HIGH COMMISSIONER ON NATIONAL MINORITIES Since late February 1996, the OSCE High Commissioner on national Minorities Mr. Max van der Stoel, has paid visits to Kazakhstan, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Estonia, Russia, Latvia, Hungary and Slovakia Kazakhstan On 27 February - 1 March, the High Commissioner visited Almaty to attend a seminar entitled “Building Harmonious Inter-Ethnic Relations in the Newly Independent States - instance of Kazakhstan”. The two-day seminar, which was opened by Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Mr N. Shajkenov, was jointly organised by he High Commissioner on national Minorities, Foundation on Inter-Ethnic Relations, Administration of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. The seminar brought together senior governmental officials, parliamentarians, minority leaders and NGO representatives from Kazakhstan. Minority education, language policy and mechanisms for dialogue between the Government and minorities were among the main topics of discussion. The High Commissioner had meetings with President Nazarbayev, Deputy Prime Minister Shajkenov, Minister of Foreign Affairs K. Tokaev, minister of Justice K. Kolpackov, Deputy Head of the Administration of the President Mr M. Tazhin and the leadership of the Kazakhstani Parliament. The main subjects of discussion were the current state of inter-ethnic relations as well as future co-operation between the Office of the High Commissioner and the Government of Kazakhstan,. The High Commissioner returned to Almaty during a brief stop-over on 5 April. He used the opportunity to meet again with Mr Shajkenov, Mr Tazhin, and also with Chairman of the State Committee on nationalities Affairs Mr G. Kim. Among topics discussed were certain aspects of cooperation between the High Commissioner’s office and Kazakhstani Government as well as possible assistance to the State’ Committee on Nationalities Affairs. Ukraine From 14-17 March the High Commissioner convened a Round Table in Noordwijk (The Netherlands) to discuss a number of problems concerning the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The Round Table, which was organised in collaboration with the OSCE Mission in Kyiv, was attended by senior officials of the Administration of the President of Ukraine, the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, MPs from the Supreme Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine and the Supreme Soviet (Parliament_ of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. A number of political, economic and legal problems, still dividing the central authorities in Kyiv and the Parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, were discussed. The debates took place in a positive atmosphere and contributed to the emergence and elaboration of some new concrete approaches which could speed up the process of finding satisfactory solutions for a number of remaining differences between the central authorities in Kyiv and the Parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (ARC). On 2 April the High Commissioner took part in the UNDP sponsored Donor Conference in Geneva on the deported peoples of Crimea. He made a plea to the participants for substantial contributions aimed at assisting the Ukrainian Government in meeting the needs of the Crimean Tatars and other returning 38 OSCE ODIHR Bulletin Vol. 4 No. 3