UNMIK/PR/1290
PRISTINA – In his capacity as acting head of UNMIK in the absence of SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen from Kosovo, PDSRSG Larry Rossin received today the President of Serbia and Montenegro’s Coordination Centre for Kosovo, Dr. Nebojša Čović, who was in Kosovo to visit Gracanica Monastery on the occasion of St. Nicholas Day. Dr. Čović’s visit to Kosovo was the first by a senior official from Belgrade since the entry into office of the democratically-elected government led by Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj.
Mr. Rossin conveyed the SRSG’s personal congratulations on the occasion of St. Nicholas Day, adding that the SRSG regretted not being able to attend the ceremony in Gracanica.
The PDSRSG took the opportunity of his meeting with the head of the CCK to raise a number of issues that figure prominently on UNMIK’s agenda with Belgrade. He expressed to Dr. Čović the SRSG’s grave disappointment at the persistent failure of the Serbian authorities to encourage leaders of Kosovo’s Serb community to take part in Kosovo’s political life, notably the Working Group on the Reform of Local Government, and the Kosovo Security Advisory Group. The PDSRSG noted that this disappointment had been shared by the Contact Group Plus during its meetings in Pristina December 16. Mr. Rossin emphasized UNMIK’s conviction that Kosovo’s Serb community can advance its interests effectively only by taking an active and direct role in these and other forums, precisely designed to ensure that minority communities’ interests will figure fully in Kosovo’s institutional development and processes. In stressing these points, Mr. Rossin noted that the Contact Group Plus had heard from the new government of its determination to work with minority leaders toward a stable, multi-ethnic Kosovo, and had urged Kosovo Serb leaders to take up the government’s invitation to participate.
The PDSRSG expressed UNMIK’s disappointment with Belgrade’s failure to respond to the SRSG’s repeated urging to revive the joint Working Group on Missing Persons. Linking this humanitarian imperative to unrelated matters deprives families of victims of conflict from every community of closure and solace, the PDSRSG said.
Mr. Rossin also repeated UNMIK’s urging that CCK officials play a constructive role on practical issues, notably regarding the current problem of electricity network breakdowns in some areas of Kosovo. The PDSRSG called on Dr. Čović to instruct CCK officials to join the efforts of others in encouraging Kosovo Serb consumers to pay their electricity bills. He deplored the fact that CCK officials, during KEK and UNMIK contacts with affected consumers, are too often seen to be discouraging such cooperation and needlessly prolonging difficult situations that make life uncomfortable for Kosovo Serbs and others. The PDSRSG stressed the simple point that in Kosovo, as throughout the region, consumers of all ethnicities must pay the electricity supplier for energy consumed, as failure to pay bills undercuts the ability of the Kosovo Electric Corporation to maintain and improve the network and become a contributor to Kosovo’s economic prospects.
The political adviser to the Commander of KFOR, Frederic Mathieu, participated in the meeting and expressed KFOR’s strong support to UNMIK. He said that Kosovo’s political leaders also have a large role to play by participating in the Kosovo Security Advisory Group and Local Crime Prevention Councils, and asked Dr. Čović to encourage Kosovo Serbs to make use of these opportunities. He also mentioned COMKFOR’s determination to continue his good co-operation with Belgrade authorities.