TRANSDNIESTER SETTLEMENT: EU TO JOIN HANDS WITH RUSSIA, UKRAINE, USA, OSCE, CALLS SOLANA

BRUSSELS/CHISINAU, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - To promote Transdniester settlement, the European Union needs smooth teamwork with Russia, Ukraine, the USA and the OSCE, insists Javier Solana, CFSP-EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. He made the point during a bilateral conference in Brussels with Andrei Stratan, Moldova's Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Current Transdniester developments are suspense-laden. It takes urgent international efforts to retain local stability, said Petr Stoyanov, the OSCE acting chair's ad hoc envoy, while in conference with Vasile Sova, Moldova's Reintegration Minister, reports Mr. Sova's press service.

As the minister sees it, an international conference is necessary to stabilise the Dniester's left bank and prevent conflict escalation. A Moldovan stability and security pact is to be signed as soon as possible.

Consultations are to take an urgent start for a monitoring mandate of the Moldovan-Ukrainian frontier. They are to involve Moldova, Ukraine, the OSCE-Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe-and the European Union. The OSCE and the Council of Europe also ought to take part in an international mssion to appear in Moldova for Transdniester monitoring, with special attention for the security belt. Moldova will quite soon appeal on that score to the OSCE and the CE, added the minister.