Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Press reports indicate that
OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Portuguese Foreign Minister
Antonio Martin da Cruz and Belarusian Foreign Minister
Khostov agreed over two weeks ago to undertake
consultations in order to resolve the impasse over the
Advisory and Monitoring Group (AMG).
This agreement is particularly timely and urgent in
view of the fact that the accreditation of the last
remaining international member of the AMG expires at the
end of October.
We would, therefore, welcome details you can provide
on progress achieved in these consultations towards
resolving the problem that the OSCE faces with Belarus
over the future of an OSCE presence in Minsk.
Right of Reply:
As previously noted, the accreditation of the AMG's
only remaining international member expires at the end
of October. A decision by Belarus at that time to expel
this individual would effectively close the mission and
contravene the decision adopted by this Permanent
Council in 1997, which created the AMG.
This would represent an extraordinary development.
Continued delay in resolving this matter is not an
option. Absent the ability of Belarus to negotiate a
resolution here in Vienna, we urge the Chair to consider
extraordinary further
steps.
