UNMIK/PR/1377
PRISTINA - SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen and COMKFOR Lieutenant-General Yves de Kermabon today toured the Mitrovicë/Mitrovica Region where they visited Svinjare village, addressed a townhall meeting on Standards and met the Municipal Assembly Presidents of Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, Zvečan/Zveçan and Leposavić/Leposaviq Municipalities.
During a meeting with returnees and IDP representatives in Svinjare, the SRSG and COMKFOR acknowledged the progress already made and urged the local authorities to work even faster to address the problems that returnees face, in particular with regard to the reconstruction of their properties.
The government has undertaken reconstruction of almost all properties damaged or destroyed in March 2004 and has provided cash grants to returning families. Yet there is clearly scope for more proactive measures by the PISG. “Progress here in Svinjare has been put on hold for too long, and I urge the PISG to deal effectively with pending issues relating to reconstruction in Svinjare and other parts of Kosovo”, said the SRSG, adding that “many more March IDPs could come back to their homes if the houses would be finished up to standard and pending claims were addressed”. He also called on the IDPs to work together with the authorities and organisations on solutions and on the gradual improvement of the living conditions.
With regard to the security situation, the SRSG and COMKFOR reiterated UNMIK’s and KFOR’s commitment to ensuring the safe return of IDPs and freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo.
COMKFOR recalled that the general security situation is calm and stable and said that "if security is achieved Kosovo-wide, the perception of security must not lead to mainly self-imposed limits on freedom of movement". The SRSG and COMKOR underlined that it is important that public perception of security reflects the reality on the ground and appealed to authorities, both in Kosovo and in Belgrade, to work constructively to encourage returns.
The SRSG said that there have been some positive messages from the Kosovan political leaders at the central level to encourage returns and reassure the minorities. It is equally important that political leaders at the municipal level follow this example. “We need to make more and faster progress, and the local authorities can play a crucial role by paying visits to returnees and listening to their concerns, by moving swiftly to address the challenges that still remain, by strongly condemning any acts that may intimidate returnees”, said the SRSG. He added that “at the same time, all political leaders as well as the media should help promote confidence among Kosovo Serbs. It is particularly important that political leaders refrain from negative statements that are not founded on facts”.
After the visit to Svinjare, the SRSG and COMKFOR attended a townhall meeting on Standards at the Cultural Centre in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica town and met afterwards the Municipal Assembly Presidents of Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, Zvečan/Zveçan and Leposavić/Leposaviq. They discussed, among other topics, the need for more action and considerable additional resources to address the acute health problems that many Roma in the camps face and to support the implementation of the Roma Mahala urban plan. The SRSG urged donors to commit rapidly and substantially to the project. At the same time, he called upon the Municipal President of Mitrovicë/Mitrovica to start immediately to address the health crisis and to begin the implementation of the urban plan urgently. He also encouraged the Roma community to support the project actively as it could finally end years of uncertainty for them.