*EPF309 11/13/2002
Transcript: U.S. Official Says Democratic Values, Beliefs Can Effect Change
(Dobriansky at Community of Democracies Conference) (3610)

Under Secretary for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky led the U.S. delegation to the Community of Democracies Conference in Seoul, Korea, November 10-12 and commented at the final press conference that "the gathering here affords us a very significant opportunity in which like minded countries who have come together because of democratic values and beliefs can in fact effect change."

Asked if she felt that official conference documents can counter the issue of terrorism, Dobriansky said that "Democracy is an antidote to terrorism. Every step, every thing that we discussed here, whether it is insuring that there is a strong foundation of good governance, that there is a vibrant civil society, that you have free media, and so forth. Every single component that we have addressed here really relates because democracy is the best antidote to terrorism."

Also in attendance at the press conference were representatives from the Republic of Korea, Poland, the Czech Republic, Mali and India.

Following is the transcript of the final press conference.

(begin transcript)

PRESS CONFERENCE BY OFFICIALS OF THE CONVENING GROUP OF
THE COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES
Tuesday, November 12, 2002
Cinnamon Room of COEX Inter-Continental Hotel
Seoul, Korea

R.O.K. Deputy Minister Mr. Cho, Chang Bum: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. As you know, we just concluded two days of discussion at the Seoul Ministers Conference of the Community of Democracies. Originally, this conference was intended to be attended by the senior officials of the convening group member countries which are the United States, Mexico, Poland, Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Mali, South Africa, and Portugal. However, we are very pleased to have the Foreign Minister of Chile with us and also the Foreign Minister from Mali and other senior officials. Particular I appreciate it that the two ministers as well as the deputy minister from Portugal joined us this morning. I really appreciate their gracing this joint press conference.

We have had very productive and fruitful discussions in the setting of the two plenary sessions and the four roundtables as well as in the context of open ended informal consultations in regard to the important outcome documents which are the Seoul Plan of Action, the Community of Democracies Statement on Terrorism, and also the Chairman's Statement.

Thanks to the cooperation and contribution of the participating countries, the conference, as you have already witnessed, adopted three important outcome documents. First and foremost is the Seoul Plan of Action. You will recall that when the Community of Democracies met in Warsaw two years ago, that conference more or less concentrated on identifying basic principals and values relevant to representative democracy. The conference at that time confirmed the determination of the participating countries of the Community of Democracies to promote democratic values and principals. Now the Seoul Conference, building on that determination, attempted to achieve a kind of program, a road map, which is more action oriented and based on the principals confirmed in the Warsaw Declaration adopted two years ago in Warsaw. The Seoul Conference tried to focus on producing a kind of roadmap detailing the actions the Community of Democracies would take to promote the cause of democracy and to defend democracy in case of any threat from within or from outside democratic countries. The Seoul Plan of Action is aimed at to meet that purpose, that objective, of the Seoul Conference. That very important document has seven important sections. We have already circulated the document itself but if you allow me a couple of minutes, I will briefly touch on these important sections of the Seoul Plan of Action.

The first section relates to regional action. Participating countries expressed their strong intention to promote regional democratic progress through measures like developing and fully implementing regional instruments and also through developing regional human rights and democracy monitoring mechanisms. They also agreed to encourage the reviewing of the state of democracy, including the human rights situation in specific regions, and the sharing of the experiences and best practices which are identified during the review process.

Under section two, the participating countries recognized the need to respond to threats to democracy and the need to protect against threats to democracy, including terrorism. They agreed that to prevent or respond to scenarios of violence against a democratic government, disruption of constitutional rule, persistent unconstitutional alteration of the democratic order, and all support for terrorism, participating countries in the Community of Democracies would resort to such measures as suspending bilateral relations, or suspending commerce or aid to states supporting terrorism. They also intend to create a cadre of trained experts to assist countries where there is a threat to democracy. And also participants in the Community of Democracies intend to develop monitoring systems for democratic crises and if necessary they would convene the member countries when needed to coordinate diplomatic or other efforts such as political mediation. They would also offer their good offices to help restoring democracy if it is threatened.

