UNMIK/PR/1530
PRISTINA – Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) Søren Jessen-Petersen today called for a “rights-based approach” to returns policy, allowing free and informed decisions for all displaced populations of Kosovo. He emphasized that for the region to move forward, it is vital that “the painful chapter of displacement must be closed for the families, for the society and for Kosovo”.
Inaugurating, along with Prime Minister Agim Çeku, a two-day workshop on the new ‘Strategy and Action Plan on Communities and Returns for Kosovo’ in Pristina today, the SRSG said that actions and initiatives must instil confidence into each and every person, irrespective of ethnicity, to remain in Kosovo or to return to Kosovo in safety and dignity. In this connection, he said, “I am deeply disturbed by Belgrade’s continued policy to urge Kosovo Serbs to boycott and now to leave the institutions in Kosovo. We are here today to lay the foundation for return. Belgrade’s policies work in the opposite direction. I appeal to Belgrade to act in the interest of the people of Kosovo.”
The SRSG said, “Displaced persons have the absolute right under international law and the Constitutional Framework of Kosovo to return to their homes of origin.” He noted that whereas this is the preferred durable solution for displaced persons, at the same time it must be recognized that “some displaced people do not want to return to their homes of origin and instead, they want to integrate into the communities where some have lived for the past almost seven years and others want to move to another part of Kosovo.”
The SRSG stressed the importance of addressing the key concerns of the displaced in such areas as their own personal and family security, housing, access to commercial and agricultural property, jobs, education, healthcare and access to water and electricity: “The same things each of us wants to have, so we can live in peace and prosper,” he said.
The SRSG thanked Prime Minister Çeku for his unequivocal support to solving the plight of displaced Kosovars, particularly the special needs of displaced minorities who want to return to a peaceful life in Kosovo. He noted that the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Lutfi Haziri along with the Prime Minister in today’s ceremony, indicates that “we now have a very strong government leadership on this crucial matter”.
The workshop aims at streamlining the “Strategic Framework on Communities and Returns” launched in July 2005. The review process led by the PISG, involves various stakeholders including associations of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), minority groups, international institutions and donors, media representatives and experts on the highest technical level.
