UNMIK/PR/732
Thursday, 9 May 2002

SRSG Michael Steiner
Address to the Kosovo Assembly

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Presidency of the assembly has been composed. The committees have been composed, and I want to congratulate the Assembly for that

What we should focus on is that we need to get ready to work. Please remember the joy, the relief and the pride people had when the government –with Prime Minister Rexhepi -- was composed.

With that proud achievement comes responsibilities. We are in the business of transferring step by step authorities and responsibilities from the international community to institutions of provisional self-government. It’s the simple truth that the better you handle the authority you already have, the more authority will come and that’s my program and that’s what we want all to achieve.

I fully understand that the Assembly wants to discuss important issues for Kosovo--and the issues you have discussed here are important issues for Kosovo, even if it is not your responsibility and even if the Constitutional Framework very clearly prescribes that in these areas of reserved responsibility, there are no resolutions or decisions which can have the quality of validity.

I’ve listened carefully to this debate and I do not agree with everything that has been said here. But I must say this was a very dignified and very professional debate.
So I respect that and I think that you should have the opportunity in the future to express the wishes of those who have been elected from the people of Kosovo.

But I would also urge you not be sidetracked from the urgent tasks which are in your competence. And please, even if you don’t see it in this room, don’t forget there’s also an international community out there. Don’t antagonize the international community whose support I’m fighting for daily and whose support is not easy to win and keep.

Mr. President, On 24 April I addressed the UN Security Council, who as you well know will in the end decide on Kosovo’s future under 1244. From this session in New York, I can report to you good and bad news.

The good news is the Security Council and each and every member firmly supported our task, firmly supported the benchmark concept which I proposed to them, and I’m very happy heaving heard President Daci in the beginning speaking about his support and the Assembly’s support for these goals that we all share.

But there is also bad news. And that is that all 15 Security Council members had criticisms. And I have to say and I hate to say that partly they are right.

It was not easy to sit there before the Security Council for four hours and listen to every single representative from whatever country, while expressing on the hand full support, also criticizing in part the situation in Kosovo. It’s hard to be proud of that.

You can see for yourself – we have distributed the minutes of that meeting here. And it is worthwhile to look at that because it gives you a picture of how the international community is thinking about Kosovo, how it is judging Kosovo and how it intends to support it.

Just a few comments I heard: Norway: no multi-ethnic civil service is there because of security concerns … UK: we are concerned about organized crime and extremism… Cameroon: Kosovo can’t achieve its potential without security, fraternity, tolerance and respect for differences…Mexico: the “Exclusion policy which is still the practice not of deeds but of words makes democracy impossible….China: living conditions of minorities are not yet acceptable…Singapore: number of Serb returns too small….Even the US criticized the extremism on both sides.
I could go on like that.

Frankly, I’m unhappy that such criticism tarnishes what we’ve achieved so far and of which I am proud because we have achieved quite some progress in Kosovo. As I’ve said before, Kosovo’s progress toward normalcy and integration with Europe hinges on whether all communities can live side-by-side in security and dignity. Security is not just about physical safety – it’s about homes, jobs, education, public services. These are the things that the people of Kosovo are looking to the Assembly to fix.

Why is there not one single woman in this government?

Health care - we need to unify the health care system.
No one knows this better than Dr. Rexhepi, the Prime Minister.

Education - Kosovo is young. The youth of Kosovo is your most valuable asset.

I was the adviser of Chancellor Schroeder for three years: What are the Prime Ministers of Europe talking about? – They are talking about knowledge-based societies. This is the issue of Europe, and the young people of Kosovo need education. Without education they have no future and this pertains also to Kosovo. That’s your job. Take up this task. It is in your hands. There’s no time to waste.

Now let me address in a few words about the ‘informal’ part of this session today and you have addressed in a dignified way even if you have been discussing matters beyond your competence.

I understand your desire to discuss issues of such utmost importance to Kosovo and I respect that you do it and will in the future. But you have your job to do and I have mine. Under Resolution 1244, UNMIK retains control of security issues and international relations, and the Constitutional Framework is equally clear.

Let me tell you about Macedonia: I fully understand your concerns about the situation there, and about the assessment of the border delineation agreement. But I must repeat that the international community is organized in a certain way and there is one organ that is the highest of the international community and that is the Security Council of the United Nations.

The Security Council in March last year took a position and this position says that we have to respect the border delineation agreement. Now put yourself in my position. I’m working for the Secretary General of the United Nations. I’m under instructions of the Security Council. And if they call for respect of this agreement, I must do exactly that and my hands are bound in this respect. But what I can do and have addressed are the practical concerns of the people affected. And there are farmers and families that have rights in this area have established customary rights.

And I’m proud, despite the criticism you might have had of the legitimacy of this agreement that we have achieved something. That was not easy to achieve. I agreed after months of discussion with President Trajkovski on a commission. We have fully informed the government of every step. I sent a letter on the results we have achieved and they can be summed up in such a way that those concerned and those with rights will be able to access their lands without any restrictions from fYROM authorities. That’s what I can achieve under the conditions I have mentioned and that’s what I have achieved.

There are a number of issues which we need to address and need to solve vis á vis Macedonia and that is the problem of license plates and travel documents which are practical problems and of enormous importance for the people themselves.

Mitrovica: we all agree that the current situation is unacceptable. The truth is that I have inherited this situation. I agree that the situation cannot stay at it is and I share your frustration about the situation in Mitrovica and in the north.

But I have been clear and consistent and I have been unambiguous about the issue. I never talked about bridgewatchers. I always talked about the bridge gang. I told the Security Council in New York that we cannot tolerate parallel structures nor would I accept any solution which is horizontal or which goes in the direction of partition.

You can see what the position of UNMIK and its chief is. I accept in reality we have not yet achieved what we want to achieve in Mitrovica. It took us 44 years to reunite Germany – we never gave up and we achieved it in the end.

We will achieve it here, and it will take much less time than in Germany. And I would like to stress one thing here: there will be no partition of Kosovo and no return to the status quo ante of 1999.

If you are urging for a solution, it is absolutely justified and helpful for me, as it expresses the concerns of the people. But please understand that we have to respect the division of powers as foreseen in the Constitutional Framework.

In the end our common power is the respect for the rule of law. This is what brought us where we are, and it will bring us further.

Allow me a few words on crime and violence: We need to clear the name of Pristina. Tomorrow we will have here a conference against cigarette smuggling. That is quite something—to have finance ministers from all over the region coming here to Pristina.

This is the first big step toward showing our neighbors and the world that Kosovo is not just part of the problem of crime but will be part of the solution as well.

I have several times promised zero tolerance on crime and corruption. We are doing our part not everything at once, but we are doing our part.

Now, for the good of Kosovo it is legitimate to have the discussions you had this morning. You should continue. But don’t forget to devote yourselves to the urgent issues that are already within your competence. This is the best way to keep the people of Kosovo proud.

It’s also the best way to retain the support of the international community. This was the message from the American President which I received yesterday.

We are in a race against time. So let’s get on with it. There is no time to waste.