Washington– The United States Helsinki Commission will hold a public briefing concerning the security-related work of the OSCE, including recent agreements on export controls for man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), “best practices” for the transfer of small arms and light weapons, and new measures for the destruction of stockpiles of ammunition. These agreements were taken at the December 2003 OSCE Foreign Ministers’ meeting in The Netherlands, together with a comprehensive strategy for addressing the changing security environment of the 21st century.
OSCE’s Contribution to European Security
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
385 Russell Senate Office Building
In addition to its well-known human rights standards, the 1975 Helsinki Final Act also developed measures for building security through military transparency and cooperative arms control. Today, the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues this work, especially through the Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC) created in 1992 to respond to changing force levels and other military questions in the post-Cold War landscape. The OSCE has also developed its own regional contribution to the global war on terrorism and adapt to the changing security environment.
Speaking on these issues at the briefing will be Mr. James H. Cox, the Chief Arms Control Delegate of the United States to the OSCE in Vienna. Mr. Cox served as the Chairman of the FSC in late 2003. He also represents the United States in negotiations on the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) and the Open Skies Treaty. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Mr. Cox has had an extensive career in the U.S. Army, including service as a military attache at U.S. embassies in Russia and Poland and other positions in Central Europe and Eurasia.
