Sunday, 22 January 2006
SRSG’ s address to the Assembly of Kosovo on the occasion of the passing of President Rugova
“Dear family of President Rugova; dear President and members of the Assembly; dear Prime Minister and representatives of the Government, COMKFOR, Ambassador Goldberg, dear Friends and Guests,
It is with profound sadness that I stand before you today – a sadness which I know is shared by the Assembly as a whole.We were all, of course, aware of the seriousness of the President’s illness, but still yesterday’s news was a shock to us all. Ibrahim Rugova had been the defining element of politics in Kosovo for so long that it is hard for us to imagine Kosovo, and Kosovan politics, without him.
My own first meeting with the President was in 1996 and then, as afterwards, he struck me with the constancy of his political vision and the firmness of his dedication towards a single aim – the aim to which he dedicated his life – that of a free Kosovo.
This is a vision and aim which I know is shared by the vast majority of the population in Kosovo, and in this Assembly. And it is a vision whose realisation remains in the hands of you, Kosovo’s political leaders – whose unity and commitment to the President’s vision will be vital in the coming months. That we should have lost President Rugova at such a sensitive time compounds what is already a human tragedy.
But today is not a time for expounding on such themes. Today is a day to give our thoughts to President Rugova’s family whose grief we can share but not lessen. And it is a day to celebrate the achievements of a man who brought Kosovo’s plight and hopes to the consciousness of the world and who achieved this through vision, wisdom and warmth.
Kosovo has lost a great leader. May he be mourned, may he be remembered, and as Kosovo moves towards the fulfilment of his vision, may his spirit remain with us all. May he rest in peace.”