Chairman-in-Office urges restraint and reconciliation in Kosovo

PRISTINA, 7 October 1999 -- OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek of Norway, today urged the people of Kosovo to step up reconciliation efforts.

Mr. Vollebaek made these comments at the end of a two-day visit to Kosovo, his fifth to the region as a Chairman-in-Office. During the visit, Mr. Vollebaek, visited the Kosovo Police Service School in Vucitrn, which is being operated by the OSCE. He also opened the first Political Party Service Centre in Pristina and visited Radio Television Kosovo.

The Chairman-in-Office held meetings with Dr. Bernard Kouchner, special representative of the United Nations Secretary General; his deputies, and KFOR Commander Gen. Michael Jackson. He also met with Albanian and Serb community leaders, a representative of Yugoslav authorities to Kosovo and Ambassador Stanimir Vukicevic. Mr. Vollebaek took up the question of the fate of Albanian detainees, currently held in Serb prisons. He made particular mention of Mr. Bekim Kastrati, a former OSCE employee, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison earlier this year. The Chairman-in-Office expressed his gratitude to local employees of OSCE missions in Kosovo, some of whom had been targeted and harassed for working for the OSCE.

Mr. Vollebaek stressed the importance of the work of the various departments of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, such as media and human rights work in the field. He noted that now, the main challenge for the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, is preparation for elections. "We aim to hold elections as soon as responsibly possible," Vollebaek said, noting it is too early to provide a date for the elections. "The process for preparing and holding elections in Kosovo is more important than the date," he said.

MEDIA CONTACT: Roland Bless, Spokesperson, OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Pristina, tel.: (+381) 38 500 162 (ext.260), or mobile: (+ 389) 70 250 576.