SRSG Press Briefing, 17 April 2002

SRSG Michael Steiner
UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel

SRSG Michael Steiner

Pleasure to see you.

I just had a productive meeting with Mr. Covic. We talked about two issues, one issue is the participation of Povratak in the Government and the second is, of course, Mitrovica.

On the first issue, our interlocutor is Povratak; that means those who have been elected here by the population to represent the Serb part of the population. I think it is safe to say, after having talked now to Mr. Covic who has confirmed, that everybody on the Serb side agreed to my proposal on how we can ensure the participation of the Kosovo Serbs in the government.

I think we have found the formula, and you know that formula, which is acceptable to the Prime Minister as well as to the Kosovo Serbs and to us, which is in conformity with the Constitutional Framework.

This is very encouraging. What we now need to have from Povratak is, of course the names.That might take a couple of days, but I am very pleased that the Kosovo Serbs, with the encouragement and endorsements from Belgrade, now have accepted all details that I have proposed.

That is very good because we always wanted to have a government which represents all the communities here in Kosovo. And you know we have been working hard to achieve that. You know also that certain things, I said from the beginning, were not possible for me such as the creation of a ministry for return. That was not possible for constitutional reasons but I think the offer I have made, which is in conformity with the Constitution, is a good one, and is in the interest of the Serbs and of Kosovo as a whole.

We have, of course, also discussed the situation in Mitrovica. Also there we had a good talk, and all I want to say on this issue is we are now working very intensively on the solution which is in conformity with the principles we have to defend on the basis of 1244.

Let me just generally at this occasion make a point that leads us on these issues. I think what we need to follow is a sort of double track approach, and two tracks, the two pillars on which our work is based upon can be summed up with on the one hand, the word multiethnicity, on the other hand, that is the second track, integration. So, the one doesn’t work without the other, both must be fulfilled if we want to have Kosovo on the right track.

What does that mean? I think that all sides need to roll up their sleeves and work together, and we have now a chance to achieve that.

Multiethnicity: that means and this addresses itself mainly to the majority community. The majority community has to accept and has to work to have the smaller communities stay in Kosovo, to make return possible. The majority community has to have the main responsibility for respecting the rights of all the other smaller and weaker communities.

The majority community has the main responsibility when it comes to security and freedom of movement, when it comes to education, culture and language issues which are in the interest of all the different communities.

The other track, which I called integration, addresses its demands to the smaller communities. The other communities have to participate in all the institutions we have set up under 1244. They have to accept that we cannot have parallel structures in Kosovo; they have to accept, for example, to be concrete, that there cannot be telephone systems which are not licensed by us, and they have to accept that we need to respect the rule of law everywhere in Kosovo.

Now, if everybody takes on its share on these two tracks, then I am very confident we move forward, especially in the situation where the problem we had so far in assuring a multiethnic representation in the Government is now overcome.

I think if we take this approach, multiethnicity on one hand and integration on the other, then we will achieve our goal to make Kosovo ready also for its way to integration into Europe.

Thank you.

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel

A couple of questions because we have the handover of the draft regulations.

Q: Mr. Steiner, do you have a precise plan on how to solve the situation in Mitrovica because all that you have said has been said for a long time. It’s been three years now; the situation is the same. Do you have a special idea or a special plan?

SRSG: I think that you may underestimate what I have said. I don’t think that we can say that for three years we had a multiethnic Government. I don’t think that we had achieved that before. This is something which is, I think, quite a success for Kosovo and of course, when it comes to Mitrovica, I have concrete ideas. I think we will achieve progress there, but allow me to say that for the time being all I want to say on this issue, also after the very intensive talk, the very principal talk I had with Mr. Covic, is that we are just now working very actively on that and I hope you will see the results soon.

Q: On Mitrovica again, Mr. Steiner, did you in any way make it clear to Mr. Covic that you will find the attackers, those who carried out the attacks against international police and that you will prosecute them or arrest them?

SRSG: Of course, Mr. Covic knows, and I said that, and confirmed, that all those who have committed crimes anywhere in Kosovo, but also and specifically here in Mitrovica after the recent events, will be held responsible in front of the legal system that we have.

Thank you very much.