Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)

The OSCE has a laudable mandate that stretches from arms control, promotion of human rights, freedom of the press to conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation. It is interesting that it emerged from the Helsinki talks where the Russian delegation had felt that it would be a way in which they could control the countries of the Eastern Bloc whereas the countries of Western Europe had a different agenda, and then the collapse of communism brought about a new dimension.

I came across a quotation from Vladimir Putin which he made in 2007. He was accusing the western states of "trying to transform the OSCE into a vulgar instrument designed to promote the foreign policy interests of one or a group of countries". I thought that somewhat rich given the way in which Russia is using its veto over the rights of the Syrian people.

When one looks at OSCE's history and development, like many organisations, it had a tendency to grow and grow and to become somewhat unwieldy. Perhaps it has taken on too much and, like a tree with too many branches, needs pruning. Instead of being the talking shop and political platform lacking, as one commentator put it, "competence and an ability to make their mark with a lack of direction". There are still certain aims on which there is a need to refocus.

When one looks at the history of Europe since the 1970s and asks has the organisation been a success, and one thinks of the conflicts in Chechnya and the Balkans to mention only two, it has been very disappointing. When one looks at the list of its members and the partners for co-operation, a significant number are not following the stated aims of the OSCE. Kazakhstan, for example, even when it had the chairmanship of the organisation, was very slow in carrying out liberal reforms. In Moldova, which is one of the Tánaiste's priorities, a television station closed recently, which has serious implications for freedom of the press. Cyprus is a member since the early 1970s and we know what is happening there. I would also mention Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan. A military camp was closed in Romania because of lead and mercury poisoning, yet it was okay to house Roma families on that camp. We can also note the situation in the Ukraine. One of its partners for co-operation is Morocco and France is a full member. I know the Tánaiste is aware of the issues surrounding the Western Sahara and the way in which both Morocco and France are preventing the people there from self-determination.

There are major challenges for the Tánaiste to refocus the OSCE on what it is supposed to be doing. Another challenge is its public profile, as Deputy Donnelly said. In spite of some 18 intervention missions, I do not believe that it, as an organisation, is well known or that it gets the publicity it deserves.

The Secretary General in an interview in 2009 said, "We're working to the long haul". When the Tánaiste opened the in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham he quoted from Yeats's poem "Lake Isle of Inishfree" and he talked about "peace comes dropping slow". That indicates that the Tánaiste is very aware of the challenges.

It has taken a while for us to get the chairmanship and I wish the Tánaiste very well on this. He came to a meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and set out his priorities. I know there are protracted conflicts, including the Transdniestrian settlement process, Nagorno Karabakh and Georgia. I had hoped and asked that Bosnia would have been one of his priorities in view of the escalating tensions and difficulties there. Ireland could have and perhaps still can play a role to ensure that democracy prevails, even though it is not one of the Tánaiste's priorities. We have had meeting with Lord Ashdown and Kurt Bassuener and both see Bosnia Herzegovina as being in a very precarious situation with a need for a renewed commitment to stop the spread of corruption, lawlessness and ethnic chauvinism. I was struck by an OSCE project I read about which is a community engagement in Bosnia Herzegovina and which seems to be very positive.

I support the action plan on combating trafficking. There are certain member counties where we know that girls and young women are very vulnerable to being trafficked. General equality is another core principle, yet there are countries in the OSCE where gender equality is not on the agenda. Even in the countries of the Arab Spring, women seem to be being written out of their role in that history. I will not discuss media freedom.

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