열린장관실

Statement by H.E. Ban Ki-moon Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Republic of Korea at the 13th Meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council,

5 December 2005 Ljublijana

Mr. Chairman, Mr. Secretary General,

Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates,

It is indeed a great honor for me to attend the 2005 Ministerial Council Meeting marking the 30th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. As I served my  ambassadorship in Austria and Slovenia, this Meeting in Ljublijana holds particular meaning for me. Let me begin by joining the previous speakers in extending our appreciation to the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the Secretariat for their hard work as well as for the warm hospitality rendered to my delegation.

[The OSCE Reforms]

Mr. Chairman,

Now is the time for the OSCE to build upon its thirty years of success to revitalize its role in a new security environment. I am sure that under your able leadership, Mr. Chairman, this Ministerial will yield substantive results in implementing the vision of the revitalized, reformed and rebalanced OSCE.

[Strengthening Cooperation between the OSCE and East Asia]

Mr. Chairman,

We are living in an era in which instability in one region can easily spill over into other regions. In this regard, the outreach activities of the OSCE need to be further intensified.

Yesterday I chaired the Asian Partners for Cooperation Meeting to be followed by another meeting with the OSCE Troika. We discussed specific ways and means to strengthen cooperation between the OSCE and the Asian Partners. I would like to highlight some of the ideas suggested in the meetings.

First of all, the Asian Partners reaffirmed the need for more intensified interaction and cooperation with the OSCE. In this vein, we need to implement the Outreach Report in an expeditious manner and promote the exchange of personnel between the OSCE and the Asian Partners. The OSCE is also encouraged to participate in important meetings held by Asian Partners dealing with security issues and democratic process.

  Secondly, it is suggested that modalities be improved on the participation of Partners in the major deliberation bodies of the OSCE. The idea is to allow the Partners to participate in the Permanent Council and the Forum for Security Cooperation on a 'permanent' rather than ‘ad-hoc’ basis.

Thirdly, cooperation between the OSCE and other regional arrangements should be strengthened. In this context, it would be highly useful to upgrade   interaction with the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which is the sole inter-governmental security arrangement in East Asia. The OSCE and the ARF could further explore possible mechanism of cooperation such as joint programs and activities, exchange of visits and convening of regular dialogue.

[Inter-Korean Relations and the North Korean Nuclear Issue]

Mr. Chairman,

Former Finnish President Kekkonen stated in the Opening Statement of the CSCE in 1973, "Security is not gained by erecting fences, security is gained by opening gates." Opening gates, we believe, is the default option to establish a durable peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeast Asian region.

In line with this belief, it is crucial to deal with the two tasks at hand in a harmonious manner, namely, promoting inter-Korean reconciliation and peacefully resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. These two tasks are like the two wheels of one bicycle. If a bicycle is to go forward, the wheels must move in harmony. Forward momentum has to be maintained in both inter-Korean relations and the Six-Party Talks in a mutually reinforcing way.

On the inter-Korean front, significant progress in confidence building has been achieved through such projects as the reconnection of railroads and highways, and the Gaesong Industrial Complex across the demilitarized zone, as well as the installation of a hotline between military authorities and exploring cooperation in fisheries in the West Sea. The Korean Government has also been focusing on pressing humanitarian issues such as those of people who went missing during and after the Korean War, and the reunion of separated family members.

As for the North Korean nuclear issue, a solid groundwork has been laid out at the fourth round of the Six-Party Talks in September with the adoption of the Joint Statement setting out goals and principles toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.  Now, the North Korean nuclear issue has entered the phase of substantive resolution, and the new round of the Talks is underway to work out a detailed plan for the implementation of the commitments made in the Joint Statement.  In this regard, we look forward to the continued support of the OSCE participating States and Partners.

  Indeed, Mr. Chairman, as you suggested this morning, the historic experience of the OSCE is highly valuable and inspiring to our work to promote peace on the Korean Peninsular and in Northeast Asia.

[Cooperation between the ROK and the OSCE]

Mr. Chairman,

The Republic of Korea cherishes its twelve year partnership with the OSCE. I personally take a keen interest in the cooperation between the ROK and the OSCE. It is a source of particular satisfaction to me to see progress in our ties since I, as the then Ambassador to Austria, was behind the efforts to initiate the first OSCE-Korea Conference in 2001. As a follow-up, in 2003 Korea and the OSCE co-sponsored a workshop to explore the applicability of OSCE Confidence and Security Building Measures (CSBMs) in Northeast Asia. Building on this, in April this year the second OSCE-Korea Conference was held in Seoul under the theme of 'New Security Threats and a New Security Paradigm.' The 2005 Conference was a great success in every respect.

Through joint conferences, seminars and other initiatives, we have drawn lessons from the OSCE experience, in our pursuit of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. I look forward to our close consultations and cooperation in this regard continuing in the years ahead.

Mr. Chairman,

Let me conclude my statement by expressing my earnest expectation that, as the largest existing regional security organization, the OSCE will, through appropriate reform, find itself revitalized and able to make a still greater contribution to world peace and security.

Thank you for your kind attention.

/END/