OSCE Ministerial Troika meeting focuses on upcoming OSCE summit and regional issues

VIENNA, 21 October 1999 - The OSCE Ministerial Troika, Foreign Ministers Knut Vollebæk of Norway, Wolfgang Schüssel of Austria and Bronislaw Geremek of Poland, met today in Vienna under Norwegian chairmanship. The Secretary General of the OSCE, Ambassador Jan Kubis, also took part in the meeting. Other participants were the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Helle Degn; the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Max van der Stoel, and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve, and a representative of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

The Ministers focused on preparations for the OSCE Summit Meeting, which will take place 18-19 November in Istanbul. They emphasised the importance of concluding the negotiations of a Charter for European Security. The Charter is intended to reinforce the OSCE's conflict prevention and crisis management capabilities and enhance its co-operation with other international organizations.

The Ministers also discussed regional issues in the OSCE area, in particular the situation in Kosovo, Belarus, Moldova and the Northern Caucasus.

The Ministers expressed their deep concern for the deteriorating situation in and around Chechnya. They considered the humanitarian situation extremely worrying. They invited the Russian Federation to consider ways in which the good offices of the OSCE could be used in the context of the crisis and with a view to alleviating the suffering of the civilian population.

With regard to Kosovo, the Ministers expressed their concern about the grave situation for the ethnic minorities. They also agreed on the necessity for a stable environment as a requirement for elections and noted the OSCE Mission in Kosovo has begun thorough preparations for the election process.