UNMIK/PR/1164
These are difficult days for Kosovo. Three weeks ago, we experienced events which were terrible and shocking. Because of the violence, today we are not joined by representatives of the Serbian community, when their rightful place should be here, with us, discussing our common future. I am sorry for that.
I am here with you to take stock, reflect on our responsibilities, learn lessons and move forward. We can only do so together.
In two days of brutal violence, 19 lives were taken, 730 homes were destroyed, 29 churches and monasteries – many of them cherished as the cultural heritage of all humanity – were damaged or destroyed, and over 4000 people of Kosovo were driven from their homes. I extend my sympathy for all those who were made to suffer in these terrible events, including the families of the poor children drowned in Mitrovica. I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this senseless violence.
The people of Kosovo know the pain of violence from their own bitter – and recent – experience. The violence of 1999 brought the International Community to help the people of Kosovo recover from that tragedy. And now violence is repeated and it threatens to destroy the investment of Kosovo’s people and their international friends – just five years later.
I have visited the places destroyed, talked to the victims, and talked to the people of Kosovo. I know that this violence was not the work of a whole society. It was the work of a small group of people with their own scheme for Kosovo. Their scheme is of a Kosovo in which they govern through violence and intimidation, holding all the people of Kosovo hostage to their aims. Their scheme does not accept democracy, it rejects the rule of law, their scheme repudiates Kosovo’s rich cultural heritage and ethnic diversity, their scheme offers no economic growth, it promises that Kosovo will be a pariah in Europe.
They cannot be allowed to realize their scheme. Working together we will defeat them. Violence, whatever the motive, whoever the victim, must be condemned, absolutely. Those who practice it must be dealt with by the law; those who encourage it must be isolated, totally.
The true leaders of Kosovo know this. They have already acted to show the victims of the violence that Kosovo’s decent and responsible people will repair the physical damage done to homes and places of worship. Kosovo’s true leaders also know that damage to Kosovo’s spirit must be repaired as well. They are already reaching out with a message of reconciliation and rebuilding of social harmony.
I propose that in the next few days that we organise a meeting of political leaders, the government and UNMIK to discuss very practical steps to begin to rebuild the lost trust between the communities here.
We in UNMIK, you here in the Assembly, political leaders and members of the government, are in this together. There is only one way forward for us to learn and move forward from this disaster, and that is by working together. We all have responsibilities we must carry.
UNMIK knows its role. We will identify and bring to justice those who used violence. Police investigations have already resulted in criminal cases against many of the perpetrators of the violence of March. More will be brought to trial for their crimes.
We must learn from what happened. A review body will be appointed, under independent leadership, to examine UNMIK’s response to the violence. We will implement what it recommends.
UNMIK accepts also its responsibilities for creating the economic opportunity that all people of Kosovo rightly demand. I pledge that I will continue to move the privatization process forward as the way to meet this demand. I will do so in cooperation with the Kosovo Government.
The way forward from here may be hard, but it is clear. Five months ago, the future path for Kosovo was mapped out. The announcement of a review date for consideration of Kosovo’s status made clear, as never before, the way forward, a route endorsed by Kosovo’s leaders, the Security Council, the EU and all of Kosovo’s friends and supporters.
In December, the Prime Minister and I, joined by many of Kosovo’s political leaders, set out the vision of the future in the “Standards for Kosovo”. That vision is simply explained. The standards describe a democratic society with the rule of law protecting all citizens; respect for Kosovo’s rich cultural and ethnic diversity; stability and prosperity offering a decent life for all.
This is our vision for Kosovo. I know it is the vision of Kosovo’s people. It is a vision, once fulfilled, that will lead Kosovo into a bright future in Europe and the world community.
Last week, Prime Minister Rexhepi joined me to launch the Implementation Plan for the Standards. This sets out in clear terms the steps we have to take to achieve the vision. The plan will be hard work but it can be done. I know that Kosovo’s true leaders are as determined as I am that we should move forward to achieve the vision for Kosovo that its people want.
Not all of Kosovo’s elected leaders understand and support that vision. Some are promoting intolerance and sometimes even applauding those who used violence.
Some even call these criminals heroes. Some of them may indeed have joined the resistance against a repressive and brutal regime before 1999. But there is a world of difference between fighting oppression and attacking innocents. We must all understand that these people are working against Kosovo’s future, against Kosovo’s people. And they must be rejected. The heroes Kosovo needs today are people willing to build a new society with a future in Europe.
Kosovo’s people will have the opportunity to support them when they elect a new Kosovo Assembly on 23 October this year. This will be a signal that Kosovo’s friends will welcome and applaud.
I am happy to say that Kosovo still has many friends. The visits we received after the violence of March from the NATO Secretary General, from European Union leaders, from the United States showed us all that they want to help us achieve the vision of the “Standards for Kosovo”. Mr. Grossman’s announcement of a “Support Group for Kosovo” will help us move toward that day when we begin to consider Kosovo’s future place in Europe and the world.
That place will be defined by how we achieve the standards. Progress will ensure a secure and stable Kosovo, its people at peace with themselves, a Kosovo in a stable relationship with its neighbours. But if there is no progress, the uncertainty will continue, offering only a dismal future for all of Kosovo’s people.
There are voices that say it is impossible for Kosovo’s communities to live together in peace. They point to the violence of March and many other acts of violence directed against one or another community. They demand division; they think that a Kosovo divided within itself is the only way forward.
It is a path of despair. There is no future for anyone, for any community within a divided Kosovo. But, we must prove our vision is the right one by creating positive facts. The positive facts we must create are well defined. These positive facts are the “Standards for Kosovo.”
The path ahead will not be easy. Almost everyone in Kosovo knows the pain of violence. Too many still know the hardship of poverty. Working together in partnership is our only way to address that real pain and hardship.
My message to you, my message to all Kosovo is to continue working toward this vision. I am your partner. With the International Community at my side, I reach out my hand to you so that we can build together the Kosovo you want and need. Let us work together.