THURSDAY, 11 MAY 2000

Mr. President,

My delegation expresses its appreciation to you for convening this open briefing to consider the Report of the Security Council Mission to Kosovo. It is regrettable that the Council has not been able to accommodate the requests of interested members of the Organisation to participate in the discussion of this important Report. Their contributions will certainly enrich the deliberation of the Council. This open briefing on the Mission’s Report – which in any case is already known to the larger membership of the Organization – should be more than a mere formality. My delegation would also like to express its appreciation to Ambassador Chowdhury of Bangladesh, the leader of the Mission, for his lucid introduction of the Mission’s Report. As a member of that Mission, I can attest to what have been said by others and wish to take this opportunity to pay a warm tribute to Ambassador Chowdhury for his outstanding leadership in the course of the Mission.

2. Ambassador Chowdhury has already highlighted the salient parts of the Report and I do not intend to go over the same ground other than to underscore a number of points of particular importance to my delegation. With the advantage of having visited Kosovo my delegation now has a greater appreciation of the fact that UNMIK is a difficult and complex UN Mission and that the implementation of Resolution 1244 faces many enormous challenges which will have to be overcome. These challenges are being addressed in serious fashion by Dr. Bernard Kouchner, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, whose tireless efforts and total commitment towards the full implementation of Resolution 1244 deserve the highest praise. It should be noted, however, that the situation on the ground is far from ideal which requires great political and managerial skills as well as pragmatism—which Dr. Kouchner has brought to bear in administering Kosovo on behalf of the international community as head of UNMIK.

3. There has been a tremendous improvement in the security situation, thanks to the efforts of KFOR and UNMIK police. However, the peace and security situation is still fragile and can be put in jeopardy by the slightest inter-ethnic incident which can occur at any given moment and, indeed did occur while the Mission was still there on the ground. Hence, the importance of the continuing stabilising presence of KFOR and law-enforcement role of UNMIK Police. Equally important is the role of the judiciary in the dispensing of justice in a fair and impartial manner to all of Kosovo’s ethnic groups. My delegation commends the steps taken by Dr. Kouchner to strengthen the law and order situation, particularly the training of a multi-ethnic Kosovo Police Service and the strengthening of the judiciary through the recruitment of international judges and prosecutors who work alongside their Kosovar counterparts. A stable and peaceful Kosovo will depend to a large extent on the effectiveness and credibility of such law-and-order institutions. This is an area which the international community with capability to do so should continue to support, and support generously.

4. Clearly, one of the most difficult challenges confronting UNMIK is the issue of inter-ethnic relations and the urgent need for forge inter-communal harmony based on reconciliation among the several ethnic groups in Kosovo, particularly between the majority Albanian and the minority Serb population. Given the long history of suppression and repression of the Albanian Kosovars in the past culminating in their forced eviction from their homeland – which is still fresh in memory - it would be unrealistic to expect a quick process of reconciliation. A considerable period of time would be required for genuine reconciliation to take effect but the process must begin now by instituting confidence-building measures aimed at bringing about a degree of trust and tolerance and accommodation between the ethnic groups. In this context, the general apology issued by the Serb community of Orahovac and the positive response of the Kosovo Albanian community were steps in the right direction. We warmly welcome and encourage these positive developments. We earnestly hope this trend will continue with the active encouragement of Dr. Kouchner and influential members of the international community.

5. Clearly, no genuine and lasting reconciliation would be possible unless and until the different communities in Kosovo can address and resolve their longstanding grievances against one another and to begin to live together as a people based on the concept of unity in diversity. An important step in that process would be to address the issue of detained and missing persons affecting both communities, but particularly the Kosovar Albanians, more than a thousand of whom are known to be in prisons in Serbia and many more are unaccounted for. In this regard, my delegation strongly and wholeheartedly supports the proposal for the appointment of a special envoy for detainees and missing persons. The appointment of such an envoy has the strong support of all the different ethnic communities in Kosovo who clearly wish to resolve the matter for the sake of those in their community who have lost loved ones and for the sake of inter-ethnic reconciliation. The early appointment of a high-level envoy, in the same manner that one was appointed in respect of the missing Kuwaiti and third country nationals, would contribute positively to the final healing of the wounds of the past among the people of Kosovo. The appointment of such an envoy is the earnest and expressed desire of all of the people of Kosovo and should, therefore, be responded positively and expeditiously by the Secretary-General, with the full support of the Council. For such an envoy to succeed in his work it is imperative for all parties concerned to extend their fullest cooperation to him. The FRY authorities have a particular responsibility in this regard. Non-cooperation by the FRY on this issue will only reveal the cynical exploitation of the issue by the Belgrade government and its true intentions.

6.    The future of Kosovo will depend on the management of the current difficult situation both by the international community and the people of Kosovo themselves. The commitment of the international presence there must be matched by the equal commitment to peace and inter-ethnic harmony by the people of Kosovo themselves. In this regard, my delegation looks forward to the sustained support of the international community for UNMIK and KFOR. We also look forward to the successful conduct of the planned upcoming municipal elections in Kosovo which will lay a viable foundation of the future. Such a future, of course, cannot fail to take into account many important, complex and sensitive factors, not the least of which, is the pertinent issue of the aspiration of the majority Albanian community in Kosovo, as recognised by the Rambouillet accords, as well as the legitimate rights of the other ethnic minorities in Kosovo. The international community must come to grips with these issues if it is to ensure the long-term solution of the Kosovo question.

Mr. President

7.    UNMIK and KFOR have done much in so short a time. There are, of course, flaws and imperfections in the implementation of Resolution 1244. That cannot be avoided given the complexity of its mandate, but these are being addressed by the leadership of UNMIK. What is important is for the Council and the international community to look at the larger picture of what UNMIK is doing rather than at specific instances of weakness and imperfection in implementation. Important as these are, we should look at them in a broader perspective

I thank you, Mr. President.

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