In his letter to a number of Heads of State yesterday the Estonian President Lennart Meri gave his reasons for not attending the forthcoming summit of the OSCE states. The OSCE should be focusing on the tragic events in the Caucasus, the rise of anti-Semitism and other forms of xenophobic extremism. Instead, says President Meri, ''I find that the OSCE will be celebrating when it should be acting.'' By staying away President Meri hopes to register his profound concern about the consequences of such an attitude. He looks forward to co-operating in the future with those states who still believe in the ideals of the OSCE.

Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, November 15, 1999

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