OSCE Permanent Council to hold special meeting

VIENNA, 5 March 2001 - The situation in South Serbia and in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, along the border with the province of Kosovo in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, was the main topic of a meeting in Vienna today between the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Troika and the Greek Foreign Minister, George Papandreou.

It was agreed that the situation is urgent and further deterioration should be prevented. The urgent need for co-ordinated action among international organizations present in the area was stressed.

The Chairman of the Permanent Council, Ambassador Liviu Bota (Romania), called on all sides to refrain from violence and engage in a political dialogue.

He also announced that in order for the OSCE delegations in Vienna to address these matters, a special Meeting of the Permanent Council, will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday 6 March at the Hofburg Congress Centre in Vienna.

Representatives of the 55 participating States will discuss how to respond to the situation on the ground and what the OSCE can further contribute in its areas of expertise.

The members of the Troika are: Ambassador Liviu Bota (Romania), Ambassador Dr Jutta Stefan-Bastl (Austria) and Ambassador João de Lima Pimentel (Portugal). The meeting was also attended by the Secretary General of the OSCE, Jan Kubis.