Keynote Speech by Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Masatoshi
ABE,
at the Second OSCE-Japan Conference
"Search for Effective Conflict Prevention under New Security Circumstances"
H.E. Ambassador Kubiš, Co-Chair, H.E. Dr. Arima, Co-Chair, and participants from member states of the OSCE and ARF, representatives of international organizations, distinguished intellectuals,
Today, it gives me a great pleasure to co-host the second OSCE-Japan Conference in Tokyo. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to H.E. Ambassador Kubiš, the OSCE Secretary General, and all the staff engaged in the preparation process.
I think there are two major aims for this conference. The first is to deepen mutual understanding of the new security circumstances in Europe and Asia after the end of the Cold War and their adjustments to these circumstances.
In Europe, the possibility of conflicts between nations after the end of the Cold War has notably decreased, leading to great changes in the roles of various security organizations. The OSCE is shifting its focus from activities aimed at confidence building, pursued during the era of the Cold War, to international cooperation for conflict prevention and reconstruction assistance after the termination of conflicts. NATO not only expanded its geographical sphere to central and Eastern Europe but also assigned itself, in addition to territory defense, new roles such as conflict prevention and crisis management outside its member states, thereby transforming its function.
In contrast, the Asia-Pacific region, even after the end of the Cold War, there are still unpredictable and uncertain situations such as outbreaks of regional conflicts due to complex and diverse factors, including ethnic and religious differences, and the proliferation of WMD and missiles as well as outbreaks of terrorism. Regarding the security mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region, although there are efforts of the ARF, there is no framework for regional security organizations as seen in Europe. Rather, regional security has primarily been maintained through the building up of bilateral security agreements, centered on the United States. In addition to that, bilateral and multilateral frameworks of dialog are established with multilayered arrangements.
Thus, there are big differences between the security circumstances in Europe and Asia, and their adjustments to these circumstances. However, I think it is natural to constantly examine suitable confidence- and security building measures (CSBMs), which reflect the characteristics of each region, and work for the realization of such measures. Moreover, I think it is desirable, by taking the regional characteristics into account, to consider the establishment of a regional security framework in the future. I believe that it is really meaningful for experts of both Europe and Asia to deepen their mutual understanding and cooperative relationship between Europe and Asia, by keeping such a framework in mind as a future challenge.
The second aim is to contribute to the efforts in combating new threats, such as international terrorism which takes place all over the world and the proliferation of WMD and Missiles, and to contribute to the efforts in searching for effective conflict prevention concerning regional conflicts, and finally to promote dialogue and cooperation among participants by sharing knowledge and experience in these fields.
After the end of the Cold War, we face serious threats. In particular, after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, not only traditional conflicts between nations but also threats such as international terrorism, proliferation of WMD and Missiles, as well as regional conflicts, pose a tremendous threat to the peace and stability of the international community. At the same time, as to conflict management, increased importance is placed not only on "conflict resolution" but also on "conflict prevention."
Japan considers international terrorism to be one of the most serious challenges. In order to eradicate international terrorism, it is essential that the international community continues to cooperate closely and take all necessary measures. From this point of view, Japan is providing assistance in accordance with the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law, and is also actively making efforts in relation to international counter-terrorism measures. Regarding WMD, Japan calls on various countries to accede to the disarmament- and non-proliferation-related treaties, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and to fully implement the obligations of these treaties. As to conflict prevention, Japan has consistently emphasized that the "consolidation of Peace" constitutes an important pillar of Japan's international cooperation. This approach - the "consolidation of Peace" - consists of three elements: (1) the promotion of peace processes, (2) the establishment of domestic stability and security, and (3) humanitarian and reconstruction assistance. Providing assistance with emphasis placed on these three elements, Japan has been striving for comprehensive conflict resolutions.
On the other hand, we understand that the OSCE is assuming an extremely important role in terms of the protection of human rights, promotion of democratization processes including election monitoring, prevention of the proliferation of small arms, drug control, and human trafficking problems.
To deal with these challenges, it is necessary for the international community to cooperate closely and as a whole make efforts.
In particular, as people from ARF member countries are also invited to join this conference, I think it is extremely meaningful for the OSCE and the ARF to be able to share knowledge and experience, thereby to promote dialogues among themselves.
Lastly, it was agreed at the Japan-EU Summit in 2002 to further promote the exchanges between intellectuals and experts in various fields; this conference is attended by intellectuals from academic institutions. It is my sincere hope that this conference will contribute to more proactive exchanges between intellectuals and experts.
I would like to conclude my speech with my hope that all the discussion over the next two days will prove to be active and constructive. Thank you.
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