Ban Ki-moon
mourns death of UN police officer in Kosovo
18 March 2008 – Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon today expressed his deep sadness at the death of a
United Nations police officer during yesterday’s violent
clashes in Mitrovica in the north of Kosovo.
Kynol Ivor, 25, was part of the Ukrainian Formed Police Unit (FPU)
and was killed in an operation undertaken – jointly by the
UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the NATO-led
Kosovo Force, or KFOR – to reclaim the courthouse in North
Mitrovica which was stormed and occupied on 14 March.
In a statement issued by his
spokesperson, Mr. Ban said that he “calls on all parties
to refrain from violence and to engage in a constructive dialogue
and work together to promote security and stability in Kosovo.”
Extending his condolences to
the officer’s family, the Secretary-General also thanked
the Ukrainian Government for its “dedicated commitment”
to the UN’s work in Kosovo.
Also mourning the policeman’s
death, a senior UNMIK official today said the recent violence
is “unacceptable” and will not be tolerated.
“Our condolences go to
the family of the Ukrainian police officer who was killed by this
mob, who was murdered by this mob,” said the Secretary-General’s
Principal Deputy Special Representative in Kosovo, Larry Rossin,
at a press briefing.
Characterizing the 14 March
attack on the courthouse as an “orchestrated occupation,”
he said that there had been several attempts to persuade Serbia's
Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic, as well as Kosovo Serb
political figures in Mitrovica, to resolve the situation peacefully.
Despite such communications,
the courthouse continued to be occupied by some 40 people, including
some officers of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior,”
Mr. Rossin noted. Additionally, UNMIK received information that
those who carried out the courthouse attack were planning to occupy
another UN building in the area.
After planning and consulting
with both KFOR and the Police Commissioner, he said he authorized
the operation which began early yesterday morning to regain control
of the courthouse and restore law and order.
Despite originally starting
out peacefully, the situation deteriorated into violence, with
a mob attacking first with rocks, then with Molotov cocktails.
Shortly after, UN police and KFOR troops came under direct gunfire
and hand grenade attacks, resulting in 42 UN police officers and
22 KFOR troops sustaining injuries.
“I hesitate to call them
demonstrators, because demonstrating implies peacefully and this
was far, far beyond the limit of what is acceptable,” Mr.
Rossin said of the mob.
He added that 32 of those occupying
the courthouse were temporarily detained, processed and released
back to North Mitrovica. “Criminal investigations into all
these illegal acts, including murder and attempted murder, perpetrated
on UNMIK and on KFOR soldiers are ongoing and we firmly intend
to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice.”
The situation in the area is
now calm, but tense, Mr. Rossin observed, urging all to respect
the rule of law and to allow UNMIK to carry out its mandate.
Last month, the Assembly of
Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government declared
independence from Serbia, and since then the Secretary-General
has underlined the need for restraint from all sides.
chamber of the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which is based
in The Hague, on Friday granted provisional release on compassionate
grounds to Nebojša Pavkovic.
Mr. Pavkovic is allowed to return
to Serbia from 25 March to 2 April under strict conditions, including
24-hour electronic surveillance by Serbian authorities, according
to the terms of the release.
A former commander of the Third
Army of the Yugoslav Army and former chief of the General Staff
of the Yugoslav Army, Mr. Pavkovic is on trial with five others
– Milan Milutinovic, Nikola Šainovic, Dragoljub Ojdanic,
Vladimir Lazarevic and Sreten Lukic – over an alleged campaign
of terror and violence against Kosovo Albanians and other non-Serbs
living in Kosovo in 1999. All six men face charges of murder,
deportation, forcible transfer and persecution of thousands of
Kosovo Albanians and other non-Serbs.
The trial of the six men began
in July 2006, with the prosecution completing its case in May
last year and five of the six defence cases have now been completed.
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Kosovo:
Ban Ki-moon deplores attacks on UN mission as it retakes courthouse
17 March 2008 – Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon today deplored attacks against personnel of the United
Nations mission in Kosovo today as they re-established control
over a courthouse in Mitrovica that a mob had forcibly occupied
last week.
The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said that
its joint operation, launched this morning with the NATO-led Kosovo
Force, or KFOR, was continuing.
