EUROPE 1995:

CREATIVE ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE

Speech by the President of the Republic Martti Ahtisaari at the luncheon given in Helsinki on August 1, 1995, on the Occasion of the Twentieth Anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Twenty years ago the leaders of the states responsible for European security signed the historic CSCE Final Act in Helsinki. At that time, Europe's horizons were clouded by the prospect of a major war, and the Continent was politically and ideologically divided. Hoping to avert an outbreak of war, the CSCE signatory states nevertheless declared their readiness to settle their differences by peaceful means. The goal was to establish principles for a new collective security order and to end the era of wars in the Continent's history.

The CSCE process was widely regarded as a substitute peace treaty and a pillar of stability. Furthermore, the Helsinki Final Act enshrined the principles for interaction between states and for respect of human rights. In the longer term, the CSCE process paved the way for profound change in Europe.

Today, Europe is in the midst of a historical transformation process. The CSCE process has a key role to play in guiding this transformation. And, by grasping this opportunity, we can prevent the re-emergence of political and military dividing lines.

We have a shared vision of the kind of Europe that we want to work towards. The goals were set down in the Charter for a New Europe adopted at the CSCE's Paris summit in 1990. This involves a commitment to jointly agreed principles on democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

European security is now under the shadow of increasing instability. Above all it is plagued by the senseless use of force in the Balkans and in the Caucasus region. But we now have a historic opportunity to free the Continent of Europe from the yoke of a violent past. We must rise to this challenge.

Our potential for managing change peacefully is still hampered by old modes of thinking that date from the Cold War era: security is excessively equated with military power rather than with social, cultural and economic factors. With its renowned three baskets of concerns, the Helsinki Final Act wisely emphasized the broad and ever widening aspects of security. President Urho Kekkonen, who signed the CSCE Final Act on Finland's behalf, took the broad view of security. He said: "Security is not gained by erecting fences;

security is gained by opening gates".

Today we know that the fall of the Berlin Wall and the process of liberalization that began with that event were decisive steps towards greater European security.

Change in Europe is now part of the profound transformation affecting the international community. We need creative and honest assessments of the new conditions, challenges and configurations that we face on the international scene. Security policy must look to the future and not remain a prisoner of the past. To do so we need to work together.

Fifty years ago, after the Second World War, the international community unanimously decided to create the United Nations. Many of the ideals of the UN have been achieved only partially. For years, the main barrier to realizing those goals was the polarization of the world along political and military lines. The numerous international institutions and organizations set up during the four decades of the Cold War, such as the Council of Europe, the various military alliances and the CSCE, are now in need of thorough reappraisal in order to gain a new understanding of the sort of European security order that we need today.

To deal with the great security challenges of our time, including population growth, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, crime, environmental degradation and ethnic conflicts, we must resolutely adopt new methods of managing change and building global security.

A new and more complex international community is emerging. The main force behind this process is the renewed vigour of the market economy and of democracy.

There will always be some degree of political competition in the international community. But now, more than ever before, we are in a position to steer it in a peaceful direction, and this requires that we should be able to reinforce and adhere to the principles and practices jointly agreed in the UN and the OSCE.

We must create a world community based on cooperation and interdependence. Such a community would rest on regional security arrangements, of which the OSCE is the most highly developed.

The Government of Finland sees three main conditions for improving European security:

First, the continued political and economic integration of Europe in a way which discriminates against no one. Now that Finland is a member of the European Union, we can better contribute to this process.

Secondly, the creation of a collective security order based on the principles of the OSCE.

Third, the development of military stability in Europe through disarmament and increased cooperation between states.

The process of building European security must not be aimed against anyone, but rather must be a joint effort. For this purpose we need a mutual understanding of the fundamentals of our security, of the possible threats to that security and of the means for dealing with those challenges.

To promote these goals we should explore the possibility of establishing a European research institute that would focus on security concerns. One of the tasks of such an institution would be to draw up a comprehensive programme for studying European security issues. Such a research centre could provide a framework for broad cooperation between scholars in this field.

This research centre would have to be autonomous, but it could work in close cooperation with the European Union. It could also work together with other scholarly communities, authorities and security organizations like the OSCE. We are prepared to offer Helsinki as a home for such an institute.

I sincerely hope that the Stability and Change seminar being convened at Finlandia Hall today will take an impartial look at the achievements of the OSCE and the opportunities that this process provides for the peaceful management of change in the Continent of Europe and for the further development of international cooperation.