UNMIK/PR/1326
PRISTINA – SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen today addressed the South East Europe Summit meeting held in Skopje.
Commending the manner in which Kosovo, its institutions, leaders and people, are going through these considerably testing times, the SRSG said, “The situation in Kosovo has continued to be peaceful. Mr Haradinaj and the people of Kosovo have shown a great degree of maturity, setting an example of compliance with judicial processes, with which other parts of the Western Balkans are still struggling. I would like to thank international partners who made positive and encouraging statements over the last days.”
The SRSG stressed the importance of quickly moving forward the political process in Kosovo. He said, “Further deferring the issue of Kosovo’s status is not a viable alternative for a variety of reasons inside and outside Kosovo. Inside, Kosovo remains – despite the progress made so far - a fragile society for a number of reasons, including its recent history, the poor economic situation, and the political uncertainty, which only impairs the economic outlook.”
“On a wider scale, the region can only profit from an early resolution of status and the certainty and stability that would follow. Progress on standards in Kosovo, and status resolution, will complement the stability that we have invested so much to reach in the Western Balkans.”
Calling for the European Union to take a leading role in the eventual European transformation of the Balkans, the SRSG stated, “European leadership is what is required most, on Kosovo, but also on the region as a whole. A final cure of the ills plaguing the region, is rightly predicated on the European perspective for the Balkans. It is also logical that the EU would play a greater role in Kosovo, at such time as the UN reduces its presence and its functions.”
On the margins of the summit, in separate meetings with Serbian President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic, the SRSG discussed the latest developments in the region.