|
New UN governor warns against neglecting Kosovo
17 Jun 2004 13:21:51
GMT
|
SKOPJE, June 17 (Reuters) -
Kosovo's newly appointed United Nations governor warned on Thursday that major
powers must not neglect the province, which was the cause of NATO's first major
military intervention five years ago.
"There is a lot of attention these days on other priorities, like Iraq
and Afghanistan, but turning our back on Kosovo at this stage would be a serious
mistake," Soren Jessen-Petersen told a news conference in the Macedonian
capital, Skopje.
NATO allies bombed Serbia in 1999 to force its army out of Kosovo and end
repression of its Albanian majority. In Albanian eyes, NATO intervention
legitimised demands for independence. But the big powers have shied away from
deciding to back it.
The Danish diplomat and European Union envoy to Macedonia was named by
the United Nations in New York on Wednesday as Kosovo's fifth U.N. governor,
replacing Finnish diplomat Harri Holkeri who resigned last month citing ill
health.
Jessen-Petersen, who aims to take up the post in early August, is
expected to play a key role in guiding the international community's decision on
whether Kosovo becomes independent or formally remains part of Serbia and
Montenegro.
Kosovo's "final status" is tied to a series of benchmarks of democracy
and human rights set by the U.N., with a view to assessing progress in 2005.
But impatience is growing among Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians and
their political leaders. Unhappy with high unemployment and lack of economic
growth, they say it is time for the U.N. to reduce its presence and start
handing real power to local institutions.
"The mission can be successful only if it starts transferring authority,"
Mimoza Kusari, spokeswoman for the Kosovo government, told Reuters in response
to the appointment.
Discontent with the lack of progress towards independence erupted in
mid-March with fierce anti-Serb riots in which 19 people died and hundreds of
homes were set ablaze.
The U.N. has slowly been ceding responsibility for municipal and social
affairs to Kosovo's interim authorities but it retains a veto over legislation
adopted in parliament.
