On Monday morning September 15th I went over to the offices of
the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, more commonly referred to in print and in general as OSCE. My purpose was to meet and interview David R. Nicholas who is the organization's ambassador to Ukraine. Prior to my visit I had not met
the Ambassador and, frankly, was somewhat shy of knowledge about OSCE and its purpose in being in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, I was looking forward to meeting Ambassador Nicholas. I'd learned that he was an American and from Wyoming. You see I generally like Westerners (in the United States sense, not global East/West) and seem to always find them to be open, frank, taciturn and wryly humorous. Also, honest (not a horse thief), with character, raw-boned-tough-you know all the stereotypes from Western movies come into play here too. The land of early mountaineers Jim Bridger and John Colter, as well as the modern day tort law hero Gerry Spence and as well as such ordinary types as Richard and Lynn Cheney. And Wyoming-the place-landscaped by the Wind River Range, home to the Green River, Yellowstone National Park and the majestic Grand Tetons.
I arrived at the address; a pleasant looking building and entrance, sans security guards, and entered to find, well, no receptionist that I could see. I peered to my left and saw and open office with two men, one seated comfortably, talking to each other. Immediately the man sitting saw me and rose to greet me as the other equally well-groomed man left. The distinguished looking man with the outstretched hand and friendly smile was the ambassador. In a previous phone conversation when seeking instructions on what to bring for identification and how to enter (all those familiar with Ukraine know this monotonous, sometimes irritating routine in its various forms) had told me that entrance would not be a problem and said something like, not quoting but, they were 'laid back'. That certainly was the case.
My reading prior to my meeting at OSCE's Kyiv office found me learning that OSCE is the ultimate outgrowth of meetings that began in Helsinki, Finland on July 3, 1973. The meeting held by representatives of many countries was called the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. After meeting over two years, some in Geneva, the conference concluded in Helsinki on August 1, 1975. The result, referred to as the Final Act, was a joint declaration by representatives (the "participating states") of the various countries. The declaration contained objectives to be sought in many areas, both economic and political as well as territorial. These areas are: Sovereign equality, respect for the rights inherent in sovereignty; Refraining from the threat or use of force; Inviolability of frontiers; Territorial integrity of States; Peaceful settlement of disputes; Non-intervention in internal affairs; Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; Equal rights and self-determination of peoples; Cooperation among States; and Fulfilment in good faith of obligations under international law.
The declaration as signed has been called the Helsinki Accords. Though not a treaty among nations it functions somewhat like one. The Final Act when signed was concluded with the Secretary-General of the United Nations present. But, the work of the conference as carried on has evolved as that of the OSCE as it changed and functionally became both in name and organization the association that it is today. However, as I learned from Ambassador Nicholas, OSCE is not per se a part of the UN. Rather, it is one of those organizations fitting within the scope or parameters of those the UN seeks to foster as a part of the objectives of its charter.
Some of my first questions directed to Ambassador Nicholas concerned the why, the what, and the wherefore of OSCE's operations in Ukraine. To this, one point the ambassador stressed was that OSCE was in Ukraine at the invitation of the country. The OSCE operates where it is needed and wanted. The work of OSCE began here in mid 90s. Current work involves massive planning regarding what I learned was the Ukraine-EU Action Plan, the Ukraine-NATO Action Plan and the U.S. Partnership Action Plan. The Ambassador and his workforce, which is fairly small (see photo), looks over the list of activities in these various plans and seeks to assist where there are overlaps and gaps in them. At present this work has resulted in a great deal of study and reams of paperwork. In early October, the Ambassador will present a report to the OSCE permanent council regarding the OSCE's work in Ukraine.
The Ambassador has just been appointed to his second sixth month sojourn with OSCE in Ukraine. I found that six-month appointments are the norm for the OSCE. People who are selected and appointed are not typical career, on track diplomats or bureaucrats anticipating 30 years of service and a government pension. The selection is with the approval of the president of OSCE but the appointment must be acceptable to the representatives of the 55 participating states. Ambassador Nicholas serves, however, also at the pleasure of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, currently Donald Rumsfeld, a friend of Ambassador Nicholas. The Ambassador says, however, he reports directly to one of Secretary Rumsfeld's cohorts.
As to the length of his anticipated stay in Ukraine, the Ambassador says that further appointments for six-month terms will depend on his effectiveness and will be decided jointly by him, Ukraine representatives and the U.S. representatives of the DOD. Under no circumstances he says can he see staying beyond December 2004, this in spite of how much he is enjoying Ukraine for the present. He says that if his service in Ukraine were interrupted for any reason, he would immediately return to Vienna to resume responsibilities of his present DOD tenure.
One matter the Ambassador stressed throughout our conversation it seemed was the fact that OSCE was in Ukraine by invitation. The importance of acknowledging the goodwill of the host country and the objectives of the projects as jointly decided seemed paramount.
Also noted by the Ambassador were the encouraging signs of developing cooperation between Ukraine and the U.S. Much of what had been some relatively short-lived problems seemed to have been "patched up" in his words over the past few months.
The Ambassador says he is now beginning to get out more in the regions and looks forward to seeing more of the country. He had just recently returned from a judicial conference in Crimea and has upcoming plans to visit other sections of the country.
He enjoys reading, boating and snow skiing. He says winter may find him doing some tour skiing.
Home to him will always be Wyoming. He has plans to retire there. His ambitions include doing some writing and some reflecting. He left is private law practice in 1983 to begin his government duties. He is still a name and participating partner in the Laramie, Wyoming law firm.
As to his writing, it would reflect his views on various world problems in a historical perspective and from experiences gained over his years of service. He believes he has possibly a more global outlook than some. As to the future? He is an optimist. A pragmatic one though, he says.
As to hardships that he faces in Ukraine and elsewhere he's served. Well, he confesses to missing his home and family but says that his Web Cam helps him stay in touch with a degree of reality. The Ambassador's wife is a retired psychologist. He has two daughters and two grandchildren. Directly quoting him for perhaps the first time here, "I love those grandchildren."
We had begun the interview with my commenting, jokingly, that I was finally interviewing someone only a little younger than me (seems to me everybody in this country is young). Well, it turned out that we both were undergraduates, Class of '63. (For our Readers' let's just say we're both over 50-but a young over 50.) I told him that in Mississippi I didn't graduate with anyone famous in my class except James Meredith. I was wrongly thinking he might have graduated with Gerry Spence. He informed that the famous trial lawyer was maybe 14 to 15 years his senior. Toward the end of the interview, I suddenly remembered that Trent Lott (current U.S. Senator and former Senate Majority Leader) had been an acquaintance of mine at Ole Miss and graduated with me. Thereupon The Ambassador immediately trumped me by walking over to a table housing photo albums and produced a picture of he and Trent (oh, they're both "barbershoppers" too, I found) plus other photos of Rumsfeld, the Cheneys and other Washington personages.
And that's how the interview ended. Looking at some photos and talking. David Nicholas, a nice guy to be around-a Wyoming kind of guy.
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