Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Municipal Elections in Kosovo

October 29, 2002

Japan welcomes the fact that the municipal elections held on October 26 (local time) in Kosovo of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were conducted generally in a free and fair manner, with the participation of all ethnic groups. Japan regards it as an important step toward realizing a democratic and multi-ethnic society in Kosovo.
Japan has dispatched an election expert to the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Kosovo Mission that organized elections, recognizing that, as the first elections to be held since the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government were established, they were significant for the peace process in Kosovo.
With the recognition that stability and prosperity in Kosovo are indispensable for those of the whole of Southeastern Europe, Japan, in cooperation with the international community, intends to continue its commitment to the peace implementation process in Kosovo as well as enhancing the stability and prosperity of southeastern Europe.

(END)