Kosovo: 'Let us hope that differences can be bridged' - UNMIK's Chief Presser | United Nations

Briefing by Peter Due, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK, on the Secretary-General's latest report on UNMIK. ----- “Let us hope that differences can be bridged, a new President can be elected and that new legislative elections can be avoided,” the new chief of UNMIK said, briefing the Security Council on the situation in Kosovo. Peter Due, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) noted the return of Kosovo Serb mayors to local institutions in the north as a positive step but said “this process has not been without challenges,” citing “incomplete handovers, administrative gaps and language barriers” raised by mayors he had met with. He also said UNMIK had “implemented a contingency plan reducing encumbered positions by almost 30 per cent” in response to the UN's broader financial difficulties. Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić said UNMIK remained “indispensable,” noting that its mandate under resolution 1244 had “not been fully implemented.” He said Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija were “increasingly marked as the other” and that their identity was being used “as a basis to limit the rights of Kosovo Serbs, restrict their movement and target their homes, property and religious sites.” Glauk Konjufca said “the obstacle to peace and normalization of relations remains Serbia, which is neither interested in normalizing relations with Kosovo nor joining the EU.” He called on Belgrade to “come to terms with reality and recognize Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state,” saying it was “holding its society and entire region hostage to aspirations of regaining regional hegemony.” Konjufca said Kosovo had “one of the most advanced minority protection frameworks in Europe” and said Serbia and “other malign actors continue to weaponize minority rights” to “promote division, disorder and undermine our democratic institutions.” US Deputy Representative Tammy Bruce said the Council “should not measure effectiveness by how long a mission survives,” pointing to the capabilities of local institutions and the EU presence on the ground. “The UN mission has reached the end of the road,” she said. Russia's Permanent Representative Vasiliy Nebenzya said it was “unacceptable to reduce the frequency or to change the format of Security Council meetings on Kosovo,” adding that any reduction in UNMIK’s budget or staffing was equally unacceptable. The mission, he said, continued “to perform the essential task of contributing to the maintenance of stability in the province.”


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