UNMIK/PR/311
PRISTINA-SRSG Bernard Kouchner held a town hall meeting today in Vushtrri/Vucitrn to discuss UNMIK’s achievements and how to proceed with Kosovo’s future development.
Dr. Kouchner met the people of Vushtrri accompanied by the Municipal Administrator and local leaders, including members of the municipal council.
In his address to a crowd of mainly young people in the municipal Culture Center, the SRSG announced that Kosovo-wide municipal elections will be held on 28 October. He appealed to the people of Kosovo to go to elections with a spirit of tolerance, and without violence or crises.
Dr. Kouchner said that the first period of the international presence in Kosovo was devoted to ending the humanitarian emergency, and that now was time to build the future of Kosovo. Some achievements have been met, including hundreds of thousands of refugees who returned after the war, and the resumption of public services, such as health infrastructure. Ninety percent of the children of Kosovo are enrolled in school.
Dr. Kouchner told the people of Vushtrri that going to elections was an opportunity for Kosovo people to show the rest of the world that they are themselves involved in building democracy and the future of Kosovo.
“Free and fair elections are a big step toward democracy, toward the tolerance needed to build a Kosovo where all communities will live together, and with freedom of movement all over Kosovo”, said Dr. Kouchner. “You have the duty to protect minorities. This is your problem and you must find a solution. This is time to stop violence and to build tolerance and confidence in the hearts of all Kosovars”.
Questions raised by residents included what security measures UNMIK would use to insure free and fair elections in Kosovo, and the situation with property issues and travel documents. They asked about housing and property rights, a concern of refugees and displaced persons who lost possession of property during the recent conflict, or of those who purchased a house or an apartment when this was prohibited by discriminatory laws.
The SRSG visited also Vushtrri Park, a gift to the people from the United Arab Emirates and United States Agency for International Aid (USAID).
The visit to Vushtrri/Vucitrn was the first in a series of planned town hall meetings during with Dr. Kouchner will meet residents around Kosovo to discuss directly with them their concerns.