EUROPE’S BIGGEST security and democracy watchdog is racing against time to find a new chief after Turkey blocked Austria’s nominee over her perceived opposition to Ankara’s bid for European Union membership.
French diplomat Marc Perrin de Brichambaut completes his term as secretary general of the OSCE, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, on June 30th, six months before Ireland takes over the rotating annual chair of the 56-nation body from Lithuania.
Former Austrian foreign minister Ursula Plassnik was widely tipped to succeed Mr de Brichambaut, but Ankara vetoed her candidacy, citing her long-standing opposition to Turkey’s full membership of the EU.
“We conveyed to both Austria and Lithuania that we cannot accept a candidate who questions our European identity as head of one of the most important international organisations of Europe,” said Turkey’s foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
Ms Plassnik is remembered in Turkey for her role at an EU meeting in 2005, when she stood alone in blocking the start of accession talks for Ankara. She finally gave way in return for Croatia being allowed to reopen its own membership negotiations.
Surveys suggest most Austrians oppose full membership of the EU for Turkey and that the far-right Freedom Party would win a general election if held now.
“I was the first person to signal interest in becoming the OSCE’s next secretary general,” said Ankara’s candidate for the top OSCE job, Ersin Ercin. “Plassnik’s application came at the last moment. She is known as a person who blocks Turkey’s EU integration.
“Many OSCE member states east of Vienna are bewildered.
“They have the impression that EU countries want to turn the OSCE into an extension of the EU . . . [and] think they are immune to criticism. They lecture the rest of the world east of Vienna about the issue of human rights. But Austria is not perfect, nobody is. We should play fair.”
Mr Ercin, currently Turkey’s ambassador to Brazil, added that many states thought Austria should not nominate a secretary general because it already gained so much from having the OSCE based in Vienna. He also complained that his own candidacy had been blocked by Armenia and Cyprus, both of which have major disputes with Turkey.
Austria reacted furiously to Ankara’s veto, which foreign minister and vice-chancellor Michael Spindelegger called “unjustified and incomprehensible”.
“We won’t simply accept this veto,” he said, adding that he would seek a meeting of the OSCE’s permanent council.
Mr Spindelegger claimed that he and Turkish president Abdullah Gul had agreed last month not to hinder each other’s candidates to lead the OSCE, which works in areas ranging from election monitoring to conflict resolution, arms control to protection of free media.
“A clear shadow has been cast on bilateral relations between Austria and Turkey,” he said.
Lithuania is now understood to have nominated Lamberto Zannier, the Italian head of the United Nations mission in Kosovo, as a compromise candidate.
