UNMIK/PR/259
The Interim Administrative Council devoted its entire session today to a lengthy discussion of the murders which took place Sunday night in the village of Cernica. All members agreed to strongly condemn the killings and to issue the following statement, which SRSG Bernard Kouchner read for RTK-TV, and which was also read on television in the Albanian and Serbian languages.
"The Interim Administrative Council is outraged by the Cernica killings in which three Serbs, including a four-year-old child, were murdered in cold blood.
"The IAC condemns in the strongest possible terms this and previous cowardly acts of violence against members of minority communities and other individuals.
"These acts only aim at destabilizing Kosovo and play into the hands of extremists on all sides.
"The IAC calls upon the people in Kosovo to actively contribute to the co-existence of communities and to support the investigations of the police and KFOR in this and other similar acts.
"Only if all the population cooperates with the security forces can we make Kosovo a better and safer place for all its inhabitants.
"Kosovo is home to all people living here, regardless of their ethnic background.
"The IAC reiterates that it will continue its work to achieve this common goal. It will not allow extremist forces to torpedo the peace process."