UNMIK/PR/1252
PRISTINA – The SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen today urged Kosovo Serbs to take part in Saturday’s Assembly Elections. He said he understood that people were disappointed with progress so far but stressed that they had every reason to vote. “Elections are not about the past, they are about the future. The fact that there hasn’t been much progress is reason to participate, to look ahead and be part of the future”. The SRSG was speaking during a joint visit with KFOR Commander General Yves de Kermabon to Shtërpcë/Štrpce town this afternoon.
The SRSG praised Shtërpcë/Štrpce with its integrated multi-ethnic assembly as a model to other municipalities. “You represent in many ways the kind of municipality we want to see throughout Kosovo”. He congratulated Assembly President Sladjan Ilic for being a ‘wise and responsible political leader’ who, by encouraging people to vote despite the unhappiness many Kosovo Serbs felt with their present condition, decided to give Kosovo a chance to move forward.
Søren Jessen-Petersen pointed out that it is now clear that if Kosovo wants to move forward and become part of Europe there must be ‘significant, demonstrable’ progress in the implementation of standards, especially in the areas of security, rule of law, protection of minorities, freedom of movement, return of displaced persons and decentralisation “with true and real local self-government”. The SRSG said he was confident that Kosovo authorities understood that and added that those who go out and vote will have every right to hold not only the international community but also those politicians that get elected accountable for results.