OSCE Presence in Albania to be established

COPENHAGEN, 27 March 97 - The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helwig Petersen, issued the following statement from Copenhagen today:

The OSCE has today decided to establish an OSCE presence in Albania. This presence will provide a framework for efficient international efforts by the involved international organizations. In this connection, the OSCE welcomes the initiative of the European Union to send an advance team, with OSCE participation, to Albania to prepare for an advisory mission within this framework.

The OSCE will for its part provide advice and assistance to Albania in particular within the fields of democratization, media and human rights and preparation and monitoring of elections. Furthermore, the OSCE will explore other possibilities, including monitoring the collection of weapons.

Preparation of the OSCE presence is under way.

The overall co-ordination of the efforts of the international community will be ensured by Dr. Vranitzky as my Personal Representative.

The time-frame for the OSCE presence will be reviewed by the Permanent Council after the holding of elections.

The OSCE has noted the official appeal from Albania for assistance in resolving the security situation in Albania. While expecting any assistance to be given in accordance with the UN Charter and the OSCE principles and in accordance with appropriate action by the UN Security Council, the OSCE appreciates that certain participating States are willing to meet this official request.