As delivered by Ambassador Daniel B. Baer to the Permanent Council
Vienna, July 24, 2014
In connection with the adoption of the Decision for the Deployment of OSCE Observers to Two Russian Checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian Border, the United States would like to make the following interpretative statement under paragraph IV.1(A)6 of the OSCE Rules of Procedure.
The U.S. finds it deeply regrettable that the Russian Federation was only willing to take the minimal steps provided for in this decision. Despite questions and requests from other participating States to expand the geographic scope of the observer mission, Russia would only accept a limited-scope mission, covering just two border checkpoints—which account for approximately one kilometer of the 2,300 kilometer border. We are therefore concerned that due to Russia’s undue restrictions of its work, the mission will be unable to provide a real accounting of the scope of Russia’s flows of illegal arms, funding, and personnel to support the separatists in eastern Ukraine or any meaningful assurance that Russia is acting to stop the illegal flow of arms and other support to separatists in eastern Ukraine.
I request that this interpretative statement be attached to the decision and to the Journal of the Day.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
