UNMIK/PR/895
Belgrade, 17 December 2002
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Belgrade
Marc-Antoine de Raigniac:
Thank you all for coming. This is the press conference given by the Head of the United Nations Security Council delegation, Norwegian Ambassador His Excellency Ole Peter Kolby. Ambassador Kolby will first make a short statement and then we will take your questions.
Ambassador Ole Peter Kolby:
Thank you. Good morning to everybody.
We have visited Kosovo and Belgrade. The last time the Security Council was here was a year and a half ago. The purpose of the visit now is to get an impression of what has happened since the last visit and to have talks about the follow-up.
I think that you are familiar with the statements that I made during our visit in Kosovo, and those comments that I made in Kosovo still stand.
Here in Belgrade we had meetings with President Kostunica, Serbian Prime Minister Djindjic, Deputy Prime Minister Covic, and also this morning with Foreign Minister Svilanovic.
The messages we conveyed during our talks here in Belgrade were the following:
- We stress the importance of Belgrade’s full cooperation in the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244.
- We stress the importance of full cooperation with the ICTY.
- We stress that the resolution of outstanding issues in Kosovo can only be achieved through dialogue among all affected parties.
- We stress that there can be no right of veto, but neither can there be any exclusion of the legitimate interests of the parties.
- We welcome the improvement in relations between Belgrade and UNMIK. We underline the importance of continuous and sound cooperation between Belgrade and UNMIK.
- We stress that it is important for Kosovo Serbs to be encouraged to participate fully in the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government. Belgrade should encourage Kosovo Serbs to be constructive partners in the legislative process in the Kosovo Assembly.
- We underline that the Security Council is committed to promoting the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees to Kosovo.
- It is our view that respect for security, human rights, and civil rights is vital for stability and prosperity in Kosovo, as well as throughout the region.
These were our main messages.
Marc-Antoine de Raigniac:
Thank you very much, Your Excellency. We are now ready to take your questions.
AP:
What response did you get from the Belgrade officials when you urged them to participate more fully and encourage Kosovo Serbs to work in the municipalities there?
Ambassador Kolby:
They understood the situation and emphasized that they were in favor of dialogue. We encouraged them to try to help overcome the apprehensions of the Kosovo Serbs.
Beta News Agency:
What will the report that you will be submitting to the Security Council on Thursday be like? What will be included in that report?
Ambassador Kolby:
Well, this we will have to discuss. The members of the delegation are now full of impressions after our meetings in Kosovo and here in Belgrade. On our way back to New York we are going to have discussions among ourselves. Then we will report to the Security Council. I think you will have to wait a few days until we have finalized our report.
Reuters:
Could you give us some indication of the timing of a Security Council decision on the status of Kosovo?
Ambassador Kolby:
This is a question for the future.
Reuters:
A follow-up question, if I may. You have stressed the mantra "Standards before Status." Does this mean that unless we see faster and more returns of Serb refugees to Kosovo, there will be no start of talks on determining the status of Kosovo?
Ambassador Kolby:
I think that "Standards before Status" means standards before status. The most pressing concern from what we saw in Kosovo is that normalcy must be restored. UNMIK has elaborated certain standards and benchmarks, and we are going to report to the Security Council on the basis of these standards. What we hope, and what we encouraged the communities in Kosovo to do, is to cooperate in achieving these benchmarks.
BBC Serbian Service:
Have you seen any common ground for dialogue between the two sides in Kosovo in your talks with both parties?
Ambassador Kolby:
What we saw was a lack of dialogue, and this is something very serious. That is why we carried this message to both sides that they must engage in serious dialogue. These communities are living in Kosovo and should be able to live together. They must talk to each other and accommodate each other's concerns. Dialogue is very, very important.
BBC Serbian Service:
If I may add, my question was whether you saw common ground on which this dialogue could be built. Is there resistance to compromise between the two sides?
Ambassador Kolby:
In Kosovo there are a number of practical, day-to-day issues that need to be dealt with, and we encouraged them to work together on these issues. If you think about the future status of Kosovo, of course there is no common ground. You are familiar with the views of the Kosovo Serbs and the Kosovo Albanians. But we emphasized that they should now concentrate on practical matters. They live in this place and should concentrate on working together. On these issues, I believe there should be common ground.
Television B92:
How do you view the work of the Kosovo Parliament, given that Serb MPs have complained of discrimination? What can be done to improve dialogue in this institution?
Ambassador Kolby:
We visited this institution and saw that there was indeed a serious lack of dialogue. That is why we stressed the importance of dialogue throughout our meetings. This is very important.
Tanjug:
You said the first message was Belgrade’s full cooperation with Resolution 1244 and the ICTY. The Serbian Deputy Prime Minister yesterday accused your delegation of constantly pressing Belgrade on these issues. Can you comment on this, and can you tell us what you have done to press Pristina to cooperate?
Ambassador Kolby:
I can reassure you that this issue was also raised during our visit in Kosovo. We are not only pressing Belgrade; it was also discussed in Kosovo. Full cooperation with the Tribunal is a requirement of the Security Council. This message was delivered both in Kosovo and here in Belgrade.
Reuters:
Returning to the status issue, many people in Kosovo worry that if talks on future status do not begin soon, Kosovo’s economic development could suffer. Do you see a danger that a delay of several years could negatively affect Kosovo’s economy?
Ambassador Kolby:
I am not going to speculate on that. During our visit to Kosovo we heard the aspirations of the Kosovo Albanians, which were clearly stated to us. This was nothing new; we have heard those views before, and they were reiterated again. We also heard the concerns of the Kosovo Serbs, and during our visit to Belgrade we heard the views of the authorities here. We have gathered all these impressions, and we will bring them back to New York. The question of status is a question for the future.
