Madame Minister: This is an unusual occasion. We should not pretend otherwise.

As I made clear last week, in this room, it makes no sense for us not to talk to each other directly and honestly. And it is in that spirit that I am responding to your statement.

As the United States has made clear here and elsewhere, especially in statements by the Vice President and the Secretary of State, we are concerned that your Government now includes a party whose leader has made statements that are interpreted in Austria and abroad as expressing sympathy for the Nazis and minimizing, even excusing the tragedy of the Holocaust.

Your Government has been selected in a democratic fashion, and we respect your constitutional processes. But the world has suffered horribly in the past century at the hands of leaders who have used the tools of democracy to undermine its spirit and its purpose. The party leader whose words have given us such concern has rhetorically asked journalists why we are so concerned about the words of a single man. Given the horrible actions springing from the words of single men in the past, his question hardly bears answering.

Madame Minister, our task here is to work with you, and your colleagues to make sure the OSCE not only remains the strong institution it has become, but meets the incredible challenges that this year will bring as well. Ensuring the OSCE's credibility and authority has been and will remain a top priority for the United States. That credibility and authority requires a Chairperson who is backed by the political and material resources of his or her government, one that is energetic and willing to take risks.

You have many responsibilities that demand your attention now: in the Caucasus, the Balkans, Central Asia, and Belarus -- just to name a few. The issues before you cannot remain on hold; they must be addressed now.

Frankly, with the distractions that your Government has faced during the fall and winter, we have not seen the energy that this organization needs as its chair. Ambassador Stefan-Bastl and her team have done yeoman's work, but political-level energy has been lacking.

We look forward to a sharp change in that situation. We do not just consider this a key task of yours, we think it is the key task. We urge you to use all of the tools at your disposal--especially the Troika--to make this year a success for the OSCE. The OSCE has many institutions on which you can call, as well as the members of the organization seated around this table. We urge you to use them. We also urge you to use one of the tools of this organization that we have not used lately: political-level representatives to attack specific issues. Former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez's role on behalf of the OSCE in the past is the best example of this approach.

As Chairperson-in-Office, you also have a responsibility to help your successor prepare for the task of chairmanship. We hope you meet that responsibility by working closely with the next Chairperson-in-Office.

As members of this organization, we all carry our share of responsibility. But the Chairperson-in-Office has unique and special responsibilities to demonstrate leadership and initiative, to frame our agenda, guide discussions, and mold or capture consensus when it is time for action.

As Chair, the Government of Austria has another special responsibility: to speak on behalf of this organization from a position of strength and credibility.

When speaking in the name of this organization, you will have to speak frankly to your counterparts, as your predecessors have. You will need to reaffirm to all the need to abide by the Helsinki principles and comply with OSCE commitments.

But as you make pronouncements about the performance of others, we will not hesitate to condemn words, policies, or actions that would seem to contradict Austria's fidelity to those principles and commitments.

We will speak out to safeguard the credibility of the OSCE. Austria needs to demonstrate clearly that it will dispel any doubts about the new government's commitment to OSCE principles, particularly as regards to democracy, human rights, and the treatment of ethnic minorities.

Madame Minister,

The OSCE has a challenging agenda, which requires strong leadership. The implementation of REACT, elections in Kosovo, and an effective monitoring mission along the Chechen/Georgian border are only three. Your offer of 20 additional policemen for Kosovo is a welcome step that we appreciate and view as a sign that you are taking up the special responsibility of Chairperson-in-Office. We will be looking to you to demonstrate that leadership and to address effectively the many challenges we face.

You face a very challenging year; we intend to work with you to make the OSCE a success.