Summary: April 24, 2002: Statement by H.E. Mr. Inocencio F. Arias, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations, on behalf of the European Union, at the meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Kosovo (New York)
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and the EFTA countries belonging to the European Economic Area, Iceland and Liechtenstein, align themselves with this statement.
Mr. Chairman,
We welcome the participation of SRSG Steiner and Dr. Nebojsa Covic, Vice Prime Minister of Serbia, in today's meeting of the Council, and thank them for their statements.
Let me also thank SRSG Steiner for the leadership he has shown in conducting Kosovo's affairs. In the three months he has been in office, he has been able to make progress on a number of important issues. The European Union has already expressed its support for his priorities of laying the foundation for economic progress, tackling crime and violence, and building a fair and just society with dignity for all communities. We encourage all actors in Kosovo to concentrate their work on these
priorities, in a manner consistent with Security Council Resolution 1244 and the Constitutional Framework.
The three priorities are closely inter-related. A better functioning economy, that improves the living conditions of all the people of Kosovo, will certainly encourage returns and discourage further emigration from the province, as well as reduce the grounds for crime and violence. At the same time, the establishment of a political culture based on the rule of law and the eradication of organised crime and violence will create an atmosphere more conducive to investment and economic growth and,
indeed, to the creation of jobs. We welcome the concept being developed by the Secretary General and his Special Representative of benchmarks that need to be met to measure progress in the roadmap towards the future.
Mr. Chairman,
The EU welcomes progress towards the final formation of the Provisional Government. It is essential for Kosovo that the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) work effectively to serve the people and represent the multiethnic character of the province. We also encourage that the same principles are applied in the ongoing establishment of a Civil Service.
The EU has repeatedly stressed the paramount importance of fighting organised crime and violence. Whilst we welcome the improvement in the overall security situation, we are dismayed at the Secretary General's affirmation that ethnically motivated attacks still continue. Democracy will not take root in Kosovo in the midst of insecurity and fear. We encourage the PISG and all parties to do everything they can to put an end to violence and extremism. We condemn the recent violent events in
Mitrovica and welcome DPM Covic's statement that "the atmosphere of conflict, mistrust and violence should come to an end". We support UNMIK in its efforts to establish its full authority in the north of Mitrovica.
We have already welcomed the transfer to UNMIK by the Belgrade authorities of Kosovo Albanians imprisoned in the Republic of Serbia as a highly positive development that will contribute to build confidence among communities in Kosovo. The European Union encourages all concerned parties to continue to cooperate constructively in the other areas of common interest provided for in the UNMIK/FRY Common Document, and in particular to accelerate the process of determining the fate of missing persons
of all communities.
We welcome the work undertaken by UNMIK in coordination with Belgrade to enable the return of all refugees and internally displaced persons to Kosovo. The past few years have shown that, when conditions are established on the ground, especially for minority returns, progress can be achieved quickly. More than one million people are still displaced around the region as a legacy of conflict, and all regional actors must spare no effort in putting in place appropriate security and legislative
conditions for return and in allocating resources to ensure its sustainability.
Mr. Chairman,
Let me take this opportunity to reiterate our call on the FRY authorities to fulfil their international obligation of full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. That cooperation, along with the affirmation of civilian control over the military, will move Serbia and Montenegro one step closer to European integration.
The EU welcomes the South East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit in Tirana on 28 March and commends its members' wish to further enhance regional cooperation. The rapprochement with the EU goes hand in hand with the process of developing regional cooperation, which constitutes one of the main targets of the stabilization and association process.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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