Under section three of the Seoul Plan of Action, which is related to education for democracy, the participants recognized that education at all levels is a fundamental component for insuring that citizens are made aware of their rights and civic duties as members of a democratic society. They also expressed their determination to promote a culture of democracy through education for democracy.

Under section four of the Seoul Plan of Action, which relates to promoting stronger democracies through good governance, the intention of the participating countries to build strong democratic institutions and practices, which are the backbone of good governance, through promoting the rule of law and through seeking to alleviate poverty and promote economic growth, was reaffirmed.

In section five, the Community of Democracies participants expressed the intention to promote volunteerism to build a stronger civil society.

Under section six, which is related to coordinating democracy assistance, the participants stated that they intend to identify assistance methods to facilitate free and fair elections as well as too strengthen political parties, free media, civil society growth, and a democratic political culture.

And last but not least, the section under the heading of procedure deals with the future activities of the convening group. In particular they agreed to meet regularly, as they have done for the last couple of years, and also to follow up on the progress of the implementation of the Seoul Plan of Action.

Another important outcome document of this conference is the terrorism statement. In Seoul, the Community of Democracies met in plenary session for the first time after the horrific terrorist attacks on 9/11 as well as the recent event in Bali and they reaffirmed there determination to fight against terrorism. First of all, they very strongly condemned terrorism as a grave threat to democratic societies and the values they embrace. They also affirmed that terrorism constitutes a threat to international peace and security as well as a threat to humanity in general and indeed to all the human rights and values on which democratic societies are built. The Community of Democracies conference participants expressed their determination to continue strengthening cooperation among democratic countries in their efforts to combat terrorism.

The last outcome document is the Chairman's Statement. I'm sure that it has already been distributed to all of you. It covers the actual proceedings of the conference for the last two days and reflects in a very concise and factual manner the content of discussions including the results of the four roundtable discussions. You will also see the conclusions reported to this morning's plenary session by the co-chairs of each roundtable in the Chairman's Statement. In the interests of time, I will not go in detail into the conclusions of the roundtables.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Community of Democracies is very unique because it is the sole body to strengthen cooperation among democratic countries and promote and defend democracy worldwide. During the Seoul Conference, that core objective has been reaffirmed and upheld again. But in Seoul, we went a little bit further beyond just confirming the principals and our determination to uphold democratic principals and values. We went further to reach the kind of agreement I described in the Seoul Plan of Action which is very action oriented. We hope that our progress in the Community of Democracies would, through the Seoul Conference, move forward in terms of realizing our goals of strengthening, defending, and promoting democracy around the world. I'm sure that our colleagues around this table agree with me when I say that in that sense, the Seoul Conference really achieved a great success.

To conclude, allow me to express my sincere appreciation to all the members of the convening group and all those participating countries who made tremendous contributions for the success of the conference and their unreserved support. Thank you very much. And then I would invite any of the representatives from the convening group countries, if he or she wants to do so, to present any comments regarding the conference. If none, we will be at the disposal of all of you for any questions or comments and we will try to respond.

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

Question: Maria Carmen Colitti, Radio Radicale Italy: In the procedures there is a sentence saying that the convening group will encourage the formation, among others, of coalitions and caucuses to support democracy. Did the people negotiating this document mean also caucuses within the United Nations system?

R.O.K. Deputy Minister Mr. Cho, Chang Bum: Yes, you are right we have a reference under section seven, procedure, of the Seoul Plan of Action regarding the activities of the convening group which would involve the formation of coalitions and caucuses to support democracy. In fact, we have already had a couple of meetings of the democratic caucus in the context of the United Nations. As appropriate in the course of debate or discussion in the United Nations or some other forum relevant to the issue of democracy or human rights, the convening group intends to work closely together with the other members of the Community of Democracies to promote the cause of democratic values and principals in the context of that specific international or regional organization's debate on the issues related to promoting democracy around the world. Maybe my colleague from Poland has additional points to add, otherwise we will have another question.

