UNMIK/PR/245
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent a message yesterday to family and colleagues of slain UNMIK staff member Petar Topojlksi. The statement was read by UNMIK SRSG Bernard Kouchner following his own tribute delivered at the memorial service at UNMIK headquarters in Pristina.
"Petar Topoljski's death marks a dark day for UNMIK, but also a dark day for Kosovo," the UN Secretary-General said. "Yet another UN staff member has become of victim of the senseless ethnic hatred that has plagued Kosovo for far too long."
Mr. Annan expressed his outrage and sadness over the murder of the 25year-old Serbian language assistant, and extended his condolences to the family and friends.
He went on to say that "The UN mission in Kosovo has one aim: to create a society in which such violence and hatred has no place. But we cannot succeed alone, and we cannot succeed if those who dedicate their lives to ending Kosovo's hatreds become its victims."
He called on Kosovo political leaders "to put a stop to these attacks, and to end this climate of intolerance. This brutal and cowardly murder will only strengthen UNMIK's resolve to fight bigotry and hatred in all its forms."
SRSG Kouchner told the gathering that Topoljkski was a "colleague at risk, whose risks most of us did not share. A colleague taken from us, while performing his duties for UNMIK, nearly under our own eyes."
"If we are realistic, we know that Kosovo is a dangerous place, especially for minorities," Dr. Kouchner went on. "We know reconciliation will take a long time….and that peace has its enemies.
"But we are not here to be realistic. We are here to change reality…And our work starts here, with ourselves …We are the peacemakers. We will be a moral beacon. We will be a safe haven. We will be an example to all Kosovars…of what should be, what can be, what will be…
"Rejection of intolerance is a fundamental professional requirement for every member of UNMIK…Everyone of us here must re-examine our consciences….," Dr. Kouchner said, adding that UNMIK would review all procedures that "support and safeguard our diversity" in addition to pursuing the criminal investigation until the perpertrators were brought to justice.