28 February 2002

U.S. Welcomes Tajikistan Proposal for Afghanistan and OSCE

The United States has thanked the government of Tajikistan for proposing that Afghanistan be invited to become a Partner for Cooperation in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and shares the view of Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov that partner status might help Afghanistan establish normal relations with its neighbors.

Following is the statement on the proposal by Douglas A. Davidson, deputy chief of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, to the Permanent Council in Vienna February 28:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

We would like to thank Tajikistan for the proposal to invite Afghanistan to become a Partner for Cooperation. It is particularly appropriate that such a proposal comes from an OSCE State in the region.

We share the view of President Rakhmonov that partner status in the OSCE might help Afghanistan establish a normal relationship with its neighbors by drawing upon OSCE's experience.

OSCE has valuable experience with legislative drafting, media development, elections, minority issues, and trafficking of humans and weapons that might prove useful in Afghanistan's efforts to develop democratic institutions, rule of law, and a market economy.

OSCE has also conducted seminars on topics of interest to existing Partners. We believe Afghanistan could benefit from this type of contact as well.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.