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Outgoing head of Moldova OSCE Mission “will return to private business”
The head of OSCE's Moldova mission will "return to business" in the private sector after leaving the organization prematurely. Louis O'Neill is currently involved in a case of suspected art smuggling in Russia. He left the country before the case could go to trial.
Louis O'Neill - who is wanted as a suspect in a smuggling case - is quitting the OSCE prematurely, says the organizationCHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - The OSCE Mission to Moldova has confirmed that the head of the mission, Louis F. O'Neill will end his term ahead of time by leaving the post on 16 November 2007, news agency Regnum informs. According to the OSCE Mission press office in Chisinau, the American diplomat intends to resign under his own initiative since he has plans to “return to business.”
The press office refused to specify the nature of the private business that O'Neill plans to engage in, but his name is best-known for an attempt to remove 75 cultural artifacts from Russia for later possible re-sale abroad. In one single trip, smugglers of rare art can earn between $120,000 and $170,000, making such private business more attractive than the salaries paid by international organizations.
According to mission spokesman Claus Neukirch, O'Neill's mandate only terminates in 2008. It will now be cut short, and in the near future the OSCE will announce for the post of the mission head. He would not comment on reports that O’Neill was dismissed for his inability to organize dialogue between Moldova and Transdniestria.
US citizen Louis F. O'Neill served as the head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova since June 2006, after he replaced another American diplomat, William Hill. The Moldova office of the OSCE was founded in 1993 after Moldova unsuccessfully launched its 1992 war against Transdniestria. Ever since it was founded, this office of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has been led exclusively by Americans.
- Interpol's international wanted list
In the connection with the smuggling scandal of rare Russian art, in which Louis O'Neill was involved, the Russian Interior Ministry sent a subpoena to the US citizen and head of the OSCE Mission in Chisinau, the ministry reported on 31 August 2007. The ministry informed the press that if the American diplomat ignores the subpoena, he will be charged in absentia and put on wanted list via the Interpol.
Russian law enforcement suspects O’Neill of smuggling. According to investigators, this spring the US citizen tried to remove 75 rare Soviet posters from the country with no export permits. The posters, which dated back to 1920s, are considered to be cultural treasures in Russia. The posters were found when the diplomat was undergoing customs inspection at Moscow Domodedovo Airport. The interior ministry says that Louis O'Neill had no documents permitting removal of items of cultural value.
The artwork was seized but the US citizen flashed a diplomatic passport and managed to leave Russia before an arrest warrant was issued. Police continues to uncover smuggling rings in Russia, with the suspicion that some of them are linked to foreign diplomats who carry out illegal activities under the cover of diplomatic immunity. In the case of the O'Neill, the case has not been able to go to court due to fact that the former White House Fellow has left the country and not returned. (With information from Regnum)
See also:
» Louis O'Neill leaves OSCE top job in Moldova
» American OSCE-head wanted for questioning in smuggling case
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