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OSCE Mission and Minister for human and minority rights discuss needs for donor support
BELGRADE 23 June 2003
BELGRADE, 23 June 2003 - The OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro hosted today a donors meeting during which representatives of the country's Ministry of Human and Minority Rights stressed in particular the need for legal support for minorities, assistance in monitoring and promoting human rights, human rights education and information programmes, as well as support for the Roma community.
Ambassador Maurizio Massari, the Head of the OSCE Mission, outlined areas of ongoing OSCE Mission support for human and minority rights, including refugee support, gender awareness programmes, legal aid support and support for domestic courts that aims at enabling enabling them to deal effectively with domestic war crimes trials.
"The programmes outlined by the Ministry today will further assist in establishing trust in society and sustaining the democratic process," Ambassador Massari said. "I also welcome the spirit of transparency and support towards national minorities as outlined by Rasim Ljajic, the Minister for Human and Minority Rights."
Minister Ljajic highlighted the competencies of his Ministry, which is part of one of the five Ministries under the state union of Serbia and Montenegro. In addition to aspects relating to human and minority rights, he stressed the importance of harmonizing legislation with the European Convention on Human Rights and of co-operating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
Minister Ljajic announced that his Ministry had started a campaign yesterday in order to increase human rights awareness in the country.
"We want to gain the trust of the citizens and heighten the awareness of human rights. Moreover, we want to develop a transparent relationship with the public," he said.
Ambassador Maurizio Massari, the Head of the OSCE Mission, outlined areas of ongoing OSCE Mission support for human and minority rights, including refugee support, gender awareness programmes, legal aid support and support for domestic courts that aims at enabling enabling them to deal effectively with domestic war crimes trials.
"The programmes outlined by the Ministry today will further assist in establishing trust in society and sustaining the democratic process," Ambassador Massari said. "I also welcome the spirit of transparency and support towards national minorities as outlined by Rasim Ljajic, the Minister for Human and Minority Rights."
Minister Ljajic highlighted the competencies of his Ministry, which is part of one of the five Ministries under the state union of Serbia and Montenegro. In addition to aspects relating to human and minority rights, he stressed the importance of harmonizing legislation with the European Convention on Human Rights and of co-operating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
Minister Ljajic announced that his Ministry had started a campaign yesterday in order to increase human rights awareness in the country.
"We want to gain the trust of the citizens and heighten the awareness of human rights. Moreover, we want to develop a transparent relationship with the public," he said.