CIS CALLS ON OSCE TO UNIFY ELECTION STANDARDS

MINSK, March 18 (RIA Novosti) - Initiatives are coming up to reform the OSCE-Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Russia and other CIS countries, on their part, call to unify election evaluation criteria, said Sergei Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister. He was replying to newsmen just why OSCE and CIS election monitoring missions had come up with clashing opinions on a number of recent polls.

"There was another proposal-to hold election monitoring seminars for observers representing the OSCE, PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe], the CIS and other organizations. They ought to see just what standards to proceed from," remarked the Foreign Minister.

The CIS election monitoring mission proceeds solely from the principles of objectivity, and makes it a point to be unbiased, emphasized Vladimir Rushailo, Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and its Executive Committee Chair.

"We come to monitor a poll when the host country's Foreign Ministry summons us with a note. We draw our conclusions from particular observers' opinions, which they offer by filling in questionnaires. Occasionally, opinions clash on one and the same trespass.

"I wouldn't like to comment on OSCE conclusions here-we have regular joint sessions with the OSCE mission," he said.