Wednesday, 13 September 2006
ADDRESS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL BY SRSG JOACHIM RÜCKER, 13 SEPTEMBER 2006
I am honoured to have this opportunity to address the Security Council and grateful to you, Mr President and members of the Council, for the invitation. I took up my new responsibilities only a few days ago, but have been Deputy Special Representative for the last year and a half, so I am not new to Kosovo.
I welcome the presence here of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Mr Agim Ceku. Attendance by the head of the Kosovo government has become a regular feature at these meetings, which is right and fair since we are discussing the future of the people of that territory.
The status process dominates the political agenda in Kosovo at the moment, and will continue to do so until Kosovo’s final status is determined. UNMIK considers it a priority to support the Special Envoy and his Office in the pursuit of their delicate and difficult task, while acknowledging that UNMIK itself does not have a role in the determination of Kosovo’s final status. The general feeling in Kosovo now is that a new phase of Kosovo’s history is about to begin, and this makes the majority of people hopeful but also nervous, since the outcome is still uncertain. Although progress continues to be made, and although UNMIK and the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government continue to work together to improve governance in Kosovo, at the back of all activity now is this uncertainty about the future. One idea I would like to leave you with today is that Kosovo needs to be rid of this uncertainty, and to move on.
It is encouraging for the future of Kosovo that the status negotiations from the Pristina side have been conducted by a Unity Team led by President Sejdiu. Opposition leaders in this process have achieved a difficult balance between solidarity within the Unity Team and a critical domestic stance towards the performance of the government, as is normal in democracies.
Side by side with the status process there is still the need to provide good government and public services to the people of Kosovo. Under the energetic leadership of Prime Minister Ceku the pace has remained at the rate reported in our last presentation here in June. The Standards programme has received even greater attention since the Contact Group presented the Government on 9 June with a list of 13 priorities, drawn largely from the results of the UNMIK Technical Assessment on standards implementation from 30 April. This list, that the Contact Group presented to the Government, identified key areas, mainly with regard to the protection of minorities and community rights, for example new laws on cultural heritage, languages and so forth. The PISG with help from UNMIK have devoted much attention to meeting the targets set by the Contact Group, and the priorities have by now been mostly achieved. The remainder of these priorities is making progress and is on track. I thank the Contact Group for this contribution to the standards process, which has undoubtedly helped to maintain the momentum on implementation.
At the same time, the Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan drafted in 2004 was in need of revision to reflect changing realities, and so last month the Government adopted an action plan to implement its European Partnership. This action plan now forms the basis of both European Integration and Standards work, and so unites two processes which have the common objective of achieving social and economic progress.
One area of particular concern to us is the situation in northern Kosovo. In May, several highly-publicized security incidents occurred, which were portrayed, without any evidence, by some Kosovo Serb leaders and Serbian authorities as inter-ethnic attacks. These incidents were used by the municipalities north of the Ibar river to sever all cooperation with the Pristina authorities. This boycott continues, although the northern municipalities continue to cooperate with UNMIK. Meanwhile, UNMIK and KFOR have substantially expanded and enhanced their security presence north of the river Ibar.
Still, incidents of violent crime do occur, such as the recent grenade explosion in a Serb bar in northern Mitrovicë/a and the subsequent violent response against non-Serb passers-by. For several days we had to close the main bridge linking the two sides of the town, but we have now started to reopen the crossing as the situation has become more stable.
Violent crimes are to be deplored wherever they occur, and prosecuted with the full force of the law. But frequent attempts to portray Kosovo as a place where non-Albanians, in particular the Kosovo Serbs, are under constant attack and daily victims of ethnic crimes are completely unjustified. They do not reflect the reality on the ground.
Serbs and Albanians will have to live together in Kosovo whatever the outcome of the status discussions. We all know this will not be easy, but in fact we do see many encouraging examples in Kosovo, where people are already finding practical solutions to their common problems and are laying the foundations for a multiethnic Kosovo. But obviously these are not the cases that attract attention and publicity.
In this context I strongly support the initiative of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Ambassador Rolf Ekeus, who intends to launch in October a systematic, structured approach to promote reconciliation.
Belgrade retains a powerful influence over the attitudes of the Kosovo Serbs. I would wish to get a clear signal from Belgrade authorities to the Kosovo Serbs that their future is in Kosovo if they wish it, that they have no reason to leave, and that they should find ways to cooperate with the elected Kosovo authorities. A valuable part of this signal would be the withdrawal of the directive that Serbs in the public service must either leave the PISG payroll or else lose the extra salaries and other benefits paid by Belgrade. I am ready to work with Belgrade to build a Kosovo where neighbours with such a troubled past can finally find a common future.
The PISG has continued its outreach campaign, and government ministers continue to seek non-Albanian audiences and reassure them. But this campaign has not always been successful in gaining trust. Serbs in the enclave of Velika Hoca recently refused to meet the Prime Minister, for example. Certainly the Kosovo government has a responsibility to gain the trust of all of its citizens – but if there is no wish even for dialogue from its interlocutors then its power to succeed is somewhat limited.
Yes, the Kosovo Serbs are in a difficult situation. They fear for their future and do not know whom they can trust. They have been barred for over two and a half years from participating actively in the work of the Kosovo Assembly or the Government. But isolation is not the answer to their problems. Integration is.
The security situation has remained stable, though I would not deny that there continue to be risks: for example, incidents, such as the one mentioned, which might themselves be insignificant might escalate. In such an environment security policy is always a priority. I am glad to acknowledge the continuing good cooperation between the UNMIK and KFOR leadership.
I spoke earlier about the implementation of standards and the PISG’s growing commitment to serving the public. Two areas which need particular attention are justice and the economy.
We noted in June the need to build a justice system which can command the faith of the population and business, whatever community they come from. Efforts to reappoint all judges and prosecutors on the basis of a reassessment of their credentials should contribute to an improvement, and should begin soon, but building an efficient and impartial justice system for Kosovo is a task which will take some time.
As for the economy, the legal and institutional frameworks for a functioning market economy are largely in place. However, increased private sector development is necessary for lifting Kosovo’s economy out of a vicious circle of low growth, unemployment and a large trade imbalance. There are encouraging signs in this respect. Annual GDP growth for Kosovo has been projected at 3%; given the shrinking public sector and diminishing donor input, such performance is due to an expansion of the private sector. Moreover, privatization has continued at an accelerated pace. Overall, Kosovo’s economic growth will depend on investment-led development of key economic sectors, and clarification of Kosovo’s status would remove certain complications that currently affect long term investment decisions.
Mr President, members of the Council, we in UNMIK are well aware that we retain our mandate under SCR 1244 for as long as you decide. At the same time, against the background of the status process, we have to start planning for the end of the mandate. We have continued to follow the thinking of the Contact Group on the likely shape and powers of the international presence which will follow us, and have maintained a dialogue with international partners on the transition from UNMIK to that future presence. There is now in Pristina a European Union Planning Team looking at future involvement in the police and justice sectors, and a separate team advising Brussels on the composition of the future International Civilian Office (ICO). We have regular contacts and discussions with both these teams, and we also have a Steering Group which brings together international actors with an interest or role in the transition process. We plan to include other interested parties in discussions at various levels, including the PISG who also need to prepare for the time of transition which lies ahead.
The devolution of UNMIK’s powers and activities will in itself be a major exercise, and we are planning for that too. We need to do this even though we have no timetable for the end of UNMIK’s mandate under SCR 1244, in order to be ready to move forward quickly and efficiently when the time comes.
As I said, UNMIK will discharge its responsibilities as long as it has them. But I would like to reiterate that, for the good of the future of the people of Kosovo, the current period of uncertainty needs to be brought to an end as soon as possible. Yes, there will be tensions and difficulties in the months ahead, and we can expect emotions occasionally to spill over when something so vital to people’s interests is being determined. But I believe the tensions and difficulties arising from delay in this process would be even greater. Delay will not bring reconciliation. Delay will not lead to economic recovery. Delay will only prolong the tensions existing in Kosovo society, which will feed frustration and make the new start, when it does come, even harder to get right.
I look forward to serving as SRSG in Kosovo at a historic time. I expect to be the last person to perform that function; in any case I am well aware that the task is not easy, but we must get it right; and I am absolutely convinced that together we can get it right if the current momentum in the status process is kept up.
Momentum, Mr President, is key. Let me conclude by thanking you and the other members of the Council for your continued support in this crucial phase of our mission.
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