Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We too are pleased to welcome High Commissioner Ekeus
to the Permanent Council. We very much appreciate his
update on his activities and the situations in
Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, and elsewhere.
In the wake of the September 11 tragedies in New
York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, the United
States continues to be absolutely committed to the
rights and protection of national minorities. Our
actions to combat terrorism are not directed at ethnic
or religious groups. We will strongly defend the rights
of Muslim minorities who live within our borders and
abroad.
Unfortunately, the OSCE continues to have much work
to do to protect the rights of minorities and encourage
tolerance for different ethnic groups. Mr. Ekeus, the
United States welcomes your efforts to conduct on-site
assessments and undertake preventive diplomacy.
Assisting in the implementation of the Framework
Agreement in Macedonia is a critical objective for all
of us and one in which your office can play a
significant role. Annex C of the Framework Agreement
specifically calls for continued OSCE help on projects
designed to improve inter-ethnic relations as well as
for continued assistance in the area of higher
education. We thus support the work of your office, in
cooperation with other OSCE institutions and the OSCE
Mission in Skopje, in consulting with Macedonian
authorities on how the OSCE can help implement those
measures next year. Ensuring that Southeast European
University opens on schedule and with full funding, is a
crucial part of this. Full implementation of the
Framework Agreement continues to be the basis for
ensuring the stability, sovereignty, and territorial
integrity of a unitary, democratic and multi-ethnic
Macedonia. We look forward to seeing a strengthened HCNM
role in that implementation.
The United States would also like to reiterate our
comment in the follow-up discussion on the Bucharest
meeting on Roma and Sinti last week. We strongly support
the continued engagement of the High Commissioner on
National Minorities on issues relating to Roma and
Sinti.
Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
