UNMIK ON AIR

SECURITY COUNCIL: WHAT DID THE OTHERS SAY?

(David Balham)

Thursday 13.02.03

Hello and welcome to UNMIK on Air

CUT 1: STEINER: With your help, I hope that we can convince political leaders and Kosovo society to embrace the benchmarks as a positive challenge. Kosovo institutions will have to rise to it. They have to understand that only the fulfillment of these standards will give the International Community confidence that Kosovo is ready for substantial self-government. The fulfillment of these standards is also necessary to remove the causes of future conflict – and to make Kosovo a normal European society.

UNMIK Chief Michael Steiner, addressing the Security Council in New York last week. Mr Steiner’s views are now well known: until Kosovo makes substantial progress towards the eight “benchmarks” of a normal society its final status will not be considered. The main problems facing the area are jobs, security, and respect for multi-ethnicity. And UNMIK wants to hand over responsibilities to Kosovo’s elected government… as soon as it shows it is ready to exercise them properly.

But what do other members of the Security Council say? Do they agree with the positions taken by UNMIK and Mr Steiner? During last week’s debate on Kosovo, it seemed the answer was generally “Yes”.

One of the first points Mr Steiner made in his address to the council was that although many of Kosovo’s politicians are working hard to improve conditions throughout the area, others are concentrating on Kosovo’s status. Most recently there has been discussion of a resolution declaring Kosovo independent. This, said Mr Steiner, was a matter for concern, as it was taking the provisional government’s attention away from the real bread-and butter issues. A point of view echoed strongly by Michel du Clos of France:

CUT 2: DU CLOS FRANCE – We are concerned by the unilateral statements and initiatives undertaken by some in Kosovo, and in the region. Those statements and initiatives are likely to undermine and destabilize the existing situation in Kosovo and throughout the Balkans. In particular we deplore the project of some members of Kosovo Assembly to pass a declaration concerning the future status of the province, in contradiction to SCR 1244.

And the internal problems of the Government were commented on by the US representative, Richard Williamson, who said that fighting between the different parties was hampering the Assembly’s work.

CUT 3: WILLIAMSON USA: – US also is concerned by the infighting among the Albanian parties, this is a growing problem which negatively impacts the prospects for passage of critically needed legislation on the economy and elsewhere. The Security Council should make clear to all parties that they need to work together

Time and time again the Security Council debate came back to the issue of authorities – not just in Pristina but also in Belgrade - trying to jump the gun on the eventual status of Kosovo. The UK’s Adam Thomson made it clear his country won’t accept that. And he stressed both Kosovo’s minority and majority populations have a role to play in cementing the area’s future.

CUT 4: THOMSON UK: – Prejudging final status, either by declarations in Pristina or in Belgrade, or transformation of the KPC into an army, is unacceptable. Kosovo needs to show that it is serious about actually running itself and integrating minority communities into the Government. At the same time, those minorities must demonstrate that they are committed to Kosovo’s future.

But Mr Thomson also said that attacks against minorities – particularly Serbs – were slowing Kosovo’s development, and he called on both UNMIK and KFOR, as well as local leaders, to take a strong stand against what he called extremism.

CUT 5: THOMSON UK: The recent cycle of violence – including successful and attempted assassinations and attacks on Orthodox churches – seems to indicate that local extremists feel that they can act with impunity. They cannot and must not. Local leaders need to condemn all such acts of violence and to support the efforts of UNMIK police and the Kosovo Police Service in their efforts to clamp down on this selfish extremism, which hinders Kosovo’s development and affects the normal lives of the normal people in Kosovo. We also urge UNMIK and KFOR to tackle this extremism at its roots.

This was a point echoed by Mr Steiner. Beating crime, he said, was one of the main priorities both for the international community, and for the ordinary people of Kosovo. But this required cooperation from the local authorities. Responding to criticism from the Kosovo Government that it doesn’t have authority over police and justice matters, Mr Steiner said there was still plenty the government can do.

CUT 6: STEINER: We obviously do not expect the institutions to deliver in areas where they do not have instruments. But public figures can and must be held accountable for a sustained effort to promote the values of the rule of law, for example. We expect them to take a stand against crime, to refrain from extremist statements, and to call on the public to cooperate with the police and courts. Tacit tolerance for crime and corruption must stop.

Not all the voices at the Security Council were in agreement with everything UNMIK is doing. Richard Williamson of the US, for example, said he was concerned that UNMIK had been too reluctant to transfer some authorities to the new government. Mr Steiner countered in his address that he is ready to give the government all competencies he legally can by the end of the year… but that it had to show it could handle new responsibilities first. And he stressed that handing over power didn’t mean the international community abandoning Kosovo.

CUT 7: STEINER: Our principle will be effective empowerment. But it is important that the transfer of authority does not take the form of the International Community simply abandoning the Kosovo political structures, losing sight of 1244. It is not even one year since the Government was set up. There is still a lack of effective checks and balances between the executive, legislative, judiciary and media. Minority protections are still weak throughout the institutions. The Government itself has asked for our continued support. Despite our own shortcomings – as surely UNMIK makes mistakes – we are still needed in Kosovo.

And that’s all for today from UNMIK on Air. Stay tuned…