OSCE Mission in Skopje reiterates support to Ohrid agreement
(OSCE/Marko Georgiev)The recruitment and training of 1,000 police cadets by July 2003 was a key target of the August 2001 Ohrid Agreement and an important part of the work of the OSCE Mission to Skopje. (OSCE/Marko Georgiev) Photo details
SKOPJE, 14 August 2003 - On yesterday's second anniversary of its signing, the Head of the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje, Ambassador Craig Jenness, called the Ohrid Framework Agreement a monumental and courageous political achievement which will ensure unity and a better future for all.
"It was and still is a courageous endeavour," he said. "The Framework Agreement was a challenge to negotiate and it is a challenge to implement. Nothing good comes easily, or overnight. But the Agreement is being implemented - the Constitution is amended; most of the legislation has been passed; there is a firm commitment in all communities to the political process, the rule of law, and a unitary and multi-ethnic state."
According to the OSCE Mission, the country is clearly safer and more secure. New multi-ethnic police patrols have contributed significantly to the improvements. Two weeks ago, a key target of the Agreement was reached with the graduation of 350 multi-ethnic police cadets, trained by the OSCE.
"But," Ambassador Jenness emphasized, "it is clear that much more must be done and it is the responsibility of the police and the citizens they serve to work together against criminals and those who feel they are above the law."
He said that the Framework Agreement is not an end in itself. "It is a process that will require continued commitment, dedication and mutual trust," he added. "It is a challenge, but it is also an opportunity to build a strong, unified and prosperous state, a state with inviolable borders and, in the words of the Prime Minister, a state 'that belongs to everybody: Macedonians and Albanians, Serbs and Turks, Roma, Vlachs and Bosniacs, Christians and Muslims'."
The OSCE Mission will continue to support the government in its efforts to implement the Agreement and calls on all signatories to stand by and promote the principles to which they committed themselves two years ago as the only path to Euro-Atlantic integration, stability and prosperity.
"It was and still is a courageous endeavour," he said. "The Framework Agreement was a challenge to negotiate and it is a challenge to implement. Nothing good comes easily, or overnight. But the Agreement is being implemented - the Constitution is amended; most of the legislation has been passed; there is a firm commitment in all communities to the political process, the rule of law, and a unitary and multi-ethnic state."
According to the OSCE Mission, the country is clearly safer and more secure. New multi-ethnic police patrols have contributed significantly to the improvements. Two weeks ago, a key target of the Agreement was reached with the graduation of 350 multi-ethnic police cadets, trained by the OSCE.
"But," Ambassador Jenness emphasized, "it is clear that much more must be done and it is the responsibility of the police and the citizens they serve to work together against criminals and those who feel they are above the law."
He said that the Framework Agreement is not an end in itself. "It is a process that will require continued commitment, dedication and mutual trust," he added. "It is a challenge, but it is also an opportunity to build a strong, unified and prosperous state, a state with inviolable borders and, in the words of the Prime Minister, a state 'that belongs to everybody: Macedonians and Albanians, Serbs and Turks, Roma, Vlachs and Bosniacs, Christians and Muslims'."
The OSCE Mission will continue to support the government in its efforts to implement the Agreement and calls on all signatories to stand by and promote the principles to which they committed themselves two years ago as the only path to Euro-Atlantic integration, stability and prosperity.