UNMIK/PR/1450
PRISTINA – SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen today attended the “Standards-Status-Europe” townhall meeting in Klinë/Klina alongside Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi and EC Representative Giorgio Mamberto.
As Kosovo moves into a new phase of its history with the beginning of the status process, the SRSG underscored the importance of making even faster progress on Standards, especially those that relate to the minorities. He congratulated Municipal Assembly President Ramë Manaj for the example the municipality is setting in the implementation of Standards, even though it suffered a lot and the suffering still continues [with regard to the missing persons]. “Klina is carrying that suffering with dignity. We have to address the issue of missing persons, we cannot stop until we have shed light on the fate of the last missing person. But Klina is also building a future, it’s one of the municipalities that has achieved the most”.
The SRSG also commended the municipality’s residents for welcoming returnees, and urged the majority community to reach out and address the concerns of the minorities, as part of the process towards status. “You [in Klina] set an example, and the Kosovo Serbs who have returned also set an example by showing that they are coming back to share the pain and build the future.”
The SRSG said he understood that many people want to see an early resolution of the status of Kosovo. “I know most of you are very impatient – I understand, you’ve been waiting for a long time. But the length [of the process] will to a large extent depend on what you are doing - the PISG, every citizen – to build the kind of society that we all want to see. The quicker we move forward, the earlier we get to status. Fate is in your hands. It depends a lot on you.”