OSCE CiO committed to bringing Dutch chairmanship to good end

NEW YORK, 23 September 2003 - The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Netherlands Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said on Monday that he is "extremely pleased" with his appointment as Secretary-General of NATO starting from 1 January 2004.

"I am very honoured to take over from the current SG, Lord Robertson, who has been doing an outstanding job and who will be difficult to succeed", said the OSCE Chairman in New York, where he is attending the General Assembly of the UN.

"At the same time, it must be underlined that I will remain in my position as Netherlands Foreign Minister and Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE until the end of the Dutch chairmanship."

"A lot remains to be done and I want to make it absolutely clear that the Netherlands attaches great importance to bringing this chairmanship to a good and successful end", said Minister de Hoop Scheffer.

He said preparations for the OSCE Ministerial Meeting in Maastricht on 1 and 2 December are in full swing.

"I intend to make the best use of my presence here in New York. I will be meeting several of my colleagues as well as a number of Heads of Government to discuss OSCE issues with the purpose of achieving some clear and tangible results in Maastricht", said the OSCE CiO.