The 14th OSCE Ministerial Council was held in Brussels, Belgium, on December 4-5, 2006. The Ministerial Council is the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE. At the Ministerial Council, the Foreign Ministers of OSCE participating States review and assess the activities of the Organization.

Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, head of the United States delegation to the 14th OSCE Ministerial Council, ensured unwavering U.S. support for the OSCE's role in achieving a free and democratic Europe, and addressed new transnational challenges such as terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destructions, and energy security. He called on Russia and other States to reaffirm committments with special regard to protracted conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and Nagorno Karabakh. He also expressed strong support of ODIHR as the most objective and aggressive proponent of free and fair elections.

December 4 • Statement by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns

December 5 • Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns summarizes the OSCE Ministerial Council from the US perspective and takes questions from the press [press roundtable]

December 5 • Closing Statement by Ambassador Julie Finley

• Organized Crime
• Further Measures to Prevent the Criminal Use of Lost/Stolen Passports and Other Travel Documents
• Countering the Use of the Internet for Terrorist Purposes
• Combating the Illicit Trafficking of Small Arms And Light Weapons by Air
• Further Efforts to Implement the OSCE Documents on Small Arms and Light Weapons and Stockpiles of Conventional Ammunition
• Supporting National Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004)
• Future Transport Dialogue in the OSCE
• Energy Security Dialogue in the OSCE
• Combating Intolerance and Discrimination and Promoting Mutual Respect and Understanding
• Enhancing Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, Including for Labour Exploitation, Through a Comprehensive and Proactive Approach
• Combating Sexual Exploitation of Children
• Further Strengthening the Effectiveness of OSCE Executive Structures
• Strengthening the Effectiveness of the OSCE
• Legal Status and Privileges and Immunities of the OSCE
• Improvement of the Consultative Process
• Future OSCE Chairmanship
• Time and Place of the Next Meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, Subject to A Silence Procedure Expiring on Friday, 8 December 2006, at 5 P.M. CET