Chairman-in-Office continues OSCE mediation efforts on Moldova

NEW YORK, 24 September 2003 - The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Netherlands Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, agreed with Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin on the urgency of reaching a political solution for the Moldovan/Transdniestrian issue.

"I impressed on President Voronin that we should co-ordinate all mediation efforts to arrive at an acceptable political document outlining the basics of a federalized state of Moldova," the CiO said after the two men met in New York on Tuesday. "To this end, the OSCE Chairmanship and the OSCE Mission to Moldova will shortly meet in Zagreb with the two other mediators, Russia and Ukraine."

"We also exchanged views on the subject of a possible OSCE-mandated peace enhancement operation that would provide security guarantees for a political settlement," the Chairman-in-Office added.

Such a force would have to be multinational in nature and could consist of troops from the EU, Russia and other countries.

Minister de Hoop Scheffer said he would have an opportunity to speak with President Voronin in greater detail on 11 October in the Netherlands on the occasion of an international soccer match between the Netherlands and Moldova.

"President Voronin has accepted my invitation to attend this soccer match between our two countries with me. I am confident that we will use that opportunity to continue to work on concrete steps to bring this long-standing unresolved conflict to an acceptable conclusion," the Minister said.