Mission Head saddened by Croatian Serb official's death, urges condemnation of ethnic discrimination

ZAGREB, 28 October 2002 - The Head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Ambassador Peter Semneby, said on Monday that he was shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden death of Milos Vojnovic last Friday.

In a letter of condolence to Milos Vojnovic's family, Semneby said: 'It was with shock and great sadness that we at the OSCE Mission learned of the sudden death of Milos Vojnovic this weekend. We have worked closely with him ever since the Mission established its presence in Eastern Slavonia and we had all come to admire his tireless efforts in pursuing the rights of the Croatian Serb community in the Danube region."

Ambassador Semneby said he was certain the importance of Vojnovic's role would be felt for a long time to come.

Semneby rejected the recent views presented in the media against Vojnovic's candidature as judge in the Vukovar-Sirmiun county. He said they improperly raised the issue of one's ethnic identification as a qualification for a public position and as such were not conducive to reconciliation. He recalled that Vojnovic had been amnestied and as such he was eligible for employment in public functions.

OSCE Mission Head called on Croatian officials to promptly condemn all forms of ethnic discrimination and incitements to hatred including in employment: "We continue to receive reports that well-qualified judges of Serb ethnicity are not given work in war-affected areas at a time when many courts are clearly understaffed," Semneby said.