UNMIK/PR/213
PRISTINA-Members of the Interim Administrative Council today welcomed the observer from the Serb National Council Dr. Rada Trajkovic, who participated for the first time in the IAC.
They urged Dr. Trajkovic to ensure that Serb representatives take up full participation in the Joint Interim Administrative Structure. Dr. Trajkovic said that she too favored full membership by the Serbs, provided the security situation improves and measures are taken to ensure the return of displaced people.
Dr. Kouchner said that some of the conditions sought by the Serbs have been achieved under the auspices of his "Agenda for Co-existence," but that more work needed to be done to assure the Serbs and other communities, such as the Roma, that their place was in Kosovo.
He thanked the Serb National Council and his colleagues from UNMIK for their six-month-effort to bring the Serbs into the JIAS. Today's meeting, Dr. Kouchner said, "was an historic moment for Kosovo … It is the beginning of the way toward democracy. And it is a sign to the outside world that we can cooperate, that we in Kosovo are working on building a tolerant, democratic and inclusive society…. The success of today's meeting was that it was normal. The members talked to each other as colleagues."
Kouchner told the IAC earlier that the participation of the Serb representatives "will mobilize the support of the international community for the many projects we want to implement in Kosovo, especially for creating acceptable living conditions for the people of Kosovo."
"The Serbs' place is with us, in the IAC today and in the Kosovo Transitional Council tomorrow," Dr. Kouchner said, referring to Wednesday's KTC meeting at which three members of the Serb community will participate.
Also participating as a new observer on the IAC was Ms. Feride Rushiti, representing Kosovo civil Society.
Today, the IAC appointed the Kosovo co-head for the Department of Agriculture, Mr. Dragan Nikolic, from the Serb community. Maurizio Farinelli will be the UNMIK co-head.
In other business, the IAC agreed to ask leaders of the Pristina University Independent Student Union to postpone its election proposed for Saturday, for six weeks, following a request by the OSCE and European Students' Association to allow for better preparation and transparency.
IAC members had a lengthy discussion on the need for a strong regulatory framework for media and requested to review the proposed media code of conduct and regulation on broadcast media at the same time.
They agreed to take a final decision on the Central Election Commission at their meeting Friday, when they will also discuss housing, reconstruction and the Trepca complex.
SRSG Kouchner and DSRSG Joly Dixon briefed the IAC on the Stability Pact donor's conference held recently in Brussels and Dr. Kouchner's meeting in London with British Foreign Minister Robin Cook. DSRSGs Dennis MacNamara and Tom Koenigs reviewed the recent conference in Geneva which they attended on returns to Kosovo of residents who had previously sought refuge in Western Europe.
IAC members Ibrahim Rugova and Hashim Thaci briefed the group on their participation at the Budapest conference on Albanians in the Balkans.