The OSCE Mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

It is always a pleasure to welcome Ambassador Sannino [head of the OSCE Mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia] to the Permanent Council and it is always exciting to hear the tremendous strides that Ambassador Sannino and his team are making. The Yugoslav mission is truly a model of effective OSCE engagement.

Ambassador Sannino, you have done an extraordinary job in Belgrade. We deeply appreciate all the good work you and your mission are doing.

We were particularly pleased to hear the Serbian view that the Belgrade mission embodies the "C" (for cooperation) in O-S-C-E. Creating a healthy partnership with the host government is clearly essential to maximizing a mission's effectiveness.

We continue to believe that the Mission’s goals and activities are right on target. We are especially encouraged to see that work is comprehensive. This will lead to fundamental changes and improvements.

Police and judicial training, anti-corruption efforts, and the complete transformation of R-T-S are just a few examples of the far-reaching reforms that will fundamentally change life in Serbia.

We understand that there are concerns about a voter registration list for the upcoming South Serbia elections.

Clean voting lists speak to the integrity of the elections. If there are concerns on the part of Serb election authorities, or the voting public, that the southern Serbian voter lists contain significant irregularities or even fraudulent entries, it could call into question the results of the election.

Thus, we support your efforts to undertake confidence-building measures with Serb electoral authorities that would enhance the integrity of voter registration lists.

We hope your Mission, with whatever appropriate help the OSCE Mission can offer, will examine creative ways to assist election authorities in preventing such fraud or irregularity as soon as possible.