OSCE releases Annual Report on 2004 activities

VIENNA, 29 April 2005 - The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the world's largest regional security arrangement, released its Annual Report 2004 today.

The 150-page publication details the activities of the Organization and its co-operation with other international organizations.

"The year 2004 was a challenging one for the Organization," OSCE Secretary General Jan Kubis writes in his foreword. "It began with the repeat presidential election in Georgia and ended with the re-run of the second round of the Ukrainian presidential election. Both events were observed by the OSCE, demonstrating again the Organization's importance as an election monitoring instrument."

However, the Secretary General, whose second three-year term ends in June, added that the year also raised some fundamental questions concerning the future of the Organization, and brought to light differences of opinion among participating States on some key issues. "The OSCE is at a turning point," he added.

The Annual Report can be viewed at www.osce.org. Print copies can be ordered from info@osce.org.