UN preparing to leave Kosovo, Jessen-Petersen says
Jun 1, 2006, 12:05 GMT
Pristina - The United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was preparing
to leave the province once its future status is defined, the UNMIK head
Soren Jessen-Petersen said Thursday.
'I think that the destiny of Kosovo is clear, it is in the hands of
the political leaders and the people of Kosovo,' Jessen-Petersen said after
meeting the Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku in Pristina. 'I think that our
role is changing rapidly - which is good.'
UNMIK arrived in Kosovo in June 1999, days after NATO expelled
Belgrade's security forces from the province in order to end ethnic
repression targeting the vastly dominant ethnic Albanian population.
The UN have since governed Kosovo, based on the Security Council
resolution 1244. They have however been transferring authority over to
provisional local provincial institutions.
The talks on the future status of Kosovo were launched earlier this
year under UN auspices in Vienna - six rounds were held so far.
Serbia insists on retaining sovereignty over Kosovo and offers a wide
autonomy. Kosovo Albanian leaders want full independence quickly and are
hoping to win it before the year expires.
Both UN and NATO have reduced their presence in Kosovo, which however
remained ethnically troubled and plagued by spates of violence, now mostly
targeting the minority Serbs.
'UNMIK has been engaged in downsizing, now for almost one year. This
is logical, because we are preparing for exit when the Security Council
defines Kosovo's status,' Jessen-Petersen said.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur Pristina - The United Nations
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was preparing to leave the province once its
future status is defined, the UNMIK head Soren Jessen-Petersen said
Thursday.
'I think that the destiny of Kosovo is clear, it is in the hands of
the political leaders and the people of Kosovo,' Jessen-Petersen said after
meeting the Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku in Pristina. 'I think that our
role is changing rapidly - which is good.'
UNMIK arrived in Kosovo in June 1999, days after NATO expelled
Belgrade's security forces from the province in order to end ethnic
repression targeting the vastly dominant ethnic Albanian population.
The UN have since governed Kosovo, based on the Security Council
resolution 1244. They have however been transferring authority over to
provisional local provincial institutions.
The talks on the future status of Kosovo were launched earlier this
year under UN auspices in Vienna - six rounds were held so far.
Serbia insists on retaining sovereignty over Kosovo and offers a wide
autonomy. Kosovo Albanian leaders want full independence quickly and are
hoping to win it before the year expires.
Both UN and NATO have reduced their presence in Kosovo, which however
remained ethnically troubled and plagued by spates of violence, now mostly
targeting the minority Serbs.
'UNMIK has been engaged in downsizing, now for almost one year. This
is logical, because we are preparing for exit when the Security Council
defines Kosovo's status,' Jessen-Petersen said.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
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