UNMIK/PR/1429
PRISTINA - SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen said that, as the political process in Kosovo enters a new phase, following the Secretary-General's recommendation to the UN Security Council that status talks should begin, it is particularly important that dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade continues. The SRSG was addressing the media at the end of a one and a-half day visit to Belgrade yesterday, during which he met Serbian President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Kostunica and the head of the Coordination Centre for Kosovo, Sanda Raskovic-Ivic, as well as the Contact Group.
The SRSG said that it is now clear that status talks will be underway before the end of the year, and they will be very much conducted through shuttle diplomacy by the Special Envoy. "But it is extremely important that while this process gets underway, work continues on decentralisation, on implementing the Standards and, most importantly, those Standards that are essential for the building of a multi-ethnic society in Kosovo. It is equally important that dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade on the important issues in Kosovo also continues", said the SRSG.
The SRSG recalled the first meeting held recently in Vienna between Local Government Minister Haziri and his Serbian counter-part, as well as the subsequent meeting between the two Culture Ministers. He added that it is important to have contacts between other ministers and mentioned health as one example.
The SRSG reiterated to both the President and the Prime Minister the need for a much more constructive engagement on the part of Belgrade in trying to deal with many practical problems that minorities, in particular the Kosovo Serbs, are facing. He said that progress so far has been limited, and that the PISG need to demonstrate a stronger commitment, "but without a direct, constructive engagement on the part of Belgrade there will always be limits to how much we can do", he added. "We want to make it possible for all citizens, all minorities, but most importantly for the Kosovo Serbs to feel that they are safe, that they have a future in Kosovo. That requires a constructive engagement on the part of Belgrade, so that we can get the involvement of the Kosovo Serbs. After all, it is their future and they should be involved in designing it", he added.
The SRSG said he had good talks with CCK head Sanda Raskovic-Ivic and that he looked forward to closer co-operation with the CCK in addressing issues such as returns. "Evidently, we cannot be satisfied with the results of returns, or rather the lack of results so far, but it is important that while we continue to work on returns, we put a lot of focus on consolidating the presence of the Kosovo Serbs who never left Kosovo in the first place." He also hoped to work closer with the CCK on practical issues, such as schooling.
During the visit, the SRSG also met representatives from the families of missing persons. He reiterated his personal commitment to this deeply humanitarian issue and assured them that UNMIK continues to work hard, including by pushing the PISG to help shed light on the fate of all missing persons.