IRELAND WILL draw on the lessons of the Northern Ireland peace process during its chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2012, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said.
Speaking in Vienna at the beginning of Ireland’s four-month chairing of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), a subsidiary body of the organisation, yesterday, Mr Martin said Ireland would pay particular attention to the organisation’s work in conflict prevention and resolution when it assumes the overall chairmanship in two years.
“The OSCE plays an important role in conflict prevention and resolution, particularly in relation to the protracted conflicts in the region,” he said.
“As chair, we will work hard to contribute to the resolution of these conflicts, drawing on our experience in this area in the context of the Northern Ireland peace process.”
Noting that human rights and democracy form an integral element of security, Mr Martin said Ireland would “place the human dimension” at the centre of its chairmanship.
“With great pride and commitment, we are looking forward to the challenges and opportunities of chairing the OSCE in 2012.”
This will be the first time Ireland has chaired the organisation, an intergovernmental regional security organisation comprising 56 states, including all EU countries, Russia, the US and Canada.
The organisation deals with a wide range of security issues, including arms control, preventive diplomacy, confidence and security-building measures, human rights, election monitoring and economic and environmental security.
Mr Martin said Ireland, during its four-month chairing of the Forum for Security Co-operation, would press for progress on a range of forum activities, including updating the Vienna Document, which obliges participating states to share information on armed forces and military activities.
Noting that disarmament and the protection of civilians in armed conflict were core priorities of Irish foreign policy, Mr Martin stressed the importance of the international ban on cluster munitions, which was agreed at a Dublin conference in 2008 and came into force in August.