S/PV.4331 Security Council

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Yugoslavia, in which he requests to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council’s agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the discussion without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them photocopies of the report of the Security Council mission to Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/2001/600. I shall now, in my capacity as head of the Security Council mission to Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, make a presentation of the report of the mission. It is with great honour that I present to the Security Council the report of the Council mission on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). The mission visited Pristina, Mitrovica and Belgrade from 16 to 18 June. Since the report was finalized only this morning upon the return of the mission last night, the English version is currently available as a working text. Versions in other languages will be available first thing in the morning tomorrow. This mission has been significant in a number of ways. First, all members of the Security Council joined in the mission. Then, this was also the first mission led by the Council President. It will be recalled that the first Council mission to Kosovo, in April 2000, did not include Belgrade in its itinerary. This mission had good discussions this time in Belgrade with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia leadership. The mission also had an unscheduled but substantive and important meeting with President Putin of the Russian Federation. The Council report is divided into four sections. The first section lays down the terms of reference of the mission; the second sets out its composition; and the third is on its activities and contains a summary of the meetings. The final section has the findings. The programme of the mission was tightly scheduled and very intense. The mission undertook a series of meetings with the key actors in Kosovo and interacted with the representatives of various communities. In Belgrade, the mission had meetings with President Koštunica of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Foreign Minister Svilanovic and Interior Minister Zivkovic. We had an opportunity to hold in- depth discussions with various people of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Kosovo Force (KFOR), in addition to those with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Hans Haekkerup, and KFOR Commander Lieutenant General Skiaker. We believe that the intensity of the visit and the compactness of the programme, accompanied by the wealth of inputs received, yielded very good results in terms of the objectives of the mission, continuing the trend set up by the Council in its mission to Kosovo last year. The situation in Kosovo is complex, as is the process of implementing resolution 1244 (1999). The task of UNMIK is enormous. With the election in Kosovo, scheduled for November, approaching fast, its task has become arduous. The UNMIK and KFOR leaderships are deeply engaged in addressing the volatile situation there. We have been encouraged to see the spirit of the staff of the international civil and security presence in Kosovo. We have been impressed by the teamwork and mutual collaboration. In the section on the activities of the mission, the report presents the details which I would recommend for the Council’s close attention. UNMIK has made some considerable achievements and is also facing many challenges as it marks its second anniversary. The major challenge for all is to encourage all communities, particularly the Kosovo Serb community, to participate in both registration and elections. An important element is UNMIK’s developing dialogue with the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and efforts to facilitate the latter’s engagement of the Kosovo Serb community to be part of the process. The Special Representative has now met with President Koštunica four times and several times with Foreign Minister Svilanovic. One of UNMIK’s first priorities was the establishment of an office in Belgrade, which has now been accomplished. The mission, in its interaction with the ethnic communities, could sense their clear desire for a return to normalcy, the restitution of law and order, and economic reconstruction. The mission made use of all opportunities to send a strong message to the ethnic communities to reject all violence, to promote stability, safety and security and to cooperate fully with UNMIK in the implementation of resolution 1244 (1999). We are pleased to say that the mission’s message was taken seriously. The mission has seen the preparations for Kosovo-wide elections in November, with particular emphasis on the inclusion of all communities, with the notable exception of the Kosovo Serbs. The Kosovo Turkish community, which hardly participated in last year’s municipal elections, is ready to participate this time. Some progress has been made in the area of Kosovo Serb return. At the beginning of this month, the Interim Administrative Council endorsed a statement of principle on their return. In Kosovo the mission met with Russian President Putin, who was visiting the region. A fruitful exchange of views on a wide range of pertinent issues in the region took place. This included the means for establishing a multi-ethnic Kosovo; strategies for combating extremism and terrorism; and conditions for the return of the Kosovo Serb community and its participation in the forthcoming Kosovo-wide elections. On the last day, the mission, accompanied by the Special Representative, met in Belgrade with President Koštunica of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, its Foreign Minister and the Interior Minister. The increasing dialogue between UNMIK and the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was welcomed by the mission. The discussions focused on issues of mutual concern, including security, the return of Kosovo Serbs, the constitutional framework and elections, as well as the need for confidence-building measures. The mission underlined that participation in the political process was a prerequisite to progress in these areas of mutual concern and called on the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to assist in reinforcing the message with the Kosovo Serb community. During its visit the mission made a number of important observations and findings. The report of the mission mentions them in detail, and I am going to mention only a few of them here. This is in accordance with the terms of reference of the mission. We found that UNMIK has made considerable progress in implementing Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) in the two years since its establishment, although there remains a lot to be done. UNMIK has now reached a critical stage in the implementation of its mandate, and continued effectiveness requires a major effort by UNMIK, KFOR and UNMIK police, backed up by close attention from the Security Council and the sustained input of resources from the international community. While the mission was left in no doubt that strong reservations exist, not least in Belgrade, about the difficulties involved in taking forward elections in Kosovo on the basis of the constitutional framework, it also recognizes that the status quo is unacceptable and that a political process has to be taken forward in accordance with Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). The mission underlined that elections will enhance the democratic process in Kosovo and the stability of the region and stressed that secure conditions for the election should be ensured. The participation of all communities in the elections, the return of refugees and displaced persons and their participation in elections should be encouraged. The current political process is crucial to combating extremism and encouraging moderates on all sides. Key to the success of this process is the active engagement and participation of all communities. The mission supports UNMIK’s efforts for the creation of a multi-ethnic Kosovo, which remains one of the main challenges. The mission welcomes the establishment by the Special Representative of pillar I, relating to law and order and justice, and key legislation to combat organized crime, illegal weapons possession and terrorism. The mission recommends that a formal request be sent to KFOR to regularly provide detailed information, including that pertaining to the origin, type and quantity of weapons seized, in order to enable the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1160 (1998) to pursue any possible violations. The mission recommends that more intensified efforts should be put into the issue of the missing of all communities, as well as detainees. The mission, in accordance with resolution 1244 (1999), supports efforts to resolve the complex situation in Mitrovica. In supporting the efforts currently being undertaken by UNMIK and KFOR, the mission underlines the responsibility carried by the Kosovo leadership for creating conditions conducive to improving inter-communal relations and promoting reconciliation. The mission conveyed firm and balanced messages to all community leaders that the responsibility lies with them to clearly and openly reject violence, extremism and terrorism. Promoting a culture of peace and non-violence is crucial for the success of these efforts. In turn, minority communities too must realize that there is no alternative to establishing a multi- ethnic society. The mission acknowledges that the minority communities have legitimate grievances and urges UNMIK and KFOR to address these, but believes that the only viable future for all communities lies in participation. The Kosovo Serb community, in particular, must integrate into the structure being set up by UNMIK, rather than attempt to set up parallel structures. These are basically the findings of the mission, and it is the intention of the Council to hold a public meeting with the participation of the Council and non- Council members on Friday, 22 June. We believe there will be wider participation of the membership of the United Nations in that public debate. We would also like to mention that the Council has authorized me, as the President of the Council, to transmit this report to Mr. Hans Haekkerup, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Kosovo, and to request him, while transmitting the report, to bring this report to the attention of all those with whom the Council mission had an opportunity to meet, and also to share this with the authorities in Belgrade. We believe that such wide dissemination of the report, the message contained in the report and the findings of the mission will be helpful in promoting greater understanding of the role of the Security Council with regard to the implementation of resolution 1244 (1999). I now resume my functions as President of the Council. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council will remain seized of the matter. The next meeting of the Security Council to consider the report, as I mentioned, will take place on Friday, 22 June, at 10 a.m.