Moldova Said To Have Accepted Federation Plan

24 June 2004 -- The chief of the OSCE Moldovan mission says Moldova has accepted a plan to settle the status of the Transdniester region by forming a federation.

Mission chief William Hill announced the Moldovan decision today at a news conference following a round of talks on the Transdniester-conflict settlement.

Mediators from Russia, Ukraine, and the OSCE developed the plan. It calls for an asymmetrical federation with its capital in Chisinau.

Authorities in the Transdniester region have insisted on a federation of two equal states.

The Transdniester region declared itself independent from Moldova in the early 1990s after Moldova proclaimed independence from the USSR.

The next round of talks on the Transdniester is set for 22 July.

(ITAR-TASS)