Initial reports from the scene
indicate that some UNMIK police officers, KFOR soldiers and Kosovo
Serb protesters have been injured, with vehicles from both contingents
burned and dozens of people arrested.
In a statement issued by his
spokesperson, Mr. Ban urged calm, called for dialogue and reaffirmed
that UNMIK will continue to take action required by the Security
Council resolution 1244, which set up the UN administration after
Western forces drove out Yugoslav forces amid inter-ethnic fighting
in 1999.
Last month, the Assembly of
Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government declared
independence from Serbia, and since then the Secretary-General
has underlined the need for restraint from all sides.
His Principal Deputy Special
Representative in Kosovo, Larry Rossin, said that the attacks
on the international forces were “a flagrant breach”
of resolution 1244.
Mr. Rossin called on all Kosovo
communities to exercise calm so that UNMIK can continue to efficiently
fulfil its mandate throughout the territory of Kosovo.
“I specifically urge those
who are reacting in a violent manner to the action taken by UNMIK
and KFOR to respect law and order and to cease their illegal activities,”
he said.
Temporarily, UNMIK police from
north Mitrovica are redeploying outside of the city to other parts
of the region while KFOR re-establishes control of the courthouse
area.
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UN
official holds talks with Serbia's Kosovo Minister
16 March 2008 – Meeting
with Serbia's Minister for Kosovo, a senior United Nations official
today underscored that challenges – which violate Belgrade's
pledges to the Security Council – to the mandate of the
world body's mission, known as UNMIK, must come to an end.
The mission welcomed the recent
statement by the Serbian Foreign Minister to the Security Council
that UNMIK is the exclusive administrative authority in Kosovo
and that resolution 1244 is the only legal framework, said Larry
Rossin, the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative,
said.
“However, this now places
responsibility on Belgrade to avoid or avert any action that challenges
this authority.”
In his meeting with Slobodan
Samardzic, Mr. Rossin emphasized that last week's attack on and
occupation of UNMIK's District Court building in Mitrovica, as
well as Serbian Railways continued use of the rail line, are violations
of the mission's exclusive mandate. He noted that such moves are
at odds with Serbia's direct assurances to the Council.
The Deputy Special Representative
urged Mr. Samardzic to immediate take measures to end these and
other challenges to UNMIK's authority and to refrain from making
inflammatory public statements during his visit to Kosovo, which
has been administered by the UN since Western forces drove out
Yugoslav forces amid inter-ethnic fighting in 1999.
Although both he and Special
Representative Joachim Rücker are ready to enter into direct
talks with Belgrade, recent developments create an unfavourable
atmosphere for such discussions.
“For dialogue to be potentially
fruitful, we need the authorities in Belgrade to take effective
steps to counter such challenges – before, during and after
– whether unambiguous public statements, practical use of
influence or cessation of direct improper intrusions,” Mr.
Rossin said.
Last month, the Assembly of
Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo –
where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by
nine to one – declared independence from Serbia, and since
then both Mr. Rücker and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have
underlined the need for restraint from all sides.
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Top
envoy strongly condemns attack on UN mission's Court building
14 March 2008 – The Secretary-General's
Special Representative today strongly condemned an attack on the
District Court building of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo
(UNMIK) in North Mitrovica, which took place when a large mob
overwhelmed UNMIK Police.
“Those who turned to
violence in North Mitrovica have crossed one of UNMIK's red lines.
This is completely unacceptable,” said Joachim Rücker,
adding that he has instructed the mission's police to restore
law and order.
This morning, the Special Representative
notified the Serbian Government of the events, asking it to prevent
such attacks.
Mr. Rücker underscored
that any differences of opinion must be dealt with in a civilized
manner.
“Once again, I appeal
to all communities to refrain from violence and to help us ensure
a safe and secure environment in Kosovo,” he said. “UNMIK
will defend its mandate throughout the whole territory of Kosovo
without exception.”I appeal to all communities to refrain
from violence and to help us ensure a safe and secure environment
in Kosovo
The Special Representative
has informed both President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Thaçi
of the most recent developments and of UNMIK's course of action.
