Vienna, 13 January 2006 – Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik had talks with her Belgian counterpart Karel De Gucht in Vienna yesterday. Belgium’s presidency of the OSCE and EU-OSCE relations were the main theme of the meeting. The Ministers also discussed topical issues such as EU relations with Iran and the debate on the future of Europe.
Plassnik congratulated De Gucht on his dynamic start to the OSCE presidency and assured him of Austria’s full support in its capacity as EU Presidency and host country for the OSCE. "The EU and OSCE have common interests in many areas. We will work closely together in the coming months”, Plassnik said.
With regard to the recent developments in Iran, Plassnik noted that the Austrian Presidency had already clearly expressed the EU’s deep concern at Iran’s actions in statements issued on 7 and 10 January. “On the basis of the outcome of the consultations in Berlin, a special session of the IAEA Board of Governors is now likely to be convened with a view to referring the matter to the UN Security Council. This is an appropriate approach given the current situation”, Plassnik said.
In the debate on the future of Europe, the Austrian Presidency would proceed with tact and circumspection and obtain the views of its partners. “I made a conscious decision to go first to France and the Netherlands to get a picture of the situation. This was not the time to come with proposals, but to listen”, she said. The Austrian Presidency’s mandate was not limited to legal questions concerning the Constitutional Treaty, but included evaluating the national debates on the construction of Europe.
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