OSCE Chairman-in-Office pulls OSCE personnel out of Kosovo

OSLO, 19 March 1999 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek, today made the decision to withdraw the OSCE mission (the Kosovo Verification Mission) from Kosovo immediately. The decision has been made in the light of the unsuccessful negotiations in Paris and following extensive consultations with the foreign ministers of the Contact Group and the other members of the OSCE troika: Austria and Poland.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office says that the situation for the unarmed OSCE verifiers has gradually deteriorated. Conditions have made it increasingly difficult for the Mission to carry out its tasks, and it is at present not justifiable to keep the personnel in Kosovo.

Vollebaek emphasizes the responsibility of the Yugoslav authorities for the safety of the OSCE personnel and calls on the parties to show restraint and refrain from any action that can put the personnel at risk. "The OSCE Mission has made an important contribution to stability in Kosovo under very difficult conditions. But as OSCE Chairman-in-Office, responsible for the safety of approximately 1400 verifiers from many different countries in Kosovo, I have no other choice in the present situation than to withdraw the OSCE personnel", says Foreign Minister Vollebaek.

The Norwegian Foreign Minister deplored the negative outcome of the Paris negotiations. "The Yugoslav authorities have taken on a heavy responsibility in refusing to sign the peace agreement, says Vollebaek. "This may lead to a further escalation of the conflict, with much human suffering as a result."