Clinton Urges European Partners to Strengthen Security

06 December 2012

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States remains committed to the sound principles of the OSCE.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to strengthen its capacity to promote peace and security, champion democracy and defend universal human rights and dignity.

“As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, it is important to remember that those accords and this organization that sprang from them affirmed an inextricable link between the security of states and the security of citizens,” Clinton said in remarks to the OSCE Ministerial Council in Dublin December 6. “They codified universal rights and freedoms that belong to all citizens, and those commitments empowered and encouraged dissidents to work for change.”

The secretary said the OSCE has a long legacy of defending fundamental freedoms for people everywhere.

“This year alone, the OSCE sent observer missions to monitor 17 different elections, including in my own country,” Clinton said.

She said the organization’s efforts helped to ensure a largely free, fair and peaceful election in Serbia and a peaceful transfer of power in Georgia.

“And throughout the region, the OSCE continues to advance a comprehensive approach to security that makes a difference in people’s lives,” the secretary said.

Clinton said the work of creating a Europe that is whole, free and at peace remains unfinished. She said that meetings with civil society leaders from across the region revealed a number of growing challenges, including new restrictions on human rights, new pressures on journalists and new assaults on nongovernmental organizations.

“I urge all of us to pay attention to their concerns,” she said, citing the importance of addressing issues ranging from protecting freedom of expression and religion to preventing discrimination against vulnerable populations.

“Every participating state, including the United States, has room for improvement,” Clinton said. “The work of building a democracy and protecting human rights is never done, and one of the strengths of the OSCE has been that it provides a forum for discussing this challenge and making progress together.”

The secretary called on the organization’s membership to work together to address common challenges and achieve shared goals in the 21st century.

“This is the time for the OSCE to once again take up the mantle of leadership, to push forward the frontiers of human rights and dignity and to reaffirm the values and principles that have guided this organization ever since its founding,” Clinton concluded.

The secretary’s stop in Dublin comes as part of a five-day European tour. She previously visited Prague and Brussels, and is due to travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland, before returning to Washington December 7.