UNMIK/PR/1363
PRISTINA - SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen this morning addressed the International Donors Conference for the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Kosovo, convened by UNESCO at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris. The following is the text of his speech:
“Mr. Director General, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
I’m very pleased to be here today at this international Donors Conference for the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Kosovo. I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to you, Director-General, and your collaborators in UNESCO for the initiative to convene this conference, aimed at mobilizing financial support for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage in Kosovo. I also want to thank the Council of Europe and the European Union for making this possible. I am glad to be here with a delegation from the PISG, led by Minister of Culture, Science and Technology, Mr. Astrit Haraqija, and Minister of Returns and Communities, Mr. Slavisa Petkovic. I’m also pleased to see the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Montenegro Vuk Draskovic and also the Serbian Culture Minister Dragan Kojadinovic.
Kosovo is entering a key phase in its political, social and economic development. Through the Standards implementation process, the PISG is demonstrating a sincere will to move Kosovan society away from ethnic intolerance and misunderstanding among communities over the years. Kosovo is moving towards reconciliation and tolerance.
Respect for preservation and reconstruction of cultural and religious sites is an integral part of the process of improving and consolidating relations between the different communities in Kosovo, particularly between the Kosovo Albanian and Kosovo Serb communities.
Your presence here at this conference recognizes the importance of cultural heritage in Kosovo. Due to its geographical position, as the Director-General has said, Kosovo is indeed a crossroads between different peoples, cultures and religions. This is reflected in the rich tapestry of cultural heritage in Kosovo. It is the responsibility of all the people living in Kosovo to protect such cultural heritage, with the support of the international community.
It is important for these cultural heritage sites to be preserved and protected not only because they are important symbols for the different communities who reside in Kosovo today but also because they have intrinsic value in themselves. These religious and vernacular sites belong, not only to the cultural heritage in Kosovo, but also to Europe and the world, and therefore must be preserved for future generations.
The PISG has taken upon itself a serious commitment to contribute what it can to the process of rehabilitation of religious sites so regrettably damaged or destroyed as result of the March 2004 riots. The PISG has allocated 4.2 million euros from the Kosovo Consolidated Budget and, through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, is committed to manage the process of reconstruction in an open, transparent manner involving all stakeholders.
As you may know, there were some difficulties over the past year to start the reconstruction effort, despite the goodwill and commitment of the PISG.
However, the recent initiative of the SOC leadership in signing the MOU and the Minister of Culture of Kosovo likewise ensures that there is a firm commitment on the part of the stakeholders to move ahead with the reconstruction effort, under the leadership of the SOC. Earlier this week the inaugural meeting of the Implementing Committee for the Reconstruction of Religious Monuments took place at the office of the Council of Europe in Pristina. This is a very positive sign that the process is moving forward and it opens the way for the actual reconstruction work to start very soon.
I also welcome UNESCO’S recent visit to the Holy Virgin of Ljeviska in Prizren.
This partnership between the SOC and the Ministry is welcomed not only by UNMIK but also by other international partners like UNESCO, the Council of Europe and European Commission. Therefore it is clear that this cooperation among the stakeholders, supported by the international community, will move forward on a strong footing.
In addition to the reconstruction effort of the recently damaged monuments, there is an urgent need to protect and preserve important cultural monuments of all communities. In addition to SOC cultural heritage sites there is a dire need to protect Islamic cultural heritage sites damaged during the conflict in 1999, as well as vernacular sites. Due to the lack of resources in the cultural heritage sector over the past decade many churches, mosques, monasteries and other vernacular sites are in a dire need of preservation, and we need vast resources. Many of these buildings and sites are of immense importance not only for Kosovo but also for all of Europe, and indeed the world.
As you may know, UNESCO has declared the Visoki Monastery of the SOC in Decani as a world heritage site. In line with UNMIK and the PISG’s responsibility to preserve this cultural heritage site and its surroundings, I recently have taken an initiative to temporarily freeze any unplanned, unregulated commercial and construction activity, pending the development of a comprehensive spatial plan that, in accordance with existing legislation, incorporates environmental, commercial, spatial and cultural factors.
On Orthodox Easter a couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to visit Decan where I held fruitful meetings with the PISG Minister for Environment and Spatial Planning, local municipal leaders and Bishop Theodosije. It was evident during the encounter that a new attitude conducive to mutual respect between communities and reconciliation was beginning to emerge. The same day I also had a chance to visit another cultural site listed in the conference document, namely the Kullas in nearby Izniq, which are medieval-style residential stone tower houses built in the 18th and 19th centuries and are a truly remarkable testament to Kosovo’s distinctive history.
On the issue of the protection and security of cultural sites, let me assure that UNMIK and KFOR are doing all that is necessary to ensure that the security environment in Kosovo remains as stable as possible. We have placed 47 cultural heritage sites under protection throughout Kosovo and all of these sites receive regular patrols and security checks, while others are under full time international police and KFOR protection. As we gradually hand over responsibilities to local authorities, I am confident that the local authorities will demonstrate the same concern for and protection of all cultural heritage in Kosovo.
This conference will help promote a forward-looking approach that we are trying to achieve in Kosovo. I am grateful to donors for their important contributions to our effort to preserve the cultural heritage in Kosovo, and in particular to UNESCO for its staunch support. Thank you. “