UNMIK On-Air

“SRSG Soren Jessen-Petersen Visits Belgrade”

By Jackson Allers

Hello and Welcome. You are listening to UN Radio in Kosovo with Jackson Allers and Valon Syla

Petersen - "I have just had my first meeting with the president of Serbia since I took over the position of UNMIK administrator."

Soren Jessen-Petersen speaking during his first trip to Belgrade as head of the UN Mission in Kosovo.

Jessen-Petersen’s whirlwind diplomatic tour on Monday included meetings with Serbian President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Serbian and Montenegrin Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic.

Addressing a packed hall of journalists at the presidential compound, Jessen-Petersen made it clear that immediate dialogue with Belgrade was of key importance to his post as the new SRSG - good news to Serb leaders who had cooled to regional and international dialogue attempts following the violence in March.

Petersen - "I need and I want to open a very constructive, a very regular dialogue with Belgrade, to make sure that I am aware of views, comments, concerns here and that I also reflect those whenever possible, and that should be possible in most instances, as we move forward in Kosovo."

At Jessen-Petersen’s first press conference, Serb President Tadic, said that the issues being discussed by the two leaders were the most difficult in the Balkans - namely decentralizing local government and safety guaranties for Kosovo’s minorities.

Looking a bit somber one day after the Serb water-polo team was beaten in the Olympic finals by Hungary, Tadic cited UN Security Resolution 1244 as the framework for solving all future problems in Kosovo.

Tadic - “From my side, as the president of Serbia, I have assured Mr. Petersen that Serbia is going to respect SCR 1244, and that in Kosovo, there is a requirement for the inclusion of all ethnic communities in governance as well the responsibility to provide conditions for a safe and secure life for every men and women, indeed (all people).”

After a full day of meetings, UNMIK’s head, Jessen-Petersen, spoke at the Hyatt Hotel in central Belgrade; he laid out a more complete picture of what could be expected on security issues during his tenure, particularly with respect to returns of the internally displaced.

Petersen -"It is not so much a question of me convincing the Serb authorities that the displaced persons can go back. It is certainly a question of me reassuring the authorities here that this is to me personally a top priority to see the return of the displaced. i have been in involved in return and refugee issues for 25 years. I think that the real challenge here is to convince or reassure the displaced persons that it is safe for them to go back to places of origin or places where they want to go back to. All of this is and must be based on their own choice"

In one of the more surprising moves of the afternoon, Jessen-Petersen opened up the idea that dialogue was not just a two-way with Belgrade and Pristina.

Petersen - “We need to re-open the dialogue Belgrade - Pristina. But, we also need closer involvement of other states in the region - Macedonia, Albania also should be involved in all discussions linked to Kosovo and for the same region i will be visiting Macedonia and Albania next week. I will also later be going to Montenegro.”

As EU Special Representative to Macedonia, Jessen-Petersen played a pivotal role in Macedonia’s recent Parliamentary decision on decentralization [Note: the Referendum on Decentralization in Macedonia is set for November 7]

He asserted that parts of the Serb Plan on Kosovo decentralization could indeed be integrated into the plan for local government reforms drafted by UNMIK, and the US Agency for International Development [USAID] in July.

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As for October’s Assembly elections in Kosovo, Jessen-Petersen once again stressed that there would be no conditions made by Belgrade with regards to Kosovo Serb participation.

Petersen - “It is absolutely crucial if we want a multi-ethnic Kosovo, and that's what we do that the Kosovo Serbs be given a chance to participate in the elections. That's what the PISG wants, that's what the international community wants, that's what I want, I believe that is what a vast majority of Kosovo Serbs want."

Meanwhile, Contact Group countries the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Italy and Russia are meeting this week in Brussels with the SRSG. Among many topics, the Group is expected to announce its stance the Serb decentralization plan.

This concludes today's edition of UNMIK On-Air, please stay tuned as we bring you additional coverage of the Contact Groups decision this Friday on the first edition of UNMIK On-Air’s “Week in Review.”