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For Kosovo, only one way
forward |
Soren Jessen-Petersen
International Herald Tribune
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23,
2005
| PRISTINA, Kosovo The UN Security
Council meets in New York on Monday to discuss Kosovo, six years,
four months and 14 days after the passage of Resolution 1244, which
marked the end of Slobodan Milosevic's reign of terror in Kosovo,
and the beginning of a period of UN interim international
administration there.
Six years, four months
and 14 days is a long time for any place to be under interim
administration. But it is not unprecedented. In Bosnia, 10 years
after the end of its horrific war, the international community
retains a large degree of executive authority through the Office of
the High Representative. What is perhaps unique about Kosovo,
though, is that its ultimate destination - its future status - has
been undefined throughout this period.
This legal limbo, in
which Kosovo remains part of the State Union of Serbia and
Montenegro (the successor state to Yugoslavia) but administered by
the United Nations pending a final resolution of its status, has
ceased to be sustainable. It is blocking efforts toward
reconciliation in Kosovo.
The majority, the Kosovo
Albanians, are worried about returning to the past and the Kosovo
Serbs are worried about an uncertain future. The uncertainty that
this situation engenders has a corrosive effect on regional
politics. And its effects are also damaging economically, making
investors chary of committing their money and preventing access to
much-needed capital markets and international financial
institutions.
In June, the UN
secretary general, Kofi Annan, appointed a special envoy, Kai Eide,
to undertake a comprehensive overview of the situation in Kosovo. On
the basis of that report, the secretary general has recommended to
the Security Council that the process of settling Kosovo's status
should commence "very soon."
If, as I hope, the
Security Council agrees with the secretary general to open the
status process, then Annan will appoint a special envoy who will
begin what is likely, at least at first, to be an exhausting round
of shuttle diplomacy between Belgrade and Pristina, regional
capitals and the capitals of key European countries, as well as the
United States.
Despite its manifest
importance, however, the resolution of Kosovo's status will not - as
too many people in Kosovo believe - prove to be a panacea. There are
many practical issues to be dealt with, during and after status
talks.
Most pressing from a
human perspective is the question of minority rights. Too many Serbs
and members of other minorities in Kosovo still fear for their
safety. It is shameful to all of us that about 20 percent of
Kosovo's Serbs do not feel free to move around safely within Kosovo.
Intimidation and a lack
of freedom of movement are unacceptable and we will continue to work
closely with the provisional government of Kosovo and with the
representatives of the Serbian community to do everything we can to
improve their quality of life. And while we are continuing to
integrate the Kosovo Serbs into society, it is important that
Belgrade finally allow them to take part in the political life of
Kosovo and thereby give them a chance to reshape their own future.
Meanwhile Kosovo's
economy remains in the doldrums, despite a large, young workforce
and impressive mineral resources. Part of the problem lies with
Kosovo's unresolved status, as I have mentioned, but unclear
property rights also play a role. Kosovo's property records were
removed to Belgrade in 1999 and have not been returned. These
records are of little use to anyone in Belgrade, but would be of
incalculable benefit to all if brought back to Pristina - a small
gesture that could have a large effect.
The expectations
attached to the status process are high in Kosovo. And so they
should be. It is not every day that a process as historic as this is
set in motion by the Security Council. We have come to this historic
moment because there is broad agreement that the status quo is not
sustainable.
An early resolution of
the status question will finally allow Kosovo and the wider region
to bury the past and focus on urgent social and economic priorities.
It will also allow Kosovo and its neighbors to speed up their
journey toward Europe.
(Soren
Jessen-Petersen is the special representative of the UN secretary
general and head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in
Kosovo.)
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