UN RADIO IN KOSOVO

INTERVIEW WITH SRSG

By Jelena BJELICA and Danielle BREMER

Hello and welcome …. You’re listening to UN Radio in Kosovo …

In an interview for the Belgrade daily DANAS, the SRSG Soren Jessen-Petersen reiterated that in Kosovo there have been many positive and encouraging developments since he took the post last year, however, there are some serious problems too, that UN administration and local authorities have to deal with.

According to the SRSG the key positive signals that the first steps are being taken to build the democratic institutions were last Octobers’ parliamentary elections, that were unfortunately boycotted by the Serbs, and the resignation of former PM Ramus Haradinaj, which the SRSG praised as a positive act that demonstrated a political maturity and stability of Kosovo society.

Here are extracts of the interview with the SRSG.

SRSG – There has been progress in many areas on standards implementation. There has been political progress in that, today it is clear, it is clear to the international community, it is clear in Belgrade, it is clear in Pristina, that we are moving on a process that will get us to the status discussions this year. On the more negative side is that we have seen very little progress in the freedom of movement, we have seen very little progress in the return of displaced persons and also we have seen very little progress or almost no progress in the involvement of the Kosovo Serbs in the dialogue here in the democratic institutions, in the democratic processes.

Question - Still there are problems with the Serbs as you mentioned that Serbs are not participating in elections neither in formation of institutions

SRSG - I think the only way to get the Serbs into the process is for us to convince the Serbs that we are working here on building a multiethnic and tolerant society and it can only be multiethnic and tolerance if there is a place for the minorities if there is safety for the minorities if there is prospect for the kind of living conditions that you need to build a future. I think that we have taken many steps to reach out to the Kosovo Serbs, to show that that is what we are trying to build. I think that Kosovo Serbs many of them are still sceptical and I think the reason for the scepticism is what happened right after the war in 1999 it is also what happened last year in March, but I think they should start taking an other look into this.

Q:- What would you asses as a success in terms of return of IDP’s, what number, which percentage of IDP’s return to Kosovo would satisfied you?

SRSG - I will be satisfied by the day, by the time, that I honestly believe that the conditions are in place for each and every individual human being to make a choice. And then the individual may decide I want to stay where I am or I want to go to a third place or may decide to go back. We are not yet in a situation where I can say that all conditions are in place. I already mentioned the property issue: we need to make a lot of progress. The economic and social conditions in many communities is still very difficult and in some places security is still something we have to work on,

Q--Now I would go back to standards and at the assessment of the standards that is going to be in several months time, in July?

SRSG - Yes the comprehends of review is get to for July.

Q-major standard is of course regarding the security, but the other standard should be I believe returns and what are the other standards?

SRSG - It is functioning democratic institutions that means elections, how the assembly function how government how municipalities etc. It is in the rule of law , it is in freedom of movement , return of displaced persons , property is on of the standards, dialog Pristina -Belgrade is one of the standards, there are some standards on the economy and that’s about it.

Q - I have heard you got some kind of secret report in which there are many names from the leading political parties in Kosovo that are in some way involved in organized crime. If that’s true, what are you going to do about that?

SRSG - First of all organized crime is a problem in Kosovo and is a problem in the Western Balkans. It is probably an area where there is the closest cooperation amongst the organized criminals. They are in all the countries including Serbia. Again you have had some very violent crimes linked to organized crime in Serbia, I don’t have to remind you so I think it’s very important that we tackle this in a regional context. We spend a lot of our resources mainly among the international judicial personnel here to try to combat organized crime, to address the root causes. But it is a pervasive problem, both in Kosovo and throughout the region.

Q-Do you see that as a threat for the security of Kosovo? The problem of organized crime?

SRSG - I think it is threat for entire region. There is no way you can set up functioning democratic institutions if outside the democracy you have forces that are clearly ignoring any kind of rule of law any kind of democratic principles. So it is a threat to the entire region.

With this we end today’s program in which we presented to you a highlights of the interview with SRSG Soren Jessen-Petersen. conducted by Danas,

Thanks for listening to UNMIK radio and stay tuned.