UNMIK/PR/344
It was with deep sadness and horror that I learned of the death of Mr. Rexhep Luci, a man who devoted his life to Pristina and Kosovo.
Rexhep Luci, the Director of the Department of Planning, Reconstruction and Development, was murdered Monday night in Dardania.
Rexhep Luci worked for the city of Pristina for more than 30 years. He wrote the urban plan that makes Pristina the city it is today. A respected architect, he made a tremendous contribution. He enabled a large population to live in a compact space. He guided Pristina from a village to a metropolis.
Who killed Mr. Luci and why?
In his current job, Mr. Luci was responsible for implementing the rules against illegal construction, a job which demanded great courage in the face of a lethal form of greed.
Why else would anyone want to destroy such a man of talent, principle and commitment? Because he was honest? Because he was a strong man, in the true sense of the word?
He was not a man of violence, but of honour. He played and fought by the rules of a civil society, not the rules of gangsterism and war lords. He worked for the greater good of Pristina, rather than for personal gain.
Whoever murdered him has struck a serious blow to civil society in Kosovo.
We must all condemn this senseless murder. We must take up the challenge left by Rexhep Luci, to build a democratic, humane and well-planned Kosovo.
I am about to sign a regulation regulating all construction in Kosovo. It will be the first UNMIK regulation bearing someone's name: that of Rexhep Luci.
My deepest condolences go to his family and his many beloved colleagues in UNMIK and the municipality of Pristina.