Last month, the Assembly of
Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government declared
independence from Serbia, and since then both Mr. Rücker
and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have underlined the need for
restraint from all sides.
Ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs
and other minorities by nine to one in Kosovo, which was administered
by the UN after Western forces drove out Yugoslav forces amid
inter-ethnic fighting in 1999.
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UN
mission must continue control over Kosovo, Serbia tells Security
Council
11 March 2008 – The situation
on the ground in Kosovo has deteriorated since its Provisional
Institutions of Self-Government declared independence last month,
Serbia’s Foreign Minister told the Security Council today,
calling for Belgrade and Pristina to meet again to try to work
out a different resolution to their dispute over Kosovo’s
status.
Vuk Jeremic told a Council meeting that the “unilateral,
illegal and illegitimate declaration of independence” had
brought dangerous consequences to both the region and to global
affairs, including “a direct assault on the innate operating
logic of the international system.”
He said “those 20-something
countries that furthered the secessionist cause of the Kosovo
Albanians [by recognizing the declaration of independence] have
contributed to making the international system more unstable,
more insecure, and more unpredictable” as they were legitimizing
the doctrine of imposing solutions to ethnic conflicts.
“It supplies any ethnic
or religious group with a grievance against its capital with a
play book on how to achieve their ends.”
Stressing that Serbia would
never recognize Kosovo’s unilateral secession, Mr. Jeremic
called for the 1999 Security Council resolution that placed Kosovo
under UN administration to be observed in full.
“This is the only way
to prevent a further deterioration of the situation on the ground.
There must be no erosion” of the mandates of the UN Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), he said, adding that
no further transfers of competencies from UNMIK to another body
be allowed to take place.
Serbia’s representative
said his country was “committed to open dialogue and good-faith
negotiation with all,” including on issues such as the Kosovo
Serb population and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo.
“Every day that goes by
without working towards some sort of agreement creates unsustainable
hopes, irrational fears, and dangerous, uncoordinated outcomes
on the ground.”
He said Serbia would not impose
an embargo on Kosovo or resort to force and he apologized for
the damage to foreign embassies caused by protesters in the Serbian
capital, Belgrade, on 21 February.
“It is in our vital interest
that all of Kosovo’s communities prosper – and prosper
together in peace, security and reconciliation as neighbours in
a progressive society of hope and forgiveness.”
After Mr. Jeremic’s briefing,
Council members then went into consultations on the issue. Belgrade
and Pristina have been unable to reach agreement on Kosovo’s
status, which had been the subject of months of negotiations led
by the troika, comprising the European Union, Russia and the United
States. That group was set up after a stalemate emerged over a
proposal by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Envoy,
Martti Ahtisaari, for a phased process of independence for Kosovo.
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UN
mission reasserts its control over stretch of rail line in northern
Kosovo
4 March 2008 – The United
Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) today
reasserted control of a rail line in northern Kosovo, a day after
Serbian Railways had challenged its authority over the stretch.
Joachim Rücker, the head of UNMIK and the Secretary-General’s
Special Representative, said that the intervention of UNMIK Border
Police “reverses the challenge to UNMIK’s authority
that occurred yesterday when Serbian Railways illegally sent two
of its trains south of Leshak/Lešak.”
In a statement issued in Pristina,
Mr. Rücker noted that about 9.35 a.m. today UNMIK Border
Police at the Leshak/Lešak train station informed a representative
of Serbian Railways that their train would not be allowed to travel
south, and Serbian Railways complied.
“UNMIK and its partners
will continue to meet any challenges to law and order throughout
Kosovo,” he said.
The envoy stressed that “any
movement south of Leshak/Lešak by Serbian Railways is a clear
challenge to UNMIK’s authority as well as a breach of the
2003 Memorandum of Understanding that Yugoslav Railways [now Serbian
Railways] signed with UNMIK Railways [also called Kosovo Railways]
and will not be tolerated.”
Last month the Assembly of Kosovo’s
Provisional Institutions of Self-Government declared independence
from Serbia, and since then both Mr. Rücker and Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon have underlined the need for restraint from all sides.
Ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs
and other minorities by nine to one in Kosovo, which was administered
by the UN after Western forces drove out Yugoslav forces amid
inter-ethnic fighting in 1999.
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