UNMIK/PR/3

23 June 1999

Press Statement                     

Head of United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo Meets with Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy and United Kingdom

Appeals for urgent international support for “unprecedented” UN Mission

(Pristina 23 June 1999) Sergio Vieira de Mello, head of the United Nations Interim Administration mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and Special Representative of the Secretary-General a.i. met today at the newly-established UNMIK headquarters in Pristina with the Foreign Ministers of Hubert Vedrine of France, Joschka Fischer of Germany, Lamberto Dini of Italy and Robin Cook of the United Kingdom. He briefed the Foreign Ministers and had an exchange of views on progress to date in establishing UNMIK, and on the challenges facing the United Nations in carrying out the mission’s mandate under Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999). General Sir Mike Jackson, the Commander of KFOR, also attended the meeting.

In his comments to the Foreign Ministers, Mr. Vieira de Mello stressed the unprecedented nature of UNMIK’s mandate, which is to provide an interim administration for the territory, while facilitating the search for a political solution to the future status of Kosovo. He underlined that it was essential for UNMIK to operate in a fully integrated manner, and that “we need to speak with one voice” regarding Kosovo”

He outlined a number of urgent needs which he urged the Foreign Ministers to support, including:  
             
the need for civilian police officers to serve as United Nations International Police in Kosovo;

the need for civilian administrators for urgent deployment to the five districts of Kosovo, and its 29 municipalities;

contributions to fund salaries and other recurrent costs for civil administration, and to finance quick impact projects to help restore normal life to Kosovo’s people.

He also outlined a number of steps he intended to take in order to ensure the continued functioning of essential services, to open up access to the mass media and to restore the judiciary.

In their comments and questions, the foreign Ministers pledged their support and to the Secretary-General’s and UNMIK’s efforts at implementing resolution 1244 (1999) in a number of areas related to civil administration, humanitarian affairs, democratic institutions, free media financial matters and economic reconstruction.

Following his meeting with the Foreign Ministers, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, a.i. attended a meeting between the Foreign Ministers and assembled representatives of the Kosovar Albanian community including Mr. Hashim Thaqi of the UCK, Ms. Edita Tahiri (LDK), Mehmet Hajrizi (LBD), along with Mr. Veton Surroi and Blerim Shala, followed by a meeting with Archbishop Artemije of Prizren and  Bishop Sava of the Serbian Orthodox Church as representative of the Serbian community in Kosovo.