*EPF506 10/18/2002
Community of Democracies Conference to Focus on Action
(To be held in Seoul, South Korea, November 10-12) (840)

By David Pitts
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The upcoming Community of Democracies Conference to be held November 10-12 in Seoul, South Korea, presents an opportunity to strengthen existing democracies and promote new ones, says Paula Dobriansky, under secretary of state for global affairs. The United States supports the drafting of a plan of action at the meeting "that will promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms" around the world, she added.

Speaking October 18 at a preview conference held at the Woodrow Wilson Center sponsored by the Council for a Community of Democracies, Dobriansky said the fact that Secretary of State Colin Powell will lead the U.S. delegation to the conference "underscores our commitment."

In addition to reaffirming the democratic principles adopted at the first Community of Democracies conference two years before in Warsaw, Poland, Dobriansky said the United States hopes the plan of action that will emerge from the Seoul meeting will contain an "emphasis on action," and "a concrete agenda."

Dobriansky laid particular emphasis on "regional instruments." As an example, she referred to the Inter American Democratic Charter (2001), a result of the Warsaw meeting, which affirms the democratic rights of all citizens in the Americas. She noted the African Union's recent support for democratic ideals in Africa and discussed how the African Union might interact with the Organization of American States (OAS) on "best practices."

In terms of promoting democracy in general, Dobriansky stressed the importance of education, enhancing transparency, and combating corruption. The Seoul conference, she said, presents an opportunity to "cultivate democracy" in areas where it is undeveloped while "further refining," mature democracies. She also voiced support for the development of "early warning systems" to anticipate democratic setbacks around the world.

Asked by a reporter whether the recent announcement of a North Korean nuclear program would be discussed at the Seoul conference, Dobriansky responded that "all treats to democracy" will be on the agenda at the meeting. She said she anticipated "a cooperative effort" from all corners of the globe in both promoting democracy and dealing with threats to democracy.

Chang-Beom Cho, Korean deputy foreign minister, said the conference presents "an invaluable opportunity" to expand democracy around the world. Cho said the plan of action will contain specific measures that democracies new and old are to implement. Among the subject areas that probably will be addressed, he said, are the development of political parties, the improvement of public education, the strengthening of rule of law, and the encouragement of civil society and volunteerism.

The conference also will adopt "a statement on terrorism," Cho said. It will "strongly denounce" terrorism "as a direct threat to democracy" and detail "concerted efforts" by the world's democracies to combat it. In addition, he said the meeting will focus "on conditions that offer a breeding ground for terrorism while recognizing it can never be justified." Both he and Dobriansky said that democracy is the best antidote to the discontent that can lead to terrorism.

Cho also responded to the question about the North Korean nuclear program, saying at one point that his government is "very much concerned," and later that it is "deeply concerned." He cited a number of agreements that, he said, North Korea had signed requiring the Korean peninsula to be kept free of nuclear weapons.

In addition to the ministerial Community of Democracies Conference in Seoul, a parallel meeting of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) will be held, as occurred two years ago in Warsaw. Robert Herman, co-director of the Democracy Coalition Project at the Open Society Institute, said the role of that meeting "will be to hold governments accountable" for their actions in promoting democracy. "We will have a special emphasis on strengthening civil society in closed societies," he added.

Walt Raymond, president of the Council for a Community of Democracies, an NGO and also sponsor of the October 18 meeting, said his group "tries to facilitate meetings between officials and non-officials," with the goal of promoting democracy. He said that the growth, particularly over the last two decades, of NGOs dedicated to democracy promotion, has been considerable. "It is a major new step forward in democracy building," he said. Raymond said the NGO meeting also will formulate specific proposals and will present them to the ministerial meeting.

Dobriansky said she favored forging closer ties between governments and NGOs for democracy building, and she noted that NGO representatives will be present at some of the sessions at the Ministerial meeting. She said she hoped that governments and NGOs, and more specifically organizations dedicated to the building of civil society, "will be able to partner on actions" that will result from the Seoul conference.

Dobriansky said 118 nations have been invited to the Seoul meeting as democracy participants, and 21 nations as observers. The countries were selected by the ten convening nations -- South Korea, the United States, India, the Czech Republic, Poland, Chile, Mexico, South Africa, Mali, and Portugal. Cho said that to date 96 countries have confirmed their participation. They will be represented at the foreign minister level. The inclusion of observer nations is a new development in this second conference. It did not occur in Warsaw.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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