UNMIK/PR/67

PRESS RELEASE

14 October 1999

SECRETARY-GENERAL COMPLETES VISIT TO KOSOVO

PRISTINA-United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan completed a two-day visit to the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo today, remarking on the encouraging signs of rebuilding, and re-affirming his support for a democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo.

In a press briefing at the end of his visit, the Secretary-General described his trip  to Peja/Pec earlier today in which he said "I saw for myself the life in the markets, on the streets and in the shops - For me it was almost like a miracle of return and rebirth".

However, he cautioned that rebuilding involved not only "bricks and mortar," but also "democracy, good governance, respect for human rights and respect for one’s neighbors - and hopefully reconciliation and, of course, justice "A great deal has been achieved, and we still have a lot to do. But it is clear that without your cooperation and support, we cannot give you the help we want to give you."

Also in Pec, the Secretary-General met with the UNMIK Regional Administrators from the five UNMIK regions,  who told him that while several multi-ethnic interim municipal councils had been formed, progress in re-integrating schools and communities had been slower. They said their main concern has been finding adequate funds to pay acceptable stipends for civil servants. UNMIK is in the process of establishing a budget for Kosovo, through international donations and revenues from customs services at Kosovo’s border with Macedonia and Albania. The priority for revenues at this point has been stipends for public workers.

The Secretary-General opened a school of 2,000 students in Pec, rebuilt by the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), UNICEF and the NGO GOAL.

"You are going to be the leaders of the 21st century," he told them. "Good luck. Get on with it. Study hard. Play hard. And listen to your parents."

The Secretary-General arrived in Pristina two days after the murder of UNMIK staff member Valentin Krumov on one of Pristina’s main streets. Speaking to several hundred UNMIK staff Wednesday, Mr. Annan called for a moment of silence "for colleagues who have died in the search for peace." He also called UNMIK "one of the most difficult missions the UN has ever taken on." And later he pledged to increase the training and numbers of police to prevent similar attacks, not only against UN staff.

Yesterday, the Secretary-General met with the main representatives of Kosovo’s political parties and ethnic minorities. He had a separate meeting with representatives of Kosovo’s civil society.

"We need to work in partnership. We rely on you to sensitize us on what we need to do," he told representatives of some 15 organizations, some of whom urged him to pursue justice for crimes committed during the past conflict, to include more women in decision-making roles in the new Kosovo and  and to revitalize the economy with more employment.

The Secretary-General pledged his assistance in those issues, and in yesterday’s press briefing he also encouraged Albanians outside Kosovo to "come back to work with you and us in rebuilding the society."

The Secretary-General also had lengthy discussions with the directors of UNMIK’s four "pillars," the sectors of humanitarian affairs, civil administration, institution building and economic development and reconstruction.

In a visit yesterday to the Serb Orthodox Church and Monastery at Gracanica, he urged Serb   leaders Bishop Artemije of the Rasta and Prizren Orthodox Church and Momcilo Trajkovic of the Serb Resistance Movement to return to the Kosovo Transitional Council, and to continue dialogue with the Albanian community.

Asked about Kosovo Albanians’ aspirations for independence, the Secretary-General said that he and his Special Representative, Bernard Kouchner, were "guided by Security Council Resolution 1244 - which makes it clear that we should administer this territory as an autonomous region, but within the boundaries of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. "I know there is desire on the part of many people for independence, but that is not the mandate of Dr. Kouchner or myself."

The Secretary-General also held separate meetings with Bardyl Mahmuti, president of the PBD (Democratic Union Party); General Agim Ceku, commander of the Kosovo Protection Corps and Veton Surroi, publisher of the Pristina-based newspaper Koha Ditore.