Belgian MP Pieter De Crem to lead OSCE observation of Bosnia and Herzegovina elections

COPENHAGEN, 4 October 2002 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Portuguese Foreign Minister Antonio Martins da Cruz, has appointed Pieter De Crem, member of the Belgian Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as his Special Representative during the Bosnia and Herzegovina Parliamentary Elections on 5 October. Mr. De Crem will lead the OSCE Election Observers and deliver the preliminary post election statement on Sunday, 6 October.

The OSCE parliamentary observer team includes 25 representatives of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly from the parliaments of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is also working in close co-operation with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.

The OSCE Election Observation Mission is a joint effort between the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The OSCE Observation Mission will assess the conduct of the elections, the political campaign and the role of the media.