Polish Ambassador Mr. Henryk Szlaifer: I would like to emphasize that this idea as stated also appeared during the Warsaw conference but probably now after two years of small experiments and trials, probably the concept of coalitions and caucuses among the members or participants in the Community of Democracies should be given a new impulse, not a fresh start, but more of an active presence concerning issues which are related to democracy and the support for democracy. This seems an obvious outcome of the present Seoul Conference.

Question: David de Carreta, Radio Radicale Italy: Will you oppose, after what you said, the Libyan presidency of the Human Rights UN Committee at Geneva next year? Thank you.

R.O.K. Deputy Minister Mr. Cho, Chang Bum: Thank you very much. Honestly speaking, as far as I understand, during the course of the last two day's sessions, we did not have an opportunity to discuss this issue. I don't know, I would appreciate it if my colleagues can correct me if I'm wrong, this is an issue I'm sure that the members of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva contribute to the cause of that human rights commission consistent with the objectives of the United Nations and honor the international instruments on human rights. I don't think it would be appropriate at this stage if we make any comments further than that, or take any other position, at least from the perspective of the Republic of Korea. I don't know, maybe our colleagues from other countries have comments.

Czech Republic Deputy Minister Mr. Pavel Vosalik: I would like to stress the fact that coalitions and caucuses are not going to be created or suggested against some other country when we are talking about the Commission on Human Rights. If the commission is going to be chaired by Libya, it's just the result of democratic processes inside the United Nations. The coalitions and caucuses that we are talking about are focused on topics of discussion in the Commission on Human Rights. We definitely will try to coordinate our activities inside this commission when it is focused on the topics the commission is going to discuss or negotiate but definitely not against any countries or against concrete bodies.

Mali Minister Mr. Lassana Traore: As I said, I am agreeable to what my two colleagues announced before that the Seoul Conference is focused on investing for peace and prosperity first, and in that model we succeeded in having very very good results. For the other question about the Libyan presidency, I think that there is another forum for discussing this and we have in this sense, like the Conference in Seoul said, that democracy has to be a wide open forum where all people can express themselves and have a chance to bring democracy to all the world, especially in Africa. I think that the best model we have to focus on is how this convening group can help all other countries to have democracy in their countries and in their daily behavior.

U.S. Undersecretary for Global Affairs Ms. Paula J. Dobriansky: Thank you. I would just like to comment on your question in this context: two points building on what you just heard. I think that the gathering here affords us a very significant opportunity in which like minded countries who have come together because of democratic values and beliefs can in fact effect change. Change in very critical ways either, for that matter, at home, in respective countries, in regions, and more globally. So I start with that broad premise, in terms of what is the very positive effect and influence of this very body if you will. In the U.N. Human Rights Commission, I think that democratic countries need to speak out in terms of the importance of that forum and the values that one attaches to it because for the U.N. Human Rights Commission in fact to really be able to address most directly human rights issues, there needs to be a standing and respect for human rights to begin with. And what I think is important is that for all of those countries who are part of that body, there needs to be, certainly, clarity as to the importance attached to human rights. How it is expressed, and where those countries do not respect human rights, I think it also needs to be addressed very directly. The U.N. Human Rights Commission is a body which can spotlight and bring attention to human rights abuses and I think that does need to be put on the table in the most effective way.

Question: Kevin Kim from the BBC. I have a question for the speaker from the Untied States. What do you think was the biggest result of this conference for the United States and how do you think the documents adopted can really fight essentially the issue of terrorism.

U.S. Undersecretary for Global Affairs Ms. Paula J. Dobriansky: Thank You. First what I think is the most significant outcome of this conference is what our chairman referred to and what is in fact the Seoul Plan of Action. I would start with that because it is a blueprint for action. The chairman articulated for you many of the key points annunciated in that document which really do build upon what was achieved in Warsaw but takes us further. Specifically, regional cooperation. There are efforts already that have been undertaken; for example in the Organization of American States with its issuance of the inter-American democratic charter. That's only one example but which has great relevance for moving forward. Also in dealing with threats to democracy we came together to articulate those types of measures, the range of measures, that could be employed collectively or individually by democracies. And then also I'd want to underscore in the Seoul Plan of Action the area and issue of education for democracy. Here there was a most important synergy with the non-governmental community. In fact, it was the non-governmental community that came forward, in fact at least in our case, and said this is an important issue. This is a very important issue for civil society if democracy is to be effective and to be vibrant, there has to be vibrant education and very solid education for democracy. I think that the Seoul Plan of Action is a very significant and very positive outcome of the conference. Forgive me, your second question, you had a second part I think?

