OSCE Skopje Mission rejects allegations
(Harald Schenker/OSCE)OSCE staff monitor the area west of Kumanovo, former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, May 2001. (Harald Schenker/OSCE) Photo details
SKOPJE, 15 August 2001 (OSCE) - In response to allegations from some media and from the Macedonian Ministry of Interior, which have already been corrected by Minister Boshkovski on 14 August, the OSCE Mission to Skopje would like to state the following:
At no time has the OSCE Mission to Skopje made any comments about the nature of what happened in the village of Ljuboten. The only confirmation to be obtained from this Mission was that "a number of bodies have been found".
The OSCE Mission has never in the past commented on events before the facts were known with very high certainty and will continue to do so. This is dictated by a professional attitude and by the responsibility as an international organization active in this country and in favour of this country.
Any allegations that the OSCE would "want to stage a 'Macedonian Racak'" are thus absurd and less than helpful for everybody. The OSCE Mission to Skopje would like to appeal again to both national and international journalists dealing with cases like this to let their professional attitude prevail over pre-conceived patterns of thinking.
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For further information please contact the OSCE Spillover Monitoring Mission to Skopje, tel: +389 91 111-143, fax: +389 91 111-267, e-mail: [email protected].
At no time has the OSCE Mission to Skopje made any comments about the nature of what happened in the village of Ljuboten. The only confirmation to be obtained from this Mission was that "a number of bodies have been found".
The OSCE Mission has never in the past commented on events before the facts were known with very high certainty and will continue to do so. This is dictated by a professional attitude and by the responsibility as an international organization active in this country and in favour of this country.
Any allegations that the OSCE would "want to stage a 'Macedonian Racak'" are thus absurd and less than helpful for everybody. The OSCE Mission to Skopje would like to appeal again to both national and international journalists dealing with cases like this to let their professional attitude prevail over pre-conceived patterns of thinking.
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For further information please contact the OSCE Spillover Monitoring Mission to Skopje, tel: +389 91 111-143, fax: +389 91 111-267, e-mail: [email protected].