CARDINAL SODANO ADDRESSES OSCE IN LISBON

VATICAN CITY, DEC 3, 1996 (VIS) - Yesterday Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano addressed the heads of state and government and respective foreign affairs ministers of the 54 member countries of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), who gathered in Lisbon, Portugal, for their biennial meeting.

The OSCE comprises all European countries, in addition to the United States and Canada. The eight-person Holy See delegation to this meeting also included Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, secretary for Relations with States, and Archbishop Edoardo Rovida, apostolic nuncio in Portugal.

Cardinal Sodano spoke of the gains made by OSCE since its last meeting, in Budapest, Hungary, in 1994, highlighting the building of peace in Bosnia- Herzegovina and the OSCE mission in the Balkans. He also pointed to the role of the OSCE as a builder of "values common to all of Europe," and thus of peace and stability in the region.

A second topic of the cardinal's speech concerned security in Europe at the dawn of the 21st century. He said this "is based on a capital of confidence and solidarity" and "the political will" to achieve material security, especially that of "a total ban on the production, sale and use of weapons which strike indiscriminately, such as anti-personnel land mines."

Lastly, Cardinal Sodano pointed to the contribution of believers "in safeguarding European values" and to their "role as educators of consciences."
DELSS/OSCE/LISBON:SODANO:TAURAN VIS 961203 (240)