Chairman-in-Office: new laws hopeful sign in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

SKOPJE, 18 January 2002 - At the end of a two-day visit to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Portugal's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jaime Gama, indicated that his meetings with the Government in Skopje had made him hopeful about the direction in which events were moving.

At a joint meeting with President Boris Trajkovski and Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, he had discussed progress on the implementation of the peace process called for by the Ohrid Agreement of 13 August 2001.

"We had an opportunity to assess the steps that have been taken", he said, "and also the way ahead. The President has informed me that, probably tomorrow, there will be substantive agreement on part of a package of legislation dealing with the self-governing powers of local government. This means that we are facing a positive moment because that package is necessary to provide confidence and support progress in the overall architecture of both the Ohrid Agreement and constitutional reform."

Foreign Minister Gama also said that collaboration with the authorities in fulfilling the OSCE's duties was good: "At my meeting with the President and the Prime Minister, I heard very positive appreciation of the role of the Organization, particularly in assisting with the redeployment of the police. The fact that there is consensus to go on operating with the OSCE and its partners, the European Union and NATO, signals to me that we are working in the right direction."

As well as his discussion with the President and the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Gama also had meetings with Slobodan Casule, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stojan Andov, President of the Parliament, and representatives of the main political parties.

He also visited the office of the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje, under the Head of Mission, Craig Jenness, and praised the work of its "young, dedicated, international team".

Mr. Gama was accompanied by the Romanian Ambassador to Skopje, Mircea Criste, and Daan Everts, Head of the OSCE Task Force at the MFA in the Hague, Netherlands, representing the OSCE Troika.