Ammunitions in Colbasna are a huge public health hazard, OSCE Mission

The existence of a large quantity of ammunitions in Colbsnaa is a huge public health hazard, said the Head of the OSCE to Moldova Jennifer Brush, adding that most experts consider so. “We did actively discuss the 1999 Istanbul commitments to withdraw the ammunitions from Colbasna. I still consider – think most experts, everybody considers – that the existence of that quantity of ammunitions is a huge public health hazard. And I made repeated requests to our Russian and Transnistrian colleagues to further reduce the quantities of those ammunitions and ultimately get rid of them entirely,” Jennifer Brush said in an interview for Info-Prim Neo of the series “Year 2012 in Moldova’s and Moldovans’ life”{that was published on December 12, 2012}. As regards the Moldovan authorities' proposal to replace the current peacekeeping military operations with a civilian mission under international mandates, she stated that she said a number of times during the year that the peacekeepers need to be made obsolete. And to make them obsolete, the conflict should be solved. “While I was on a Transnistrian TV morning call-in show two weeks ago, one woman from Transnistria called in and told me she loved the peacekeepers because they prevented the slaughter of innocent people. I told her I didn't think that the people did face a threat. And I also told her that as a mother, I wouldn't want for my child to grow up going through checkpoints manned by armed peacekeepers with tanks on the side of the road. It's not a healthy environment for any child,” said Jennifer Brush. The series of interviews “Year 2012 in Moldova’s and Moldovans’ life” that was launched by Info-Prim Neo on December 6 was opened by Prime Minister Vlad Filat. The interview with the chairman of the Communist Party Vladimir Voronin followed afterward. The next interviews will contain opinions about the performance of the passing year stated by Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar, Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca, Minister of Justice Oleg Efrim, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov, expert of the Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT Corneliu Gurin, director of the National Anticorruption Center Viorel Chetraru, head of the Community of Moldovans in Quebec Ala Mandacanu, and singer Cristofor Aldea Teodorovici.