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OSCE Mission welcomes agreement in southern Serbia municipality on composition of managing boards
BELGRADE 13 May 2003
BELGRADE, 13 May 2003 - The OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro today welcomed a hard-won agreement which outlines the allocation of directorships and the composition of managing boards in the multi-ethnic southern Serbia municipality of Bujanovac.
Having concluded this agreement, Bujanovac's local municipal government is now in a position to forge ahead with important economic and social reforms. The OSCE Mission, for its part, having strongly promoted the need for a refocus on economic and social issues in southern Serbia, stands ready to assist this process through its presence on the ground.
"We are happy that the Bujanovac municipality reached agreement today as it shows that municipal representatives from all ethnic backgrounds are willing and able to work together in order to make Bujanovac a better place for all its citizens," said Ambassador Maurizio Massari, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro. "Now that we have this agreement on the composition of local managing boards, the work of revitalizing the municipality's economy and social structures can really begin in earnest."
The OSCE Mission has supported implementation of the Covic peace plan in southern Serbia (named after Nebojsa Covic, the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and Montenegro, and President of the Co-ordinating Body for Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja) in a number of areas, ranging from multi-ethnic policing, the staging of multi-ethnic local elections last year, assistance in setting up the multi-ethnic municipal governments, support for multi-ethnic local media and assistance to local judicial and educational reforms.
Having concluded this agreement, Bujanovac's local municipal government is now in a position to forge ahead with important economic and social reforms. The OSCE Mission, for its part, having strongly promoted the need for a refocus on economic and social issues in southern Serbia, stands ready to assist this process through its presence on the ground.
"We are happy that the Bujanovac municipality reached agreement today as it shows that municipal representatives from all ethnic backgrounds are willing and able to work together in order to make Bujanovac a better place for all its citizens," said Ambassador Maurizio Massari, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro. "Now that we have this agreement on the composition of local managing boards, the work of revitalizing the municipality's economy and social structures can really begin in earnest."
The OSCE Mission has supported implementation of the Covic peace plan in southern Serbia (named after Nebojsa Covic, the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and Montenegro, and President of the Co-ordinating Body for Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja) in a number of areas, ranging from multi-ethnic policing, the staging of multi-ethnic local elections last year, assistance in setting up the multi-ethnic municipal governments, support for multi-ethnic local media and assistance to local judicial and educational reforms.