PRESS CONFERENCE BY KOSOVO SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE

PRESS CONFERENCE BY KOSOVO SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE

“The future for Kosovo Serbs is dependent on their integration into Kosovo society”, Hans Haekkerup, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo and head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon, after briefing the Security Council on the situation in that province.

Introduced by Manoel de Almeida e Silva, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Mr. Haekkerup answered correspondents’ questions without making a formal statement.

In response to questions about the province, he stressed the importance of creating an inclusive legal framework in cooperation with the Belgrade Government. It was most important, he said, for Kosovo Serbs to participate in the resulting institutions, and to take their seats in the municipalities where they have been appointed.  There had recently been a setback in that regard, when a Kosovo Serb was appointed to work with the Legal Framework Working Group, but then was withdrawn.

For security in Kosovo, it was essential, he said, that parallel Serb and Albanian structures be done away with.  That was especially important in trying to find solutions to the divided city of Mitrovica.  Kosovo citizens needed to feel safe enough, of course, to participate, and that was the task of the NATO-led security force – KFOR -- the police detachments, and local citizens.

Other issues important to stability, he said, were the transfer of prisoners, the economy, the infrastructure, the detainees and the missing.  There had been dialogue with Belgrade on those subjects, and the Government had been giving the right messages.  Concrete steps had to be taken, however, to cement what had been agreed upon.  Any cooperation in those areas would be very useful; even small steps were important.  He would, in any case, pursue further dialogue with the Yugoslav Government through the office of UNMIK in Belgrade, through government representatives in Kosovo, and, of course, through direct contacts.

In responses to questions about the violence in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Haekkerup said that, in order to prevent the situation from exploding, political conditions had to be changed.  At the same time, military law enforcement had to be effective, limiting the ability of the extremists to move.  If they were crossing over from Kosovo into the former Yugoslav Republic, KFOR would have to try to seal off the border, supported by UNMIK.  He could not be sure of the extent of such crossings, because UNMIK had no intelligence capability of its own and had to rely on others for information.

Asked what KFOR could do, since it didn’t seem to be too involved,

Mr. Haekkerup objected to that characterization and maintained that KFOR had done a lot.  It had had two shootouts with the extremists and two of them were in custody.  It had been trying to seal off the border, but it was very difficult to do it completely.  It also cooperated closely with the armed forces of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

A correspondent asked if he was concerned that United Nations personnel inside southern Serbia could be threatened by the agreement to allow Yugoslav forces into that area.  Mr. Haekkerup replied that it was important to do away with Ground Safety Zone, but in a way that avoided fighting that could spill over into Kosovo, creating more refugees.  It must be done in a gradual, transparent manner as part of a political solution, in close cooperation with the Yugoslav Government and in negotiations with the armed groups in that Zone.

Another correspondent asked how a political solution could be found to the military problem if the so-called Albanian extremists were not even at the table.  Mr. Haekkerup said that was, indeed, a serious problem.  Even if the Albanians, as such, cooperated, there could be small groups that supported the extremists.  The bulk of the population certainly did not, but as long as some allowed it to go on, it would.  They needed local information on the extremists, to combat them more effectively.

“Does any United States withdrawal send a bad signal and add to your headaches?”, another correspondent asked.  Mr. Haekerrup replied that he could not comment about Bosnia, but United States involvement was essential to the Kosovo efforts.  There were tasks enough for the soldiers that were there.

Finally, he was asked how many displaced Serbs would be eligible to participate in elections planned in Kosovo.  Was it the 260,000 claimed by Prime Minister Zizic last week?  He said he did not think that figure was correct, though others knew more about the issue.  The important thing to organize the election, and to get those eligible to register and participate. 

However, large-scale returns of Serbs would not be possible at the moment for security reasons.  If just a few thousand returned, enclaves would have to be created, with another 1,000 KFOR soldiers to guard them.  But, he was committed to the eventual return of the Kosovo Serbs.  That was why it was so important that they participate in the elections and the structures that would be created as a result of the legal framework.

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