OSCE Chairman hopes for new impetus in efforts to find Transdniestria settlement

CHISINAU, 14 March 2005 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, said on Monday he hoped recent elections in Moldova and Ukraine would help to generate fresh impetus in efforts to find a settlement in Transdniestria.

"The OSCE remains committed to finding a peaceful political settlement to the Transdniestrian question that fully respects the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, while providing a special status for Moldova's Transdniestrian region," he said at the end of his visit.

"I believe the political changes in Moldova, and in neighbouring Ukraine, will also bring new opportunities to address and possibly resolve the Transdniestrian issue in a peaceful, just, and comprehensive manner."

During his visit, the OSCE Chairman met President Vladimir Voronin, Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan, and leaders of the two opposition parties in the new Parliament, including Serafim Urechean of the Democratic Moldova Bloc, who is also Mayor of Chisinau, and Iurie Rosca of the Christian Democratic People's Party. He also visited Tiraspol for a meeting with Transdniestrian leader Igor Smirnov.

"The OSCE Mission's mandate in Moldova is to facilitate negotiations for a political settlement of the Transdniestria issue, and as OSCE Chair we are prepared to support and to participate in any format that is acceptable to the sides involved," Minister Rupel said.

He said his visit underlined the importance that the OSCE Chairmanship - and the OSCE community as a whole - attached to a democratic, stable and sovereign Moldova.

The Chairman-in-Office welcomed the fact that recent parliamentary elections in Moldova were generally in compliance with most OSCE and Council of Europe standards, and expressed the expectation that shortcomings identified by observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) would be addressed quickly. ''The OSCE is prepared to help Moldova in this endeavour,'' he added.

"I believe that clear and rapid progress in such important areas as freedom of the media will be crucial to realizing Moldova's aspirations for European integration, and in particular for closer ties with the European Union," the Chairman-in-Office said.

He expressed support for Moldova's longstanding desire to establish more effective and transparent border controls on Moldova's border with Ukraine, in particular the Transdniestrian segment.

In Tiraspol, Minister Rupel expressed the expectation that Transdniestrian leader Igor Smirnov would engage constructively in the political settlement process and refrain from unilateral actions that could exacerbate tension. He also urged Mr Smirnov to ensure that OSCE Mission members were not hindered in their freedom of movement in the region.

The Slovenian Chairmanship will do its utmost to ensure full implementation of the Istanbul commitments on the withdrawal of Russian troops and ammunition from Moldova, he said.

The Chairman-in-Office also urged the Transdniestrian leader to remove impediments to the resumption of the withdrawal of Russian ammunition stored in Colbasna.

Minister Rupel also visited the Latin script school in Bendery, where he stressed the importance of education. ''Any disagreements between Chisinau and Tiraspol should not have a negative impact on the future of the children.''