OSCE-LED TEAM STARTS MISSION TO ASSESS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF SOUTHERN CAUCASUS FIRES

Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE)

Oct 4 2006

BAKU, 3 October 2006 – An OSCE-led team of international experts,
backed by a United Nations General Assembly resolution, began an
11-day mission today to assess the environmental impact of fires in
and around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Bernard Snoy, the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental
Activities, heads the Environmental Assessment Mission, which
includes United Nations, Council of Europe and European Union and
NASA specialists and other local and international experts. Other
OSCE officials will also participate.

"The mandate of the Mission is to assess the short-term and long-term
impact of the fires on the environment in the fire-affected territories
and to make recommendations on how to counteract those consequences,"
said Mr. Snoy. "We will make recommendations for a future environmental
operation that would, among others, prevent the reoccurrence of
such fires."

"It is significant that this team draws on specialist knowledge from
several international organizations as well as local expertise,"
he added.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/60/285)
last month that called on the United Nations Environment Programme
in particular to work with the OSCE. The resolution asked the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office to provide a report to the United Nations General
Assembly by 30 April 2007.

The UN resolution said the General Assembly was seriously concerned by
the fires and said they had inflicted widespread environmental damage.

To ensure the assessment is as comprehensive as possible, the Mission
will examine and assess fire-affected areas along both sides of the
Line of Contact, Mr. Snoy said.