UNMIK/PR/474
SRSG Hans Haekkerup met today for the first time with the members of the Interim Administrative Council and presented the priorities for his tenure in Kosovo, the first of which would be to speed up work on establishing provisional self-government. This, he said, was the next step in implementing Security Council Resolution 1244, after the holding of municipal elections.
“I would like to stress that it is my intention to call elections as soon as possible,” he told the IAC. “But first we need the legal framework which will define the powers and competencies of the elected Assembly and the executive body that will lead to substantial autonomy.”
SRSG Haekkerup told media following the meeting that he had stressed to the IAC that the speed at which this could happen was also in their hands, “in the sense that creating the legal framework requires discussions with the international community, with countries in the Balkans, but first and foremost, with representatives of the Kosovo population.”
“I think the message was well-received,” he said.
He stressed to the media that all he was envisaging lay within the mandate stipulated by Resolution 1244: “It’s very important to stress also that this is not something that has to do with the final political settlement. That is another question. I’ll stay strictly inside 1244, that is to implement what is in it: a provisional self-government for the population of Kosovo.”
To a question on when the legal framework would be completed, he said he would not set a time frame and added, “actually, that is part of my leverage.”
The SRSG said that he had not yet decided on changes in the structure or membership of the IAC: one of the four Kosovo seats has been empty since the resignation of Rexhep Qosja following the municipal elections.
Asked what he plans to achieve, the SRSG said that the people of Kosovo, through their representatives, would have a greater voice in the administration of Kosovo and that local politicians would work more intensively to improve the daily lives of Kosovo’s people.
He also said he was looking into creating more pre-conditions for fighting criminality.
In response to another question on relations with Belgrade, the SRSG said that UNMIK proposed to open a liaison office in order to have closer contacts with FRY authorities. He said no date had been set on opening an UNMIK office, as he would be researching the modalities for establishing it. This proposal was also introduced to the IAC today.