UNMIK/PR/796
KLOKOT - Directly upon arriving in Kosovo from New York where he had addressed the UN Security Council, SRSG Michael Steiner visited the village of Klokot in the Gnjilane region where yesterday five Serb houses were destroyed in a series of explosions.
After meeting with Serb families in the neighborhood, he also went to Camp Bondsteel to visit two US soldiers who had been injured during the blasts.
He also announced he would create a Fund for Klokot, with an initial deposit of 50,000 euros. The fund would support projects of integration for people in the area.
“I came here directly from New York following the Security Council meeting where we discussed the progress we have made here….And then you see this,” he said upon his arrival at the scene of rubble.
He warned media not to “jump to quick conclusions” about the crime, as “the issue was too serious,” and that a thorough and joint investigation by UNMIK Police and KFOR had been launched. “But one thing is clear,” the SRSG said: “These acts are directed against progress in Kosovo.”
Police and KFOR will “identify the perpetrators,” he said. “We’ll take the time to do this because we want to know exactly what happened. Whoever they are, they will not distract us from our cause. The overall situation in Kosovo is getting better each month, and if people think they can slow down this progress, they’ve made an error. We’ll redouble our efforts now in all priority fields, in integration and in returns of all Kosovans who want to come back and make this a respectable society. I know the vast majority of Kosovans feel the same. The President of Kosovo, the Prime Minister as well as the people of Kosovo condemn this heinous act.”
Finally the SRSG said that, “We should use this incident to move even more quickly forward.”
