OSCE Ministerial Troika ready for responsibilities in political settlement in Kosovo

VIENNA, 28 April 1999 - The OSCE Ministerial Troika expresses the readiness of the OSCE to serve as a coordinating framework and to take on substantial responsibility for the implementation of a political settlement in Kosovo. The OSCE Ministerial Troika, Foreign Ministers Knut Vollebæk of Norway, Bronislaw Geremek of Poland and Wolfgang Schüssel of Austria, met today in Vienna under Norwegian Chairmanship. The Secretary General of the OSCE, Giancarlo Aragona, also took part in the meeting.

The Ministers discussed a broad range of OSCE related issues, including the Kosovo conflict and efforts to bring about a political settlement, initiatives to promote long-term stability in southeastern Europe, the strengthening of the OSCE Secretariat's ability to support OSCE field operations, efforts to resolve the Transdniestria conflict in Moldova, and work on a coordinated approach to support the OSCE participating States in Central Asia. The Ministers also reviewed progress in the negotiations on a Security Charter and preparations for the OSCE Review Conference and OSCE Summit in Istanbul in November of this year.

Regarding the Kosovo conflict, while agreeing that the search for a political settlement must continue, the Ministers underlined that Yugoslav authorities must accept in full the conditions of the international community. They expressed the readiness of the OSCE to serve as a coordinating framework and take on a substantial responsibility for the implementation of a political settlement for Kosovo.

The Ministers underlined that the Kosovo conflict threatens stability and reform in the neighbouring countries. They supported the development of a broad-based strategy to promote regional stability based inter alia on the initiative by the German EU Presidency for a Stability Pact for southeastern Europe, and the holding of a conference on southeastern Europe on 27 May 1999. As part of the preparations for this conference the OSCE Chairman-in-Office will convene a meeting of senior officials in Oslo.

The Ministers agreed that the ability of the OSCE to support field operations must be strengthened, in particular the OSCE Secretariat's capacity to plan, prepare and establish new field missions. A report with concrete proposals to this end will be presented to the OSCE Permanent Council before the summer recess.

The need to achieve progress in the so-called "frozen conflicts" in Moldova and Georgia was underlined. The Ministers pointed out that the OSCE stands ready to support the parties to these conflicts in reaching mutually acceptable solutions. Withdrawal of Russian military equipment from Transdniestria could give a new dynamic to the negotiations aimed at resolving that conflict. The Ministers welcomed that preparations are underway to open in the near future OSCE offices in Yerevan and Baku. They reconfirmed their support for the efforts of the Minsk Group and its co-Chairs towards a political solution to the conflict around Nargorno-Karabakh. The Ministers underlined the importance of an agreement on future forms of cooperation between Ukraine and the OSCE.

The Ministers shared the view that the establishment of OSCE field activities in the five Central Asian states will enhance the ability of the Organization to support reform in these countries. Many other Organizations are also involved in this region. The Norwegian Chairmanship is working on a report aimed at enhanced coordination of these efforts. This report will be presented to the OSCE Permanent Council before the summer recess. Ambassador Wilhelm Höynck of Germany has been appointed as personal representative of the Chairman-in-Office to elaborate this report.

Also taking part in the meeting were the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Helle Degn, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Max van der Stoel, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Gérard Stoudmann and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Freimut Duve.