OSCE Chairman shocked by sudden death of OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine

CHISINAU, 14 March 2005 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, expressed shock and sadness on Monday over the sudden death of Ambassador David R. Nicholas, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

"I am greatly saddened by this news," the Chairman-in-Office said in a statement issued during a visit to Moldova.

"Ambassador Nicholas had won widespread respect for his effective leadership of OSCE activities in Ukraine for the last two years. He was tireless in his efforts to assist Ukraine along the path of democratic reform. He was also a wise counsellor to me on my visits to the country."

A lawyer by profession, Ambassador Nicholas, 64, had served as Representative of the U.S. Secretary of Defense to the OSCE in Vienna from September 2002 until March 2003, when he was appointed OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

On behalf of all 55 OSCE participating States, the Chairman-in-Office offered his condolences to Ambassador Nicholas's family.