Parliamentary Assembly appeals for principles of non-violence in Kosovo

COPENHAGEN, 10 July 1998 - After meetings in Copenhagen from 6 - 10 July 1998, the Seventh Annual Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE adopted the Copenhagen Declaration covering a wide range of political, economic, and human rights issues while in addition the Kosovo crisis was high on the agenda. The Assembly appeals to all parties in the Kosovo conflict to return to the principles of non-violence and to distance themselves from any provocation, and the Assembly denounces the policies of the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) for its military aggression against the Albanian population of Kosovo, including the shelling and destruction of villages;

The Assembly considers that NATO, in line with UN Charter and international law, and with the explicit endorsement of a relevant UN Security Council resolution, may take such military measures as to ensure the termination of aggression and the protection of the population of Kosovo and its neighbours;

While supporting the demands for strong autonomy for Kosovo, the Assembly reaffirms the position that the principles of the international law with regard to the inviolability of frontiers and the territorial integrity of States, as enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act and all subsequent OSCE documents, should be respected in the case of the FRY and other States in the region;

The Assembly appeals to President Milosevic to speed up implementation of the commitments he entered into in the Moscow joint statement of 16 June 1998.

The Assembly suggests that the European Union and the United States and others in a position to do so impose comprehensive and effective economic sanctions against the FRY until it halts its aggression in Kosovo;

The Assembly, further, calls for the investigation and prosecution by the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia of crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo

and the immediate withdrawal of Serbian special police units and the end of operations against the civilian population;

The Assembly, also, overwhelmingly voted to support the membership of the 13th Supreme Soviet Delegation from the Republic of Belarus as the Alast legally elected legislative body in that country. The Assembly's vote reaffirms its recognition of the 13th Supreme Soviet as the legitimate Parliament of Belarus and its Delegation as the official representatives to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The Assembly called for the creation of a Parliamentary working group in order for the Assembly to play a Amore pro-active role in supporting the work of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus, in attempting to bring about the development of democracy in Belarus, and in building dialogue and facilitating national reconciliation.

As to the development of the OSCE-structures and institutions the Assembly reiterates the previous recommendations of the Parliamentary Assembly for the OSCE to adopt Aapproximate consensus, whereby the OSCE can act with agreement of participating States which equals 90 percent of both membership and financial contributions;

The Assembly also urges the OSCE Ministerial Council to consider a role for the OSCE with regard to new threats to security, such as: international crime, terrorism, extremism, local conflicts, environmental disasters and nuclear risks, to develop appropriate Confidence and Security Building Measures and co-operate closely with other organizations in these areas;

The Assembly calls on the Chairman-in-Office, representing the Council, to send to the Assembly at least two months before its Annual Session a report consisting of a political and financial evaluation of the activities of the OSCE and a general plan of priority activities of the OSCE in the next twelve months;

The Assembly is concerned that the financial resources of the High Commissioner on National Minorities and the Representative on Freedom of the Media are small in relation to the size of their task and urges that the budgets be increased.

A resolution on an economic charter for the OSCE was adopted.

On the final day of the Annual Session the Assembly elected Ms. Helle Degn, Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee in the Danish Parliament, as its new President to a one-year term. She succeeds Mr. Javier Ruperez, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Spanish Parliament, who has served the OSCE Assembly for the past two years.

For further information you may contact Mr. Jan Jooren, Counsellor for Press and Public Affairs.