An international police mission designed to help authorities restore stability to Kyrgyzstan following bloody ethnic clashes is on track, dpa quoted Germany's foreign minister as saying Saturday. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is expected to give its approval to the mission next week, said sources accompanying Guido Westerwelle on a visit to Kazakhstan. "We are convinced that this police mission, that we need to stabilize the situation in Kyrgyzstan, will take place," Westerwelle said at the beginning of an informal OSCE foreign ministers meeting near Almaty. "I am under the impression that many colleagues here see this the same way," he said, adding that he also supported an international inquiry into the fighting between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz last month, which cost 2,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands. The proposal for a police mission was made by Westerwelle and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner, who also supported the call for an international investigation into the clashes. Sources said the mission could help support local structures in the region and create a climate of trust that is important to shore up new Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva. -- SPA
