UNMIK/PR/515
SRSG Hans Haekkerup addressed the North
Atlantic Council in Brussels today on progress made in Kosovo.
NATO Secretary-General Lord George Roberston welcomed back Mr. Haekkerup, who had been a member of the NAC as a long-serving defence minister of Denmark.
Robertson told a press briefing following the meeting that the NAC had pledged its "robust support for the process of public institution-building and law and order implementation, and for making sure there was serious progress toward a multi-ethnic democracy. A lot of questions were asked but underlying message was that we support the work being done by UNMIK."
Other topics addressed by the NAC today included the situation in Southern Serbia and the Ground Safety Zone.
Haekkerup updated the NAC on progress made toward establishing a legal framework for elections and the interim institutions they are to produce.
"We are moving on this and early next week we will have the working group on the legal framework with Kosovars and internationals sitting at the table," he told media following the meeting.
Mr. Haekkerup said he was going on to Vienna where tomorrow he will address the Permanent Council of the OSCE to request support in planning and organization "so that we can have elections hopefully this year."
The legal framework working group, which will meet next Tuesday, will have an equal number of appointed Kosovo members and internationals, with an international chairman, he explained. The Kosovo membership will include representatives of the major Kosovo Albanian parties, Kosovo Serbs and other communities. Those parties and communities not represented on the working group will be consulted as well.
"The drafting of the regulation, that is the legal framework, will be done in the working group. But of course the input of others has to be part of the process," Mr. Haekkerup said.
The election date will largely depend on the speed at which the group works, he said. "If they make progress quickly, we'll also have elections quickly. There is a risk they will not reach any agreement. I have the ultimate power to make the decision, but I would certainly like to see them do the bulk of the work and leave as little as possible to me in the end."
He discussed other topics with the NAC, including the security situation and progress in establishing law and order in Kosovo, as well as the economy and the issue of Mitrovica. The situation in the Presevo Valley was raised, and Mr. Haekkuper noted that while it lay outside his mandate to implement resolution 1244, "what happens in Presevo has a big impact in Kosovo."
He told reporters that he had raised the issue of Kosovo Albanian detainees both with the NAC and with the EU's General Affairs Council on Monday. The Amnesty Act passed two days ago by the Yugoslav Parliament would affect "only a limited number" of Kosovo detainees, he said: "That is certainly not satisfactory and I expressed my point that all prisoners should be returned to Kosovo and then we will review their cases under international law."
He said that with the release of the detainees, some movement may occur on the question of the missing. The issue of missing people, both Serbs and Albanians, was a "very important problem which will be with us for a long time," he said. But he noted that UNMIK and Belgrade had been in frequent contact on the issue, and that the opening of an UNMIK office in Belgrade could be "an instrument for even more frequent contacts on the missing."
Asked about the attack on the Serb bus, he said that UNMIK Police were continuing their investigation and had detained two persons with a possible connection to the crime.
Mr. Haekkerup gave a similar address to the EU's General Affairs Council. A press release issued following the meeting noted that the GAC "expressed its full support of his efforts to ensure the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1244" and "underlined its continuing commitment to a democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo."
The Council strongly condemned the attack against the bus convoy, calling it "an act of terrorism" and a "serious blow against the interests of the people of Kosovo" which will "not be allowed to undermine the efforts of the international community to fully implement UNSCR 1244."
The statement said that the EU is ready to "continue its support to defusing the tensions through projects supporting all ethnic groups and minorities and promoting economic development and enhanced security. It recalled the urgent need for the FRY and Serbian authorities to proceed with the speedy release of all political prisoners. It urged all those responsible to disclose information regarding missing persons and to create conditions for the safe and dignified return of refugees and displaced persons."
The Council welcomed the SRSG's proposal to develop a legal framework for provisional institutions for self-government, "including adequate safeguards for minority rights."
"The Council expects all ethic groups in Kosovo to participate constructively in this process," which it said, was "essential to ensure successful Kosovo-wide elections in conformity with UNSCR 1244 - In this context, the Council underlined the need to develop the electoral system further, including through an updated and integrated civil and voter registry, including refugees and IDPs, to ensure that the elections truly represent the will of the population of Kosovo."
The Council stressed the importance that all communities participate in the elections and it "encouraged the authorities in Belgrade to support the election process and exert a positive influence on Kosovo Serb participation in the electoral process."
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