UN / KOSOVO WRAP

UNMIK Chief Lamberto Zannier to brief the council on the Secretary-General's latest report on Kosovo, in which he voices concern over Priština's new policy toward the northern areas of Kosovo aiming to restore the rule of law in areas controlled by parallel Serbian government institutions. UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:08
• Production Date: 17 May 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: POLITICAL CONDITIONS; POLITICAL MOVEMENTS; INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; PEACE AND SECURITY
• Geographic Subject: SERBIA
• MAMS Id: U100517c

Description

STORY: UN / KOSOVO
TRT: 2.08
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE

DATELINE: 17 MAY 2010, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

RECENT 2010, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

17 MAY 2010, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Cutaway, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Lamberto Zannier, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Kosovo:
“The situation in Kosovo has remained stable, although the potential for volatility and instability, especially in northern Kosovo, remains, and a number of significant developments have taken place. The absence of a significant process of reconciliation between the communities continues to be a challenge and that, coupled with economic difficulties, continues to presents the risk of social unrest.”
5. Cutaway, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Vuk Jeremic, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Serbia and Montenegro:
“Regretfully the Secretary-General’s report downplays a number of growing challenges in Kosovo from organized crime and corruption to police misconduct and judicial dysfunctionality. The European Commission’s most recent progress report on the other hands paints a more realistic picture. It states that organized rime and corruption continues to be issues of ‘serious concern’ and affirms that the judicial system is ‘weak, vulnerable to political interference and inefficient’”.
7. Cutaway, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Skender Hyseni, Kosovo:
“The Republic of Kosova has already started to implement a wide range of ambitious referrals to meet the required European benchmarks. Of course we understand that this is going to be a very demanding journey. We are of the view that same as other countries in our region, Kosovo should also soon be invited to open a visa liberalization dialogue with the European Commission.”
9. Wide shot, Ban Ki-moon and Vuk Jeremic photo-op
10. Various shots, roundtable

Storyline

The absence of a significant process of reconciliation between the communities in Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, together with economic difficulties, continues to present the risk of social unrest, a senior United Nations (UN) envoy warned today (17 May).

The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) continues to devote close attention to issues affecting relations between the majority Albanian and other communities, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative Lamberto Zannier told the Security Council.

Presenting to the Council the Secretary-Generals latest report, Zannier noted that the situation in Kosovo has remained stable, although the potential for volatility and instability, especially in northern Kosovo, remains.

“The absence of a significant process of reconciliation between the communities continues to be a challenge and that, coupled with economic difficulties, continues to present the risk of social unrest,” he said.

Also present in the meeting Serbia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs regretted that the Secretary-General’s report “downplays a number of growing challenges in Kosovo from organized crime and corruption to police misconduct and judicial dysfunctionality.”

Vuk Jeremic also added that the European Commission’s most recent progress report “more realistic picture” stated that organized crime and corruption continued to be issues of “serious concern.”

Representing Kosovo, Skender Hyseni said that Pristina had started to implement a wide range of ambitious referrals to meet the required European benchmarks. And he said that Kosovo “should also soon be invited to open a visa liberalization dialogue with the European Commission.”

UNMIK administered Kosovo from 1999 when North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces drove out Yugoslav troops amid bloody ethnic fighting between Serbs and Albanians, but it gave up its administrative role after the independence declaration. The declaration was rejected by Serbia, which still seeks a robust role from the mission as opposed to that envisaged by the authorities in Pristina, Kosovo’s capital.