press conference by special envoy for kosovo’s future status process

(Issued on 21 December 2005.)

One of the key challenges facing Kosovo was protection for its non-Albanian communities, which would require a reformed structure of local self-government, a senior United Nations official said at a Headquarters press conference today.

To that end, said Martti Ahtisaari, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Future Status Process for Kosovo, the province’s ethnic Albanians must begin talks with minority groups on decentralization, hopefully during a first round of discussions in Vienna next month.  Without the active participation of Kosovo Serbs and other minorities, decentralization could not move forward.

Mr. Ahtisaari said that during a visit to the region in November, he had met with representatives of Kosovo Serbs and other minority groups, to whom he had emphasized the importance of their participation in decentralization and in the establishment of Kosovo institutions.  For their part, Kosovar Albanians should use the status process to move forward in implementing the “standards” that they must meet to be considered for European integration.

He said that in Belgrade, his message had focused on the need to follow the guiding principles of the Contact Group -- the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and the Russian Federation -- in allowing Kosovo to develop economically and politically, and to enjoy full benefits from international financial institutions.  The province’s lignite deposits, which would last at least 50 to 75 years, according to World Bank estimates, could provide power for the economy and energy for the region.  The international community could not finance Kosovo forever, and such economic prospects were vital to its future development.

Mr. Ahtisaari said he had constantly consulted with the Contact Group during his visit.  Also, in meetings with leaders in neighbouring capitals, they had emphasized the need for regional stability and the importance of Kosovo’s status in that context.

Asked whether an independent Kosovo would be politically and economically sustainable, Mr. Ahtisaari said that besides lignite, the province had other natural resources, which could cover half of its public expenditure.  It was important for both its Serb and Albanian populations to participate in efforts to create a comfortable society.

In response to another query about Kosovo’s independence, he said the parties must begin detailed discussions.  Belgrade was already thinking that Kosovo could belong to international organizations like the World Bank, and what remained to be determined was whether that was legally possible without independence.

Asked how final-status questions would be settled, Mr. Ahtisaari said conditions must first be improved on the ground, and minimum standards satisfied.  If all listed standards were fulfilled and Kosovo then became independent, it could attempt to join the European Union, which could take four years.

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For information media • not an official record