Parliamentary Assembly President will lead OSCE observation of Serbian elections

COPENHAGEN, 14 December 2000 - Mr. Adrian Severin, the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, will arrive in Belgrade on 20 December 2000 to lead the OSCE Observation Mission for the Parliamentary Elections in Serbia on Saturday 23 December 2000.

President Severin will act as Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austrian Foreign Minister Ms. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, leading the Mission and delivering the preliminary post election statement on Sunday 24 December. President Severin represents more than three hundred parliamentarians from fifty-five OSCE participating States.

The parliamentary observation team will include more than twenty parliamentarians from the parliaments of the following OSCE countries: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

The OSCE Election Observation Mission to Serbia is a joint effort between the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE (OSCE PA). In Belgrade President Severin will be accompanied by the Secretary General of the OSCE PA, Mr. R. Spencer Oliver.

Prior to heading the Election Mission in Serbia Mr. Severin will visit the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as well as Kosovo and Montenegro. In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (14-16 December 2000), Mr. Severin will have meetings with President Trajkovski, President of Parliament Andov and Prime Minister Georgievski. In Kosovo (17-18 December) Mr. Severin will have meetings with UN Special Representative Kouchner, OSCE Head of Mission, Ambassador Everts and KFOR Commander, Lt. Gen. Carlo Cabigiosu. In Montenegro (18-20 December) Mr. Severin will meet with prominent government officials, political leaders and representatives of the opposition.

For further information, representatives of the media are kindly requested to contact OSCE PA Press Counsellor Jan R.M. Jooren at the International Secretariat in Copenhagen,(tel.: +45 33 37 80 40, fax: +45 33 37 80 30 e-mail: press.counsellor@oscepa.dk