UNMIK/PR/1288
PRISTINA – SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj this morning announced agreement between the Kosovo Government and UNMIK on the prioritisation of Standards and the related actions for their implementation.
These priorities have been selected jointly by the PISG and UNMIK as those which are most urgent for, and central to, the development of a sustainable, multi-ethnic Kosovo where all people can live, work, travel and prosper in safety and security. Implementation of these priorities is also key to unlocking further progress on all the Standards, which are essential to creating better lives for all the people of Kosovo, and for bringing Kosovo closer to Euro-Atlantic structures, expectations and aspirations.
The SRSG expressed his appreciation for the Prime Minister’s commitment to Standards, and for the Government’s immediate focus on this issue. “I welcome the very quick start we have seen from the Government, bearing in mind they have just taken office only two weeks ago. Together we have a very tight timetable until mid-2005 to demonstrate clear progress in these areas. But today’s agreement shows that we are moving quickly in the right direction.”
The Prime Minister said work would continue immediately to realise the goals agreed today. “My Government and I are personally committed to making this effort, and we are already in the phase of implementing these key priorities. I hope that the leaders of all the communities of Kosovo will join me in this effort, for which we would also like to have the full support of UNMIK.”
The prioritisation of Standards was recommended by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in November, on the basis of the report of Kai Eide on the political situation in Kosovo. The priorities agreed today have also been shared with the members of the Contact Group, who gave strong their support to this at their meeting yesterday in Pristina.