Question: Kevin Kim from the BBC. How do you think these documents can effectively counter the issues of terrorism?

U.S. Undersecretary for Global Affairs Ms. Paula J. Dobriansky: I mentioned two points: first most broadly, the very essence of this conference and all that we did here. Democracy is an antidote to terrorism. Every step, every thing that we discussed here, whether it is insuring that there is a strong foundation of good governance, that there is a vibrant civil society, that you have free media, and so forth. Every single component that we have addressed here really relates because democracy is the best antidote to terrorism. And then secondly I think there was very much a good discussion, not only resulting in the Statement on Terrorism, which reflected a commitment again among like minded countries brought together because of the commitment to democratic values. That kind of solidarity is very potent.

Indian Minister of External Affairs Mr. Yashwant Shinha: Thank You. I would like to also highlight another dimension of the link between democracy and terrorism. It's really only in democratic societies which have the respect for freedom, which have the respect for privacy, that there is a special vulnerability for terrorist attacks. In fact, the strengths of democracy, the freedom that individuals enjoy, the right to free expression, of movement, of privacy with regard to financial transactions, each of these strengths has been exploited by the terrorists and have been made into weaknesses in that sense. And if you just look around at the more horrific incidents in the last year and a half, the World Trade Center in the U.S., the attack on the Indian Parliament, the very symbol of democracy in India, the cultural center recently in Moscow, or the tourist resort in Bali, these are all democracies, all these four examples that I gave. So it is that democracy has become vulnerable because of it's strengths and therefore we also deliberated on these issues and felt that we have to preserve this liberty, we have to preserve this freedom, but at the same time recognize that terrorism poses a special danger to democratic society. Thank you.

Question: I am reporter Hwang Jae-hoon from Yonhap News. The Seoul Plan of Action refers to the development of a monitoring system for democracy and the nurturing of skilled experts for supporting states whose democracy is under threat. Can you please elaborate on this?

R.O.K. Deputy Minister Mr. Cho, Chang Bum: I think the question relates to how the Community of Democracies effectively responds to the kind of situation in which democracy is being threatened. In case of an actual threat to democracy such as terrorism or unconstitutional interruption of the constitutional democratic order, we have spent quite some time in producing the kind of action program which safeguards the cause of democracy and democratic order in the specific country or region where democracy is threatened. And you mentioned we have ten paragraphs under the heading "Responding to Threats to Democracy" in section two. For example, in a particular case of a threat coming from terrorism, participants in the Community of Democracies agreed to suspend bilateral relations or commercial aid to a state entity and in case of a non-state entity, the Community of Democracies again would suspend any meaningful linkage with that terrorist entity and all support or aid would be suspended.

We also elaborated the details in terms of promoting a legal framework intended to counter terrorism which you see in paragraph 2-2. The Community of Democracies expressed their intention to adopt and comply with all the obligations under the twelve United Nations conventions relevant to combating terrorism and also, and more importantly in my view, United Nations security council resolution 1373, and also including the activities of the counter-terrorism committee. And you will also notice the various other measures in case of a threat to democracy: creating a cadre of trained experts and also developing a monitoring system for democratic crises so that in case of crisis, early assistance could be provided by the Community of Democracies to save democracy in that specific region or country which is in crisis. And also if necessary, the Community of Democracies would convene the member countries to consider the coordination of diplomatic or other efforts to help safeguard democracy in such a crisis situation. And you will see other recommendations and the intended actions in the remaining paragraphs in page three of the Seoul Plan of Action under the heading "Responding to Threats to Democracy." I hope this provides the answer to the question just raised by the Korean journalist.

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you very much. That brings us to the conclusion of this joint press conference. We really appreciate your great interest and support for the success of the Seoul Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies. We hope that we can continue to count on such support and cooperation from all of you. Thank you very much.

(end transcript)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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