OSCE Chairperson and President of the Swiss Confederation Didier Burkhalter appoints Ambassador Tim Guldimann as personal envoy to Ukraine
Bern, 24.02.2014 - In his capacity as Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the President of the Swiss Confederation, Didier Burkhalter, has appointed Ambassador Tim Guldimann as his personal envoy to Ukraine. Mr Guldimann, the head of the Swiss embassy in Berlin, will hold initial discussions as early as tonight in Kiev.
In reaction to the developments in Ukraine, the President of the Swiss Confederation and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter, today informed the members of the UN Security Council in New York about various measures intended to contribute to establishing new trust, fostering dialogue and building bridges. In his speech before the UN Security Council, Mr Burkhalter stressed the need for the transition process in Ukraine to take place fairly, and not marginalise any region or section of the population. He insisted that the OSCE could play an important role in helping to overcome the crisis in Ukraine.
To this end, the Chairperson-in-Office has named Ambassador Tim Guldimann, the Swiss ambassador in Berlin, for a temporary but as yet undefined period as his personal envoy to Ukraine. As a former Swiss ambassador in Teheran (1999-2004) and head of the OSCE Assistance Group to Chechnya (1996-1997), the OSCE Mission to Croatia (1997-1999) and OSCE Mission in Kosovo, as well as special representative of the United Nations secretary-general in Kosovo (2007-2008), Tim Guldimann has extensive experience in conflict resolution and good knowledge of the OSCE's work. Ambassador Guldimann will arrive in Kiev tonight to take up his post. This temporary role as Personal Envoy of the Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE does not alter his position as Swiss ambassador in Berlin.
As a further measure to support the transition process in Ukraine, Mr Burkhalter suggested convening an international contact group that could serve as a platform to coordinate international support and project-related activities. The impartiality and inclusive nature of the OSCE gives it the characteristics necessary to form and guide such a contact group. Furthermore, the OSCE will second a mission to Ukraine in the coming days to discuss what form of support is most needed in Ukraine from the OSCE.
As well as measures for overcoming the crisis in Ukraine, in his speech today before the UN Security Council, Mr Burkhalter explained the priorities of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship and spoke on cooperation between the regional security organisations and the United Nations. On Tuesday he will meet in Washington with the United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, known as the Helsinki Commission. Before this commission, which is made up of 18 members of Congress and a representative from the US State Department, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Defense, he will also discuss the priorities of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship and the crisis in Ukraine.
Priorities of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship
Under the leitmotif of "Creating a Security Community for the Benefit of Everyone", Switzerland has set three objectives for its Chairmanship of the OSCE:
• Promote security and stability: Through dialogue and confidence-building efforts, Switzerland wants to contribute to resolving conflicts, particularly in the Western Balkans and the South Caucasus. In addition, Switzerland supports efforts to achieve greater transparency and reforms in the security forces.
• Improve people's living conditions: Switzerland wants to help ensure that all OSCE participating States fulfil their obligations to protect and respect human rights. It also wants to work on more efficient ways of preventing and coping with natural disasters in the OSCE region.
• Strengthen the OSCE's capacity to act: Switzerland supports the current reform process to enable the OSCE to respond more rapidly and efficiently to future crises, among other things through the further development of its conflict mediation capacities. Another important objective of Switzerland's Chairmanship will be to regularly involve civil society and young people in the OSCE's activities.
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