Conduct of Elections in FYROM

Mr. Chair, we would like to return to a statement made at last week's Permanent Council by the Chair that condemned recent violence in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and called on all political leaders there to ensure that the campaign and elections on September 15 are conducted in an atmosphere of calm and restraint.

The United States supports fully and strongly that statement, and we applaud the quick reaction and reinforced presence of OSCE and EUMM monitors and NATO's Task Force Fox personnel, in the former crisis areas during these incidents. Their efforts have been extremely helpful in ensuring that peace and cooperation will prevail.

We also support fully the August 31 statement from the OSCE Mission itself, which welcomes the peaceful resolution last weekend to the kidnapping of ethnic Macedonian citizens.

Mr. Chairman, we join the Chair, the Mission, and others around this table in expressing our deep concern about unlawful activities occurring in Macedonia that create instability in the run-up to the elections. We see any such acts or incidents as blatant attempts to undermine the interests of all citizens of Macedonia in the conduct of peaceful democratic elections in the spirit of the Ohrid or Framework Agreement.

We continue to work with Macedonian authorities and in tandem with our international community partners here in the OSCE, in NATO, and the EU, in order to ensure a stable environment. We urge Macedonia's political and party leaders and all of its citizens to continue to do all in their power to refrain from creating or overreacting to any provocations.

Finally, let me say that we welcome ODIHR's robust efforts to lead the reinforced election observation mission. We also welcome the Government of Macedonia's commitment to supporting ODIHR's critical work and to ensuring the security of our observers, and we appreciate as well the willingness shown by Task Force Fox to provide additional protection to OSCE personnel, if necessary. We look forward to a calm, peaceful, free, fair and representative election on September 15 to a smooth transfer of power to the next government, to the continued implementation of the Framework Agreement, and Macedonia's continued progress toward integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.