Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would like to thank Ambassador Swartz for his very informative report, and particularly for the extensive detail he has provided on the activities of the Moldova Voluntary Fund. Although we have some new and promising indications of future progress, it is indeed troubling to hear that many of the familiar problems are still with us.

Only a few short weeks ago we were receiving optimistic reports of constructive and comprehensive discussions based on an OSCE document that all agreed to work from. This was progress. Unfortunately, the Transnistrian negotiating position seems to have returned to where it was before the introduction of the Kiev document in July.

We are convinced that the Kiev document provides a practical and concrete basis for finally resolving the political status of the Transnistrian region as an integral part of a free and sovereign Republic of Moldova. We congratulate the mediators on their work and encourage them to continue and redouble their efforts to bring the two sides, but most particularly the Transnistrian side, back towards agreement on the basic elements of the Kiev document.

In this regard, we find entirely unacceptable the Transnistrian demand that further progress on ammunition withdrawal be conditioned on the Russian Federation's acknowledgment of some sort of Transnistrian "economic sovereignty." There is and there can be only one sovereign entity within the internationally recognized boundaries of the Republic of Moldova.

As we stated last week in this forum, we were pleased to hear of the apparently fruitful negotiations between senior Russian officials and the Tiraspol authorities. The subsequent departure of the now famous "fourth train" of ammunition also gave us reason to be encouraged. The news today is not quite so encouraging.

Ambassador Swartz's account of the circumstances surrounding the OSCE Mission’s efforts to inspect the contents of the train prior to its departure shows that our continuing difficulties are from solved. While we understand that coordination with Transnistrian authorities can be difficult, ultimately the Russian forces involved must take responsibility for making the inspection process work in a transparent and efficient way. We hope that the Mission’s efforts to inspect future withdrawals do not encounter the problems Head of Mission Swartz has described. In that regard, we would note that the U.S.-led inspection of the arrival of the fourth train at Bryansk in the Russian Federation was a complete success – once Russian authorities resolved concerns about restrictions suggested in their formal notification inviting the inspection. The actual observation of the train's arrival in Bryansk met every expectation of the U.S. inspectors involved. This would, in fact, be an excellent model for future withdrawals.

The Russian Federation deserves all due credit for these first steps, but we can only be cautiously optimistic at this point. Significant progress on the ground is needed, and needed quickly, given that there are little more than two months remaining between now and the December 31, 2002 deadline set at Istanbul. We are still hopeful that such progress will come soon, and we are ready to help. We look forward to seeing a concrete and practical program from the Russian side for the complete withdrawal or destruction of these 40 thousand tons of ammunition.

We would also welcome the commencement of flights to withdraw the thousands of Russian small arms stored in the region, now that OSCE-funded repairs to the Tiraspol airfield have been completed.

I am sure colleagues from fellow Voluntary Fund donor states share our disappointment at reports of Smirnov’s rejection of use of the Donovan Chamber or the Luthe Kiln to facilitate disposal of unstable munitions.

As we have stated many times before, the United States stands ready to give its support and assistance to the Russian Federation in fulfilling its commitment at Istanbul to the complete withdrawal of Russian military forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova. We have shown this quite clearly with our most recent contribution to the Voluntary Fund. However, part of the bargain must be that there is real progress on the ground, and it is past time for that to happen.

A few final words if, I may, on trafficking in persons. The United States fully supports the efforts of the Mission in Moldova in coordination with the National Working Group to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings. We ourselves are providing significant assistance to deal with this very difficult threat to the social and economic fabric of the region. We, too, very much welcome the arrival in the Mission of an expert on anti-trafficking issues.

We are also following with interest the election for Bashkan in Gagauzia. We look forward to the Mission's report on the final outcome.

In closing, I would like again to thank Ambassador Swartz for the very fine work he and his Mission staff have been doing under sometimes difficult conditions.

Thank you.