PRESS BRIEFING BY HEAD OF UN KOSOVO MISSION

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING BY HEAD OF UN KOSOVO MISSION

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) would be able to ensure that upcoming municipal elections in Kosovo were fair and democratic, Bernard Kouchner, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNMIK, told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon.

Mr. Kouchner explained that over 1 million people had applied for registration to vote in the 28 October elections. Two to three thousand observers would be on hand to monitor the elections. Moreover, following precautions put in place, the level of violence in Kosovo had decreased and there had been no major incident to date in connection with the elections.

He expressed regret, though, at the policy of non-participation in the elections adopted by the Serbs. There was concern over how to balance representation after the elections. Pointing out that, despite the policy, Serbs were currently active in municipal administrations, he said a concerted effort would be made to ensure their continued representation and participation in those structures.

After the elections, there would be a move, in accordance with the terms of Security Council resolution 1244, towards granting Kosovo greater responsibility and substantial autonomy, if the proper conditions existed.

Asked about the level of hate among the various political parties, Mr. Kouchner said it was still more a case of hate between the communities. As happened in Europe after the Second World War, those who chose to participate were often branded as collaborators. Nevertheless, the situation was improving. As an example, the political parties were working together and all had agreed to work for an election day free of violence. “It is impossible to force them into loving each other but we must force them to stop killing each other”, he said.

Only about 1,000 Serbs, out of an estimated 100,000 eligible, had registered to vote, he told another correspondent. The poor showing was the result of pressure from Belgrade and from some of the Serb leadership in Kosovo. He cited an example of an area where Serbs had been registering to vote and almost 500 had applied before they were forcefully stopped. Some thought was being given to how those registrations might be dealt with.

He stressed that one of the great challenges in Kosovo was not simply ensuring protection for those Serbs who returned but also figuring out how they could be helped to build lives again.

Asked what the impact on Kosovo would be if the opposition prevailed in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Mr. Kouchner said Kosovo would benefit in many ways from a more democratic Serbia. Conditions for Serbs in Kosovo might be eased and there would be the possibility of detainees being released and information exchanged on the missing. He added that it was difficult to evaluate the impact on the independence aspirations of some Kosovars. Some might prefer not to have a “good enemy”, he said.

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