UNMIK/PR/753
Wednesday, 12 June 2002

SRSG statement to press on 3rd Anniversary of UNMIK&KFOR’s arrival

· It is a special day today: the third anniversary of the arrival of UNMIK and KFOR, that means the engagement of the international community to chance Kosovo into a respective society. We have much to be proud of
· You all can confirm that there are signs of continuing reconstructionand great personal energy. This is the result of peoples’ initiative but its also result of more than $2 billion committed by international donors, mostly by the EU.
· Kosovo no longer lives on donations alone: 93 percent of this year’s Euro 374 million Kosovo Consolidated Budget will come from locally generated revenues, with only 7 percent coming from donors.
· We have 420,000 children attending nearly 1200 schools. We have some 15,000 students who are pursuing higher education in two universities.
· The crime rate has fallen dramatically—from 245 murders in 2000, to 118 in 2001, to only 30 so far in the first half of this year. This year’s victims were 29 Kosovo Albanians and one Kosovo Serb.
· Although still very much remains to be done to ensure security and human rights for all minorities, the situation has begun to change.
· According to UNHCR, 4,000 displaced minorities have returned to Kosovo. We have put in place a policy on sustainable returns to encourage many more to come home.
· We have as of this week a senior advisor for returns in my office (a former member of the Kosovo Assembly) and he has started to work intensively, and we have a Serb coordinator for returns in the government.
· We have begun a serious fight against organized crime and corruption.
· Zero tolerance for crime is the motto you know I’m following.
· We have some 350 judges and prosecutors, and we are very close to recruiting 40 Kosovo Serbs to make the judiciary truly multiethnic.
· The government is ready to pay pensions, for the first time in three years, on 1 July, as soon as the Assembly promulgates the draft law.
· We have also issued 220,000 travel documents: Although we still have difficulties in some neighboring countries and Serbia, the numbers of passengers through Pristina Airport will reach 1 million this year,. This is 25 percent more than last year and 100 percent more than in 1999.
· Communications—in 1999, 90,000 people could telephone, but only within their local town. Now more than 300,000 people have telephones by which they can call all over Kosovo and the world.
· These are examples from the good side: Let’s look at what remains to be done:
· We must make possible the returns of more significant numbers of displaced persons
· There are still awful cases of desecration.
· We must invigorate the economy, creating opportunities for all Kosovo’s people to lead decent lives.
· Parallel structures must give way to an effective and unified administrative structure throughout Kosovo. Everywhere.
· You know I have said Standards before Status. I am happy that not only the Security Council but also the Assembly of Kosovo has endorsed my 8 Benchmarks. Most of you know them by heart: functioning democratic institutions, rule of law, freedom of movement, returns, economy and other areas.
· Only when we are satisfied that we have a level of fulfillment of these requirements, then we can begin to address the status question.
· I don’t know what the final status of Kosovo will be, but I know what it will not be: First: No return to the situation before 1999. Second: No partition. Third: Kosovo will be a multiethnic society on the way to Europe.
· However, I have not mentioned the most visible achievement of this year: That is that we have a multiethnic Government, which has been completed today. It’s a very happy coincidence that exactly today on the third anniversary of the arrival of the international community here in Kosovo that the government has just taken the Oath of Office as prescribed by law.
· Before coming here I have just officially forwarded to the Assembly of Kosovo the document of Oath signed by all the members of the Government.
· So all in all, we have cause to celebrate – But now we must get down to work.