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Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), U.N. Doc. CERD/48/Misc.16 (1996).

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COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION
OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
Forty-eighth session
26 February - 15 March 1996

Decision 2(48) on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)
adopted at the Committee's 1153rd meeting, on 13 March 1996

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recalls its concluding observations relating to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) adopted on 20 August 1993 (included in A/48/18, paragraphs 530 to 547) and in particular its offer to render good offices in the form of a mission of some of its members with the purpose to help promote a dialogue for a peaceful solution of issues concerning respect for human rights in Kosovo, in particular the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination and whenever possible to help parties concerned to arrive at such a solution (paragraph 546).

The Committee further recalls that the State party concerned responded positively to this offer, that the mission was consequently carried out from 30 November to 3 December 1993 and that the good offices mission met with authorities of the State party, and the Republic of Serbia, the Serbian authorities in Kosovo and representatives of the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

The Committee also recalls that at its forty-fourth session it considered, in private meetings, the interim report of the good offices mission and that as a result its Chairman addressed a letter to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) expressing the Committee's appreciation to the Government for the cooperation and proposing, inter alia, that a number of specific steps be taken with a view to normalising the situation in Kosovo.

The Committee now considers that the time has come to resume the good offices work which the Committee started to undertake in 1993 and for that purpose the Committee requests its Chairman to take up contacts with the authorities of the State party concerned in order to explore the possibilities of re-opening the dialogue for the peaceful solution of issues concerning respect for human rights in Kosovo, with particular emphasis on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.

The Committee will further consider this matter at its forty-ninth session.