S/PV.4290 Security Council

The Security Council will now resume its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Following consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council: “The Security Council welcomes the participation of the Foreign Minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in its meeting on 7 March 2001 and carefully listened to him. "The Security Council strongly condemns recent violence by ethnic Albanian armed extremists in the north of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, in particular the killing of three soldiers of the armed forces of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the area of Tanusevci. The Security Council regrets that the violence continues and calls for an immediate end to it. "The Security Council expresses its deep concern at those events, which constitute a threat to the stability and security not only of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia but also of the entire region. It calls on all political leaders in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, who are in a position to do so to isolate the forces behind the violent incidents and to shoulder their responsibility for peace and stability in the region. "The Security Council underlines the responsibility of the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for the rule of law in its territory. It supports actions by the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to address the violence with an appropriate level of restraint and to preserve the political stability of the country and foster harmony between all ethnic components of the population. "The Security Council recalls the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In this context it emphasizes that the border demarcation agreement, signed in Skopje on 23 February 2001, and ratified by the Parliament of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on 1 March 2001, must be respected by all. "The Security Council welcomes the steps taken by the international security presence (KFOR) to control the border between Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in accordance with the military-technical agreement signed in Kumanovo on 9 June 1999. It welcomes the ongoing dialogue between the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and KFOR on practical steps to address the immediate security situation and to prevent crossing of the border by extremists as well as possible violations of resolution 1160 (1998) of 31 March 1998. It welcomes the efforts of all relevant international organizations in cooperation with the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to promote stability and to create conditions for a return of the inhabitants to their homes. "The Security Council will continue to follow the developments on the ground closely, and requests to be briefed regularly on the outcome of the efforts referred to above.” This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2001/7. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council will remain seized of the matter. I should like to thank all my colleagues around the table for their patience and discipline during this long but useful day in the Security Council.