OSCE nations agree on first budget in five years, make cuts demanded by US

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a 57-nation east-west body comprising former Cold War foes, agreed on a budget on Thursday for the first time in five years, with heavy cuts demanded by the United States.



In recent years the Vienna-based security and rights organization, which includes Canada, Russia and much of Europe and Central Asia, has often been deadlocked over a new budget and other important decisions, as Moscow accused it of having been taken over by the West.



Last year, the United States threatened to pull out of the organisation while demanding that its budget be cut by more than 10% and that the OSCE "revert to its core functions". The U.S. criticised some of its best-known work, including election monitoring in nations where votes are not fully free or fair.