1998, Oslo


Mr. Chairman,
Dear colleagues,

I would like to begin by thanking Norway for its hospitality. It is a pleasure to be in Oslo to participate in this meeting.

First, a few words on a topic that has been high on the OSCE's agenda in recent months - Kosovo. Restoring stability and preventing the humanitarian disaster from developing further in the region is currently one of the greatest challenges facing Europe. As far as OSCE decisions are concerned, we have should have been involved in Kosovo yet these decisions have not been fully implemented. A blatant violation of OSCE principles, however, meant that bold action had to be taken. Action was possible thanks to co-operation between several organisations, as well as the OSCE's ability to react to events in a flexible manner. Estonia is committed to supporting and contributing to activities in the region and is among the numerous countries participating in the verification mission.

Secondly, I would like to touch upon the ongoing discussion concerning the European Security Charter. It has been noted that the OSCE's actions in Kosovo have had a significant impact on this discussion. Indeed, the Kosovo experience - as a concrete example - has certainly made a useful contribution to this theoretical exercise.

The Kosovo experience has highlighted the need to preserve organisational flexibility within the OSCE. It has been stressed on numerous occasions that the OSCE's comparative advantage over other organisations is its ability to react to events in a flexible manner, and that this flexibility must be preserved. Now we must reach consensus on how to develop this further. The Security Charter should be an instrument for ensuring flexibility. Yet if it regulates a wide range of activities, as many proposals have suggested, then we must be careful to avoid over-regulation as this could become an obstacle to flexibility.

As we approach the drafting stage of the Charter, we should first of all consider the OSCE's need to take co-operative measures whenever its principles are wilfully ignored. It is obvious that we do not face a shortage of essential principles to guide us in the existing security environment. Unfortunately, these accepted principles and obligations are not always met. Thus we should try to focus on how to ensure that countries adhere to OSCE principles.

Finally, allow me to touch upon the OSCE's financial situation and its cost effectiveness. The payment of membership fees is the only specific obligation to OSCE members that can be measured precisely. Unfortunately, it is also an obligation that is quite often ignored. I would like to commend the Poland chairmanship, for its efforts to improve the situation in this matter and wish the incoming chairmanship Norway luck in continuing these efforts.

I would also like to add that while the OSCE's activities seem to cost fairly little, these costs are relatively limited only in comparison to larger organisations. A closer look at trends in OSCE expenditures reveals that spending has increased almost ten times in the last five years. While I do not wish to question the necessity of individual expenditures, it is clear that this rapid growth cannot continue indefinitely. In the future, we should pay more attention to our spending, and take care to weigh the necessity of activities that are aimed at widening our mandate. At the same time, we should be prepared to take a careful look at the current undertakings.

In conclusion, allow me to congratulate Poland on the successful conclusion of its first chairmanship of the OSCE and welcome the new chair Norway.


Thank you for your attention.