EU Presidency Statement - The situation in Kosovo

Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The acceding countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, the candidate countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey and the EFTA countries, Lichtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, declare that they align themselves with this statement.

I would also like to join other speakers in welcoming the presence of the Secretary General, Foreign Minister Svilanovic of Serbia and Montenegro and Foreign Minister Fischer of Germany.

Mr. President,

The European Union calls for an immediate end to the violence which has claimed lives and caused injury to large numbers of people in Kosovo. We add our voice to those of Special Representative Harri Holkeri and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in condemning the violence which has erupted between Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs and which has resulted in a number of deaths, as well as injuries to a large number of civilians, KFOR soldiers and UNMIK civilian police.

The immediate priority is that calm be restored in Kosovo. It is essential that the violence stops now and is not allowed to escalate. There is also no place for those who burn churches and mosques, schools and hospitals, and destroy the religious and cultural heritage which is the common property of us all. The European Union calls on all local leaders to act responsibly at this dangerous moment and to use all their influence to bring an end to the violence and to restore calm. The European Union strongly supports the efforts of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Harri Holkeri, to calm the situation. I would like to underscore the European Union's strong support for SRSG Holkeri in his task of implementing in full Security Council Resolution 1244 and UNMIK's policy of "standards before status". These remain the foundation of the international community's commitment to Kosovo. The path ahead for Kosovo lies in the implementation of the standards, and the violent events risk undermining the painstakingly achieved progress which has been made.

Those responsible for the violence must be brought to justice.

There is a heavy responsibility on all to avoid actions which would undermine the work under way to ensure a stable future for a secure, democratic and multiethnic Kosovo within its place in Europe.

Thank you Mr. President.

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• EU Presidency Statement - The situation in Kosovo (13/4/2004)