OSCE Chairman urges all people of Kosovo to play active role in public life

PRISTINA, 11 January 2005 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, urged all the people of Kosovo on Tuesday to play an active part in the political process to help build a stable, multi-ethnic society.

During a visit to Pristina, his second foreign trip since Slovenia took on the OSCE Chairmanship on 1 January, he called on Kosovo Serbs in particular to become actively involved in public life, after their low participation in last year's elections.

"It is necessary that Kosovo Serbs should get back into the political process. Only in this way will they be able to shape their own future and ensure better protection of their rights," the Chairman-in-Office said.

"I also appeal to Kosovo Albanian politicians to reach out to the Serb community. This should now be the key priority for the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government."

Minister Rupel held talks with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Soren Jessen-Petersen, the President of Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, the President of the Assembly of Kosovo, Nexhat Daci, and representatives of Kosovo Serbs.

The Chairman-in-Office said the fact that he had come to Kosovo so early in Slovenia's Chairmanship reflected the importance attached by the OSCE to its work in Kosovo. The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is the largest of the Organization's 18 field missions.

"The OSCE will remain an integral part of the international mission in Kosovo and remains committed to assisting the province through institution- and capacity-building,' he said.

The review of standards scheduled for 2005, especially those concerning the protection of minorities, would be key to the future development of Kosovo, the Minister said.

"This will provide the indispensable roadmap for the future of Kosovo and is necessary for its integration into European structures, irrespective of discussions on its future status," he added. "The proper implementation of standards and the Europeanisation of Kosovo represent two sides of the same coin."