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UNKI/PR/595 UN SECURITY COUNCIL TO VISIT KOSOVO AND BELGRADE NEW YORK - All 15 members of the Security Council will travel to Kosovo and Belgrade from June 15-18 to see first-hand the political and security challenges faced by the United Nations in the province, as well as to convey to the people of Kosovo the need to reject violence and take part in elections later this year. Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury of Bangladesh, who is leading the mission, likened the undertaking to something of a "mobile Security Council." It is the first Council mission in which all members are participating and the first to be led by a Council president. The delegation is scheduled to leave Friday evening and arrive in Pristina, Kosovo, on Saturday. The Council members will meet with the leadership of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), as well as with Kosovo's Albanian and Serb leaders, and visit the northern city of Mitrovica and the largest detention center in Kosovo, the Dubrava prison. They will discuss the current security challenges facing the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the impact of the regional situation. The mission is expected to convey a strong message to the Kosovo Serb community that its participation in the upcoming elections and in the UNMIK-led process is vital. Meetings with the Kosovo political leadership are expected to focus on the need to reject all forms of violence; condemn extremist and terrorist activities; ensure public safety and order; promote inter-ethnic reconciliation and inclusion; and support implementation of Security Council Resolution 1244. A press conference is scheduled in Pristina on Sunday evening after the mission's last briefing in Kosovo. The trip would end in Belgrade, where members would meet with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, Prime Minister Zoran Djinjic and Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic. Following those meetings, the mission has scheduled a press conference. The mission, which is expected to return to New York late Monday, will prepare a report and brief the Security Council on Tuesday afternoon. In addition to Ambassador Chowdhury, the following members are scheduled to take part in the mission: Ambassador Shen Guofang (China), Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso (Colombia), Ambassador Jean-David Levitte (France), Ambassador Richard Ryan (Ireland), Ambassador M. Patricia Durrant (Jamaica), Counsellor Mamounou Toure (Mali), Ambassador Anund P. Neewoor (Mauritius), Ambassador Ole Peter Kolby (Norway), Ambassador Sergey V. Lavrov (Russian Federation), Minister-Counsellor Christine Lee (Singapore), Ambassador Othman Jerandi (Tunisia), Minister-Counsellor Volodymyr Krokhmal (Ukraine), Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock (The United Kingdom) and Ambassador James B. Cunningham (The United States).
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