MANDATE OF OSCE MISSION IN CROATIA EXTENDED

VIENNA, Dec 21 (Hina) - The Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) decided on Friday at a session in Vienna to extend the mandate of the OSCE Mission in Croatia until 31 December 2002. The decision includes the reduction of the mission staff to 90 monitors by the mid-2002, a trend which should continue towards the end of the year, as well as the obligation of the Council to reassess the mission's mandate, consider the progress made, and make further decisions after the first half of 2002. "The European Union and many other countries stated clearly at the session that the reduction of the mission to 90 monitors was a possible ceiling because they expected more significant reductions next year, due to political as well as financial reasons," Croatia's permanent representative at the OSCE, Mario Nobilo, said. Nobilo believes the OSCE Mission to Croatia is the next mission which should be completed, following the completion of the missions in the Baltic area. He stressed, however, that much remained to be done next year. Croatia primarily wants to focus on a more efficient use of the mission resources on the ground and with the help of government and non-government institutions establish a structure which would be able to take over the remaining tasks once the mission withdraws, Nobilo said. According to diplomatic sources, the new head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia could be Swedish Ambassador Peter Semneby, until recently the head of the OSCE Mission to Latvia. (hina) rml