Chisinau, 4 December 2003 (RFE/RL) -- A senior official from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) today said he had "serious reservations" about a Russian plan to settle a long-running dispute between Moldova and its breakaway region of Transdniester. William Hill, head of the OSCE permanent mission in Moldova, sharply criticized the Russian proposal at a press conference in the capital Chisinau.
Moldova last week refused to sign the Russian-backed peace plan that would turn the country into a federation, granting wide autonomy to the pro-Russian Transdniester region and turning Russian into a second official language alongside Romanian.
The Russian draft document was, Hill said, filled with "overlapping authorities" at the federal, national, and local levels, which could make Moldova ungovernable.
Moldova last week refused to sign the Russian-backed peace plan that would turn the country into a federation, granting wide autonomy to the pro-Russian Transdniester region and turning Russian into a second official language alongside Romanian.
The Russian draft document was, Hill said, filled with "overlapping authorities" at the federal, national, and local levels, which could make Moldova ungovernable.