OSCE Chairman presents grandfather's yellow star to German Foreign Minister

BERLIN, 29 April 2004 - OSCE Chairman-in-Office Solomon Passy marked the end of an OSCE Conference on Anti-Semitism on Thursday by presenting the yellow star his grandfather had worn as a Jew in Bulgaria during World War Two to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.

"My grandfather used to say that the time will come when we and the Germans will be allies again," the Bulgarian Foreign Minister said before presenting the tiny yellow star to a visibly moved Fischer.

"My grandfather used to say: 'then we shall return the yellow star to the Germans. I am happy that now I can fulfil the legacy of my grandfather and return the yellow star which he wore."

The Chairman-in-Office paid tribute to Joschka Fischer s personal contribution to European-Jewish dialogue and said he was particularly pleased that Fischer should be the recipient of the symbolic gift.

The two-day Conference ended with a ringing condemnation of all acts motivated by anti-Semitism or other forms of religious or racial hatred and OSCE participating States agreed to take practical counter-measures.