UNMIK/PR/1641
PRISTINA – UNMIK Police Commissioner Stephen Curtis resigned today. Following is the statement he gave at a press conference at UNMIK Headquarters:
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for assembling this afternoon. I’ve called you here in what will be my last act as the UNMIK Police Commissioner. First of all can I say that the tragic events of Saturday that resulted in the deaths of two persons will be investigated thoroughly, effectively and fully. And I would ask that you give my successor – whoever that may be – full opportunity to make known the facts to the public. And those facts will, I assure you, be made known.
On Sunday, following the tragic deaths, I gained the support of the independent PIK, the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo, to oversee the investigation – not only the KPS side of the investigation, but also the UNMIK Police side of the investigation. That was in order to reassure all of the public that this will be a full and transparent investigation. And it will be.
I have been Police Commissioner now for six or seven months and it has been a pleasure. However, we are at a critical juncture in the history of Kosovo and nothing must be allowed to interfere in the confidence of those involved in this process. My resignation today, I hope, will allay some of the fears that the public have about the police and the policing of Kosovo.
UNMIK-P and the KPS will operate to the highest standards of integrity, the highest levels of responsibility and the highest levels of accountability. And on that basis I have offered my resignation to the Secretary-General today.
As I said, it may take some little while for the facts to become known, and I would ask all to be patient. To those who would seek to protest, I ask them to do it peaceably. To those that seek to protest, I would ask that they cooperate with the police to ensure that we do not have a repetition of any of the events of Saturday.
Kosovo is on the threshold of achieving much, and I would ask all parties involved to maintain calm and assist in that process. On a personal note, it has been a huge honour to command both the KPS and the UNMIK Police and I hope in some small way I have contributed to the success of the Mission. I hope in my final act, this tendering my resignation, I will help in some small way further in reassuring the public of Kosovo that we will do the right thing for all sections of the public of Kosovo.
Thank you very much indeed.
