Briefing on the Report of the Secretary-General on the UN Interim Administrative Mission
Mr. President,
Let me begin by welcoming the presence of H. E. Mr. Ivica Dacic, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic Serbia. I thank Ms. Caroline Ziadeh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), for her important briefing which corroborates the latest report of
the Secretary-General on the activities of UNMIK and related developments, issued pursuant to Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). My delegation also takes note of the remarks made by Ms. Donika Gërvalla Schwarz.
Mr. President,
While the war drums of the 1998 Kosovo crisis have long stopped beating, its legacy of political and inter-ethnic tensions continue to reverberate with the risk of renewed violent conflict. We, therefore, reaffirm the centrality of resolution 1244 in the efforts by the United Nations to support the process of finding a comprehensive and lasting solution to the decades-long problem. Despite the heightened tensions over the past 6 months, we note the significant advancements that continue to be made towards the normalization of relations between Kosovo region and Serbia and we are encouraged by the demonstration of political commitment by the parties to forge past the prevailing challenges in their mutual interests.
We have in our previous statements to the Council advocated support for the path dialogue to evolve the relations between the Kosovo region and Serbia and welcome the extensive and constructive discussions between the two sides within the framework of the EU-facilitated dialogue. In particular, we welcome the new agreement on the path to the normalization of relations reached on 27th February 2023, in Brussels and the Implementation Annex, which was concluded in Ohrid, on 18th March, 2023 The 11-point Agreement and its implementation annex offer another opportunity to resolve contentious issues and pave the way towards peace, stability, economic and social advancement for all groups of people in the Kosovo region. The implementation of the agreement, we believe, would also help to address persisting crises relating to the recognition of formal documents, symbols and vehicle license plates.
It bears emphasizing, however, that the promise of the new deal can only be realized through an unprecedented level of commitment by all sides to the normalization process. We encourage the intensification of efforts towards the full and effective implementation of the agreement and note the establishment, earlier this month, of the Joint Monitoring Committee. We urge all parties to act in good faith and guard against the agreement falling into abeyance as was the case with the numerous preceding agreements.
We further urge the continuing support of the EU and other partners to help transition the agreement to actual implementation. Returning normalcy to the Kosovo region is essential for the people but also necessary for the realization of wider peace efforts in the Balkan region. We continue to be concerned about the heightened tensions in the Northern Kosovo region and reiterate our call for de-escalation and restraint. Persons in authority must endeavor to avoid inflammatory rhetoric and provocative actions.
The low turnout in local elections held on 23rd March, 2023, highlight serious divisions in the fiber of the society but more importantly, the need for continuing dialogue to identify a credible process for the return of Kosovo Serbs to administrative institutions. We also urge the constructive engagement of the parties on the creation of the Association of Serb Majority
Municipalities and related questions on its status in line with the normalization agreement and previous commitments. The unresolved issue of some 1600 missing persons remains a sticking point which, we believe, must be addressed from a humanitarian standpoint and not politicized. We encourage mutual cooperation to unearth the facts about those missing persons to help dispel unsubstantiated narratives which perpetuate distrust among the ethnic groups in the Kosovo region.
Mr. President,
We remain supportive of the mandate of UNMIK aimed at promoting security, stability and the respect for human rights in Kosovo. As evidenced by the Secretary-General’s report and the briefing by SRSG Ziadeh, conditions in the region Kosovo are far from normal and stable. In our view, the situation can only benefit from the trust building efforts, social-cohesion measures and enhanced inter-communal engagements facilitated by UNMIK. We also take a positive view of UNMIK’s continuing initiatives with women and the youth to enhance their peacemaking and peacebuilding capacities. Other measures aimed at building resilience in the communities are strongly encouraged.
In closing, we wish to underscore that normalization efforts to resolve the Kosovo crisis must be anchored in the rules of international law and the core values of the Charter of the United Nations.
Thank you for your kind attention