Kosovars
will go to polls in November, UN envoy says
31 August 2007 – The senior United Nations envoy to Kosovo
announced today that municipal, assembly and mayoral elections
will be held on 17 November in the Serbian province administered
by the United Nations since 1999.
However, Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative in Kosovo Joachim
Rücker stressed that the future status of Kosovo takes
precedence.
“It is crucial that
democracy runs its course, notwithstanding the paramount importance
of concluding the status problem,” he said, following
his meeting with the Team of Unity, a group of representatives
of Kosovo Albanian institutions and all major political parties.
“I wish to make it clear
that the Team of Unity and I are in complete agreement that
the status process has absolutely priority,” he said.
“I reserve the right to postpone the elections date should
there be a conflict – in particular, should the holding
of the elections be used as an excuse to delay status.”
The Security Council has been
deadlocked over a proposal by Mr. Ban’s Special Envoy
Martti Ahtisaari for a phased process of independence for the
province. Earlier this month, the Secretary-General welcomed
an agreement to have a troika comprising the European Union,
Russian Federation and United States lead further negotiations
on Kosovo’s future status.
Kosovars will cast ballots
in November for Assembly Members and Municipal Assembly Members
and, for the first time, will also directly elect a mayor for
each of the 30 municipalities of Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians
outnumber Serbs and others by nine to one.
The electoral system
has been changed, with the upcoming polls introducing an open
list for seats, according to an UNMIK press release issued in
Pristina. Voters will elect both a political entity and up to
10 individuals within the same entity’s candidate list.
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UN
mission starts process for new local elections in Kosovo
16 August 2007 – The United Nations Mission in Kosovo
(UNMIK) today kick started the process to conduct new local
elections in the province, which the world body has run since
western forces drove out Yugoslav troops in 1999 amid ethnic
fighting.
Principal Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General
in Kosovo Steven Schook today signed an Executive Decision which
authorizes the Central Elections Commission to start technical
preparations for the election of new mayors, municipal assembly
members and members of the national assembly.
“As Special Representative Joachim Rücker has said,
it is UNMIK's position that the democratic process in Kosovo
should move forward,” said Mr. Schook. “The legislative
framework for the holding of elections is being finalized and
will be promulgated before the end of this month.”
At the same time, he cautioned that the elections should not
interfere with the resolution of final status – an issue
that is the subject of a new round of negotiations launched
by a “troika” of representatives of the United States,
Europe and the Russian Federation.
“We will be monitoring the negotiation process very closely
over the coming months,” Mr. Schook said.
The Executive Decision came a day after he started a new round
of visits to Serb-speaking villages in the south of Kosovo.
On Wednesday, Mr. Schook urged the Kosovo Serbs in Gorazdavac
to fully participate in the democratic process.
He said that Mr. Rückerwould announce next month the specific
date for the elections.
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Ban Ki-moon endorses
new initiative on determining Kosovo’s future status
1 August 2007 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed
an agreement to have a troika comprised of the European Union,
Russian Federation and United States lead further negotiations
on the future status of Kosovo, the Serbian province administered
by the United Nations since 1999.
“I hope that the new
period of engagement will lead to agreement on Kosovo’s
future status, which remains a priority for the United Nations,”
Mr. Ban said in a statement released today.
Stating that the status quo
is “not sustainable,” he urged the international
community to find a solution that is “timely, addresses
the key concerns of all communities living in Kosovo and provides
clarity for Kosovo’s status.”
The agreement was arrived
at by members of the Contact Group – the US, United Kingdom,
France, Germany, Italy, and the Russian Federation – which
will report back to Mr. Ban by 10 December on the progress of
negotiations between Pristina and Belgrade.
It follows a deadlock in the
Security Council over a proposal by Mr. Ban’s Special
Envoy Martti Ahtisaari for a phased process of independence
for the province, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and
others by nine to one.
Kosovo’s Albanian leadership
support independence but Serbia is opposed.
Mr. Ban pledged that
the world body will continue to “play a constructive role
in the new period of engagement,” with the Office of the
Special Envoy for Kosovo (UNOSEK) standing by to provide information
and clarification on request, as well as continue its major
role on the ground.
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