Madame Chairperson, we welcome Mr. Eliasson's remarks on this week's Stability Pact security working table meeting in Sarajevo. We believe that meeting laid the groundwork, on internal and external security, for the Stability Pact's meeting in March.

Implementation of the Small Arms/Light Weapons initiative and a common end user certificate can make a significant contribution to the goals of the security table. We urge States to take steps to accelerate implementation of these initiatives.

The Anti-Corruption Initiative touches on aspects of the objectives of all three Stability Pact Working Tables. We believe we must act decisively to implement this initiative, and are pleased that it has already been adopted and endorsed.

For the Stability Pact to be successful we will need to see progress on both sides of the Stability Pact bargain.

The Euro-Atlantic community must provide the countries of the region with concrete assistance to transform and integrate these states into transatlantic structures. But the countries of Southeastern Europe also need to take the necessary steps to reform themselves.

As the U.S. has made clear previously, we believe the OSCE can and should commence immediate implementation of concrete Stability Pact projects. These could include those projects outlined by CIO/Austria in its letter to Stability Pact Coordinator Bodo Hombach and those projects suggested by Ambassador Barry.

OSCE field missions and institutions offer the potential for the OSCE to make a unique and significant contribution to Stability Pact goals and objectives, moving its efforts out of the conference hall and into the field.

The Regional Financing Conference on March 29-30 offers us an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to regional cooperation and broader European integration.

We strongly urge CIO/Austria to posit concrete OSCE projects for consideration at that meeting. We believe we need to be prepared to develop and submit additional projects. Corruption and crime issues, including the problem of trafficking in human beings, are matters the OSCE should address actively through its field activities in Southeast Europe.

To give this effort a rapid beginning, we support giving priority consideration to implementation of those projects that do not require supplemental funding.

Finally, we, like Norway, also lament the irresponsible decision by the Parliament of Bosnia- and-Herzegovina to fail to adopt – or even adequately debate – the permanent election law.