Security
Council told that Kosovo remains calm but tense
10 May 2007 – Although the overall security situation
in Kosovo is calm, tension is palpable in the ethnic Albanian
majority Serbian province that the United Nations has administered
since 1999, according to a new report by on last month’s
Security Council fact-finding mission made public today.
“Security is an essential
pillar of any society and that is even more so for societies
emerging from a violent and brutal conflict such as Kosovo,”
Ambassador Johan Verbeke of Belgium, the head of the six-day
mission, told
the 15-member Council.
The report, based on the mission’s
findings, noted that “while the Kosovo Albanian community
is confident about the future, the Kosovo Serb community is
apprehensive about its prospects for the future.”
Although Kosovo, where Albanians
outnumber Serbs and others by nine to one, remains divided between
the two communities, the report said that there were encouraging
signs, such as “the commitment to build a Kosovo for all
its communities, conveyed by Kosovo’s political leaders.”
Just as divided are the positions
of Serbia and Kosovo Serbs, on the one hand, and Kosovo Albanians
and non-Serb communities, on the other, regarding the province’s
future.
While Belgrade and Serbs residing
in Kosovo were adamantly against a solution that would lead
to independence, the province’s Albanians were optimistic
that a solution would be reached soon.
In March, a report was issued
by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the future
status process Martti Ahtisaari, who said the only viable option
for Kosovo was a phased process of independence.
The fact-finding mission’s
report also expressed concern at the very low numbers of internally
displaced returning to their homes. Despite there being mechanisms
in place for people to repatriate, many are discouraged by complex
procedures, security concerns and limited economic prospects
in the province where unemployment hovers near 60 per cent.
Last week, Mr. Verbeke
briefed the Council on the mission’s visit, which was
undertaken based on a Russian proposal, to Pristina, Belgrade,
Brussels and Vienna.
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Kosovo’s
communities remain far apart, says head of UN fact-finding group
2 May 2007 – Kosovo’s ethnic
Albanian and Serbian communities continue to lead largely separate
existences and have very different outlooks on the future, which
means creating an integrated, multi-ethnic society in the province
will require “substantial effort,” the head of a
Security Council fact-finding mission said today.
Briefing the Council on the
mission’s six-day trip to Pristina, Belgrade, Brussels
and Vienna, Ambassador Johan Verbeke of Belgium said the positions
of the two communities on the settlement proposal for Kosovo
also remained far apart.
The leadership of the Kosovo
Albanian community backed the report issued in March by the
Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the future status
process Martti Ahtisaari, who said the only viable option for
the Serbian province – which the United Nations has administered
since 1999 after Yugoslav troops were driven out amid fierce
fighting – was a phased process of independence.
But the leaders of the Kosovo
Serb community, as well as the mission’s interlocutors
in Belgrade, remained opposed to independence and wanted further
negotiations on the long-term future of Kosovo.
Mr. Verbeke said this division
was reflected in the communities’ outlook, with Kosovo
Albanians optimistic about what it holds and Kosovo Serbs concerned
that their rights will not be sufficiently protected.
Although the fact-finding
mission was impressed with the expressed commitment of Kosovo’s
political figures towards creating a more genuinely multi-ethnic
society, he said the divisions between communities meant it
would still require “substantial effort.”
Mr. Verbeke stressed
that the mission had been very useful in providing participants
with a first-hand perspective of the situation inside Kosovo,
where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other groups by about
nine to one.
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Security
Council team’s meetings in Kosovo cause for confidence,
official says
28 April 2007 – The head of a United Nations Security
Council team travelling in the Balkans today said its meetings
in Kosovo give cause for confidence on the future of the Serbian
province that has been run by the United Nations since Western
forces drove Yugoslav troops out in 1999.
Following talks with the President
and Prime Minister in Pristina, Belgian Ambassador Johan Verbeke
said the delegation he is leading “got a message of confidence,
a clear and articulated view on what the current and future
policies may be.”
Commenting on meetings with
Serbian political leaders, he added: “We saw that their
view is also one which is one of a belief in the future of Kosovo,
but that still we will have to work on further confidence and
willingness to work together for a multi ethnic society.”
The aim of the trip is to
provide Council members with a first-hand understanding of the
social, political and economic situation in Kosovo. In particular,
the mission will assess whether agreed standards – a set
of eight overall targets that include building democratic institutions,
enforcing minority rights, creating a functioning economy and
setting up an impartial legal system – have been implemented.
Last month, the Secretary-General’s
Special Envoy for the future status process Martti Ahtisaari
asserted that the only viable option for Kosovo, where ethnic
Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by nine to one,
is independence in a phased process with initial supervision
by the international community.
Calling Kosovo “a unique
case that demands a unique solution,” Mr. Ahtisaari said
in a report to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that independence
is the only way the province, where unemployment is close to
60 per cent, can become politically stable and economically
viable.
Council members “are
now seized by these reports and will have to act upon them,”
said Ambassador Verbeke. “Acting is for the future; where
we are now is collecting all the necessary elements of information
which must enable us to act responsibly in the coming weeks.”
While in Kosovo, administered
now by the UN Interim Administration Mission (UNMIK), the delegation
met also with members of different communities and visited the
divided city of Mitrovica.
“The most important
message which we registered was one of confidence, of willingness
of building a strong multiethnic society, work to the future,
make sure that commitments and engagements are being properly
kept so that all communities living here can trust each other,
work together with each other for the better future of Kosovo,”
said Ambassador Verbeke.
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Security
Council’s Balkans mission in Belgrade to meet with Serbian
authorities
26 April 2007 – A Security Council delegation on a fact-finding
mission to the Balkans today made a stop in Belgrade to meet
with leaders there as the 15-member body deliberates the future
of Kosovo, the ethnic Albanian-majority province of Serbia that
has been run by the United Nations since Western forces drove
Yugoslav troops out in 1999.
Led by Belgian Ambassador
Johan C. Verbeke, the delegation met with Serbian President
Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, UN spokesperson
Michele Montas told reporters in New York.
This is second leg of their
six-day tour of the region, and tonight they will depart for
Pristina, in Kosovo, after which they will conclude their visit
by stopping in Vienna. Yesterday, the delegation, comprising
representatives from current Council Member States, visited
Brussels to confer with European Union (EU) and NATO officials.
The aim of the trip is to
provide Council members with a first-hand understanding of the
social, political and economic situation in Kosovo. In particular,
the mission will assess whether agreed standards – a set
of eight overall targets that include building democratic institutions,
enforcing minority rights, creating a functioning economy and
setting up an impartial legal system – have been implemented.
Last month, the Secretary-General’s
Special Envoy for the future status process Martti Ahtisaari
asserted that the only viable option for Kosovo, where ethnic
Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by nine to one,
is independence in a phased process with initial supervision
by the international community.
Calling Kosovo “a unique
case that demands a unique solution,” Mr. Ahtisaari said
in a report to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that independence
is the only way the province, where unemployment is close to
60 per cent, can become politically stable and economically
viable.
Meanwhile, as part of an outreach
effort, Mr. Ban’s Special Representative in Kosovo, Joachim
Rücker, explained the current state of the future status
process of the province and discussed concerns with Kosovo Serbs
in a town hall meeting in Parteš/Partesh, a village in
the east.
Appearing on a panel, Mr.
Rücker told attendees that under the proposal, the village
would become part of a new municipality also called Parteš/Partesh,
which would have increased responsibilities and comprise three
villages.
In 1999 when NATO intervened
in the conflict, an estimated 250,000 Serbs and other fled Kosovo
after Serbian troops withdrew from the province. Since then,
only about 16,000 of them have returned.
“We would like to see
more returns,” Mr. Rücker said at the town hall meeting.
“It is my perception, however, that many displaced persons
are awaiting the decision on the status.”
He reiterated his invitation
to Kosovo’s Serbian community to actively participate
in the province’s institutions and in the status process.
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Security
Council mission to Kosovo holds talks with European Union officials
25 April 2007 – The Security Council
delegation heading to Kosovo on a fact-finding trip to help
determine the permanent future status of the Serbian province
with an ethnic Albanian majority stopped in Brussels today for
talks with European Union (EU) and NATO officials.
The 15-member delegation met
with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, EU High Representative
for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Ollie Rehn, UN spokesperson
Michele Montas told reporters in New York.
Brussels is the first stop
on a six-day trip that will also take stops in Belgrade, Pristina
and Vienna so that Council members can gain a first-hand understanding
of the social, political and economic situation inside Kosovo.
It is the fourth such Council mission since April 2000.
Led by Ambassador Johan C.
Verbeke of Belgium and comprising representatives from the Council’s
current membership, the mission is tasked with assessing Kosovo’s
progress since the UN took over its administration in 1999,
particularly on the implementation of the agreed standards,
a set of eight overall targets that include building democratic
institutions, enforcing minority rights, creating a functioning
economy and setting up an impartial legal system.
Last month, the Secretary-General’s
Special Envoy for the future status process, Martti Ahtisaari,
concluded that independence in a phased process with initial
supervision by the international community was the only viable
option for Kosovo.
Mr. Ahtisaari said in his
report to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the province, where
ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by nine
to one, could only become politically stable and economically
viable if it was independent because Kosovo’s Provisional
Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) and Serbia could not
reach agreement on even small, practical issues.
Any further delay in
reaching a permanent solution would cause further stagnation,
threaten democratic development and imperil any hopes at ethnic
reconciliation, he said, adding that an international civilian
and military presence would be needed for some time, focused
especially on such areas as minority community rights, the rule
of law, decentralization and the protection of the Serbian Orthodox
Church.
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Security
Council delegation on Kosovo heads to region tomorrow
23 April 2007 – A Security Council delegation heads tomorrow
for Kosovo on a fact-finding trip as the 15-member body considers
a United Nations envoy’s proposal to grant independence
in a phased process to the ethnic Albanian-majority province
of Serbia that has been run by the UN since 1999.
The mission – the fourth
such trip by the Council since April 2000 – will visit
Kosovo, Belgrade, Brussels and Vienna before returning on Sunday
to UN Headquarters in New York, according to a letter from the
Council’s monthly President to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The six-day trip is designed
to give Council members a first-hand understanding of the political,
social and economic situation inside Kosovo, and talks have
been scheduled with the leaders of the province’s Provisional
Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) and ethnic minority communities,
as well as with the Serbian leadership.
The 15-member delegation,
comprised of representatives of the Council’s current
membership, is tasked with assessing Kosovo’s progress
since the UN took over in 1999, particularly on the implementation
of the agreed standards. Ambassador Johan C. Verbeke of Belgium
will lead the group.
The agreed standards are a
set of eight overall targets that include building democratic
institutions, enforcing minority rights, creating a functioning
economy and setting up an impartial legal system.
Today Council members received
a closed-door briefing from Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping
Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno on the current situation
on the ground in Kosovo, where the UN Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) operates.
Mr. Guéhenno told reporters
that he “did not paint a rosy picture” of the situation,
adding that it would be valuable for Council members to see
for themselves what conditions are like and whether the current
uncertainty over Kosovo’s final status is helping or hindering
progress.
He noted that while some advances
have been made, and Kosovo is a long way forward on the events
of 1999, more progress is needed on the economy, the issue of
returns and Serbian participation in the PISG.
Last month, the Secretary-General’s
Special Envoy for the future status process Martti Ahtisaari
concluded that independence in a phased process with initial
supervision by the international community was the only viable
option for Kosovo.
Mr. Ahtisaari said in his
report to Mr. Ban that the province, where ethnic Albanians
outnumber Serbs and other minorities by nine to one, could only
become politically stable and economically viable if it was
independent because Kosovo’s PISG and Serbia could not
reach agreement on even small, practical issues.
Any further delay in
reaching a permanent solution would cause further stagnation,
threaten democratic development and imperil any hopes at ethnic
reconciliation, he said, adding that an international civilian
and military presence would be needed for some time, focused
especially on such areas as minority community rights, the rule
of law, decentralization and the protection of the Serbian Orthodox
Church.
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Interim
report on shootings in Kosovo cites Romanians attached to UN
police unit
17 April 2007 – An interim report into violent clashes
in Kosovo two months ago in which two protesters died and two
were injured has found “substantial basis” on which
to conclude that Romanian gunners linked to a United Nations
specialized police unit were responsible, a spokesperson for
the world body said today.
In his report to the UN Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), which has run the
Albanian-majority Serbian province since 1999, International
Prosecutor Robert Dean also says that the Mission, the UN and
Romania’s Government may also want to consider compensation
for the victims and their families, the spokesperson added.
“The interim report
states that there is a substantial basis on which to conclude
that Romanian gunners attached to the Romanian Formed Police
Unit were indeed responsible for the four woundings –
two of which were fatal,” spokesperson Michelle Montas
told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.
“But there is not enough
evidence right now pointing to which specific Romanian gunners
were responsible for firing the wounding shots, and the evidence
does not show at this time that the entire group of Romanian
gunners acted unlawfully.” The report adds however that
that there is a reasonable suspicion that three of the shootings
constitute crimes under Kosovo law.
“In light of the above,
the report says that the UN Mission, the UN, and the Government
of Romania may consider initiating appropriate procedures for
compensation for the surviving family members of those fatally
shot and for those seriously wounded,” Ms. Montas said,
stressing however that the investigation is continuing and the
report is interim in nature.
UNMIK has repeatedly
stated its commitment to ensuring a full and impartial investigation
into the deaths, which occurred on 10 February in the capital
Pristina when police used rubber bullets against pro-independence
demonstrators. The protest followed the unveiling of UN proposals
for the future status of the province.
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Security Council president
says delegation will visit Kosovo this month
4 April 2007 – The Security Council will this month send
a delegation to Kosovo, the 15-member body’s President
said today, as it considers a United Nations envoy’s proposal
for granting independence in a phased process to the ethnic-Albanian
majority Serbian province that has been run by the world body
since Western forces drove out Yugoslav troops in 1999.
“I would expect that during the month of April there would
be a Security Council mission to Belgrade and to Pristina,”
Emyr Jones Parry, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, which
holds the Council’s rotating presidency this month, told
a press briefing in New York.
He added that details would
follow after meetings with other Council members to see “how
they’d like to conduct that mission.”
Asked how the Council would
advance the issue given the divergent views on how to proceed,
including strong opposition to independence by the Russian Federation
and Serbia, Mr. Jones Parry said yesterday’s discussion
was informative because it demonstrated to the Council “how
sensitive this issue is and how carefully [former Finnish] President
[Martti] Ahtisaari [the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy
for the future status process for Kosovo], had formulated his
proposal.
“Within the Council
there is a natural sense of: we want more information, we are
worried about the dismemberment of a State. At the same time
many in the Council acknowledge that we’ve gotten to the
point where what President Ahtisaari is proposing is the logical,
the necessary political step and that if this is done in a carefully
managed way, we can end up with stability, rights and reconciliation
all furthered between Kosovo and Serbia.”
Regarding the next steps,
he said it would be necessary to take decisions on the Council
mission’s leadership and terms of reference. “What
I do not expect is the early tabling of a resolution,”
he said, pointing out that consultations will have to be held
in key capitals first.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mr.
Ahtisaari briefed the Security Council in a private meeting,
which was later followed by closed consultations.
Speaking to reporters after
the meeting, Mr. Ahtisaari said this was the start of a process
and that he was pleased by the discussions with the members
of the Security Council. He said that the process, if not a
marathon, was “at least a 10,000-metre run.”
He also stressed that the
Council must recognize that the sooner a decision is made on
Kosovo, the better.
Meanwhile, the Director-General
of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) today condemned the recent attack on the Monastery
of Decani in Kosovo and pledged the agency’s continued
support to ensure the preservation of the edifice, which is
considered an endangered cultural site.
“UNESCO and the whole
international community recognized the universal value of this
property when they inscribed it on the World Heritage List,”
said Koïchiro Matsuura, referring to the fact that the
Monastery is part of the ensemble of Medieval Monuments in Kosovo,
inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004, and put on the
World Heritage in Danger List in 2006.
On 30 March, a grenade launcher
was found on the hillside overlooking the monastery, and a rocket
engine was discovered lodged in one of its outer walls, according
to the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
This follows reports of two explosive noises heard by the monks
on Friday.
“I condemn the attack
on the Monastery of Decani,” Mr. Matsuura declared. “We
at UNESCO remain committed to pursue the work undertaken to
ensure the preservation of cultural heritage in Kosovo and I
urge the leaders of all of Kosovo's communities to exercise
restraint for the sake of a heritage that is valuable to us
all.”
The largest medieval church
in South-Eastern Europe, the Decani Monastery has come under
attack several times since the late 1990s. Initial reports indicate
that the 14th century edifice sustained only light damage in
last week’s attack, according to UNESCO, which said none
of the monks living in the Monastery were injured.
Following the attack,
the senior UN envoy to Kosovo, Joachim Rücker, voiced concern
about the situation and called the monastery “a place
of immense spiritual importance for the Kosovo Serb community
and a treasure for the people of Kosovo and beyond.”
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