OSCE rejects Yugoslav decision to expel Ambassador Walker

VIENNA, 21 January 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 OSCE also took part in the meeting. The Ministers discussed a broad range of OSCE-related issues, with a special emphasis on the situation in Kosovo. The Ministers called for an immediate cease-fire in Kosovo and full compliance with existing agreements.

They rejected as totally unacceptable the decision of the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to declare Ambassador William Walker, head of the Kosovo Verification Mission, persona non grata. This decision has led to a further worsening of the Kosovo crisis and has thus complicated the efforts to bring about a political settlement. The Ministers stressed that Yugoslav authorities must rescind their decision to expel Ambassador Walker and co-operate fully with the OSCE.

The Ministers condemned the recent killing of more than forty Kosovo Albanian civilians in Racak. They stressed the need to bring those responsible for the atrocity to justice. A full investigation should be carried out by international experts. To this end they demanded that Yugoslav authorities must give free access to the site of the crime to the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia, under the leadership of Judge Louise Arbour.

The killings in Racak and the unwillingness of the Yugoslav leadership to co-operate with the OSCE represents a serious instance of non-compliance with UN Resolutions and with the Agreement signed between Ministers Geremek and Jovanovic.

The Ministers underlined that the escalation of violence in Kosovo seriously undermines the broad international effort to bring about a political solution to the conflict. The danger of a new humanitarian crisis is growing. Ministers appealed to the parties to abstain from violence and show restraint in order to create the necessary conditions for a political solution to the conflict in Kosovo.

The Ministers referred to the visit to Belgrade of Generals Clark and Naumann and expressed their disappointment at the continued lack of cooperation on the part of the Yugoslav authorities. They reemphasized the close coordination and cooperation between the OSCE and NATO.

The Ministers also discussed a wide range of pressing issues facing the OSCE. The agenda included discussions on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, Moldova, Ukraine, Chechnya and Central Asia. The Ministers also reviewed the status of the Document-Charter on European Security and the relationship with the OSCEäs Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation.

Also taking part in the meeting were the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Helle Degn, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Mr. Freimut Duve and a representative of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities.