UNMIK/PR/1635
PRISTINA – Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Kosovo (SRSG) Joachim Rücker today visited the Council of Europe where he briefed the Committee of Ministers’ Deputies and held separate meetings with CoE Secretary General Terry Davis as well as other senior officials. The issues discussed were the situation in Kosovo in light of the ongoing status process, security, minority returns, protection of cultural heritage sites, the general state of human rights in Kosovo including the expected appointment of the Ombudsperson, the Human Rights Advisory Panel and the pilot census in Kosovo.
Mr. Rücker shared his perspective from the point of view of UNMIK as the UN presence on the ground in Kosovo. He stressed the importance of timely resolution of status that will help greatly enhance stability in the region. “Status will be a new beginning for Kosovo,” he said, “Status continues to be the dominant issue for everyone concerned with Kosovo and the region of the Western Balkans.”
The SRSG thanked the Council of Europe for its important contribution to the promotion of human rights protection, good governance and the rule of law in Kosovo. He said that key mechanisms and institutions for protection of human rights have been established in Kosovo, such as the Ombudsperson and the Human Rights Advisory Panel for which the required three members were recently appointed.
Mr. Rücker also briefed the Deputies on the work of the Reconstruction Implementation Commission (RIC), a body, chaired by the Council of Europe, which oversees the implementation of reconstruction and rehabilitation projects for Serbian Orthodox Church sites that were damaged or destroyed during the March 2004 events. “What makes the RIC unique is that it is one of the very few areas where the PISG, Belgrade authorities and representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church are working together towards a common goal,” he said. The SRSG noted the need for continued engagement by Kosovo political leaders in promoting respect for cultural heritage, which could go a long way in building confidence between communities, as also in furthering future contacts with Belgrade as this is “one of the few areas where at the ministerial level sincere dialogue exists between Pristina and Belgrade”.
