OSCE Chairman welcomes stepped-up fight against organized crime by authorities in Skopje

BRUSSELS, 24 January 2006 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, has welcomed the opening tomorrow of a new department for the prosecution of criminal perpetrators in the area of organized crime and corruption within the Public Prosecution Office in Skopje.

"Developing this kind of special capacity in the Public Prosecution Office will help the country increase the speed and efficiency with which organized crime and corruption cases are prosecuted and resolved," said Minister De Gucht.

Combating organized crime is one of the priorities named by the Belgian Chairmanship for 2006.

"This is a promising step in the efforts to combat organized crime and corruption in the western Balkans," added the Chairman-in-Office.

Tomorrow's opening at the Public Prosecution Office will be marked with a ceremony that includes addresses by both President Branko Crvenkovski and Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski.