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7448th Security Council meeting on Kosovo
7448th Meeting (AM)
As Serbia and Kosovo strove to overcome the legacy of hostility and conflict by working together on subjects of common concern, they should avoid procrastination on implementing the remaining steps of the April 2013 agreement or allowing older issues to shackle opportunities to open new ground, the top United Nations official there told the Security Council today.
During his quarterly briefing to the 15-member body, Farid Zarif, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) described the two meetings between the Prime Ministers of Serbia and Kosovo in the framework of the Brussels dialogue as “important milestones”.
It was encouraging that recruitment of judges and prosecutors had begun with a number of applications for those positions, in a process that required continued flexibility and goodwill, Mr. Zarif said. However, the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, a core provision of the April 2013 agreement, remained unresolved. “Steady leadership is required from both Pristina and Belgrade in order to enable progress.”
While fully acknowledging the complexity of issues and time required to establish the functional Community/Association, it would be vital to demonstrate goodwill in order to maintain the political momentum through the international community’s firm support, he said. There should be no undue delays in the steps required from Kosovo towards the establishment of the special court in order to try cases arising from the findings of the European Union Special Investigative Task Force. Swift progress on the issue of 1,653 missing persons also was essential to healing the wounds of conflict and alleviate the grief of the families the victims.
Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia, said endeavours under resolution 1244 (1999) would make it possible to achieve a sustainable political solution to the question of Kosovo and Metohija. In that context, Serbia was making every effort to build a stable and prosperous western Balkans. While there was reason for optimism, the recent terrorist attacks in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia were clear demonstrations of the fragility of the region’s stability.
All of that, he said, bore out the assertions that he had consistently made in the Council, namely, that the undiminished presence of UNMIK was of paramount importance for “creating conditions conducive to a lasting and sustainable solution of the question”. The Secretary-General’s report noted the cooperation of Serbia in the effort to achieve normalcy in the region, as well as its European integration, he recalled, adding: “There is no doubt that the participation of the Serbs in the political life in Kosovo and Metohija is a contribution to that end.”
Going forward in the dialogue, he said the key questions for his country remained the return of internally displaced persons and property issues, including the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church. He emphasized Serbia’s constructive stance towards Pristina’s participation in international forums without changing its views on Kosovo’s status.
Hashim Thaçi of Kosovo, describing UNMIK as one of the Organization’s most successful missions, said the broad-based Government had made an encouraging start towards social and economic development. After last year’s political crisis, there was an outflow of Kosovars to other European nations, he said, adding that unscrupulous activities by sections of the Serbian Government had encouraged that movement. Efforts to stem the flow were continuing and were beginning to show results. High-level dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia on reforming judicial institutions also had been gathering pace, he said, stressing the need to end the “propaganda”.
He said that greater engagement between Kosovo and Serbia at all levels on the basis of good-neighbourliness would provide the impetus for both to eventually join the European Union in the quest for shared prosperity. Accusations of “Greater Albania” were baseless and discussed more in Belgrade than in Pristina. Those against Kosovo’s membership in the Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were spreading such fears. Kosovo had adopted a law prohibiting its people from participating in foreign wars and it had made specific proposals on ways of weakening violent extremist groups. It had ensured constitutional protections for minority and marginalized groups such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Commending the ongoing political process, Council members urged both sides to consolidate gains by implementing all agreements, with the representative of China stressing the need to work within the framework of the United Nations Charter and Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) to resolve all questions about Kosovo.
The representative of the Russian Federation said that the Kosovo problem still had a destabilizing impact on the region. The fact that radical Kosovar Albanians had been connected to the attacks in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia showed how UNMIK’s presence was still needed and that disbandment of Albanian armed groups must still be addressed.
The delegate of the United States, looking forward to further negotiations in specific priority areas, urged Kosovo to take seriously all allegations of crimes committed during the war, by promptly setting up special courts. In order to make better use of the Council’s time and resources, he agreed that the reporting period on Kosovo should be extended, a call echoed by several speakers.
New Zealand’s representative said the Council’s consideration of UNMIK was not calibrated appropriately. He stressed the need for more flexibility in how the body organized itself to monitor the situation so as to adjust its activity in a way that reflected developments on the ground.
Also making statements today were the representatives of Chad, Nigeria, Jordan, Angola, Chile, Venezuela, Spain, Malaysia, United Kingdom, France and Lithuania.
The meeting began at 10:05 a.m. and ended at 12:23 p.m.
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