Madame President,

My delegation is grateful to Assistant-Secretary-General Hedi Annabi for his comprehensive and extremely useful briefing. The situation in Kosovo continues to require the close attention of the Security Council, hence the importance of regular briefings given to Council members and the larger membership of the Organisation.

My delegation would like to focus on a number of issues of particular importance to us:

Firstly, the still unsettled, indeed, precarious security situation in Kosovo, as described by Mr. Annabi, remains a matter of very serious concern to my delegation. We continue to give our full support to the on-going efforts by both UNMIK and KFOR to address this serious problem. We have also emphasised on previous occasions the need for leaders of all communities in Kosovo to play their constructive role to contribute to these efforts. We note some positive responses and actions taken in this regard.

We welcome the signing last month of joint declarations in Pristina and Gnjilane in which the leaders of the Albanian, Serb and Turkish communities condemned all acts of violence and terrorism directed against any inhabitants of the two municipalities. They, at the same time, committed themselves to work together for common peace and prosperity. This is indeed a very heartening development, which represents a concrete contribution towards lessening inter-ethnic tension which should be emulated by the other municipalities throughout Kosovo, especially in Mitrovica.

Speaking of Mitrovica, the current de facto division of the city is unacceptable and must be reversed as soon as possible. Furthermore, the outbreak of a series of violence and rioting in the northern part of the town late last month, where UNMIK personnel, UNHCR and other international staff, as well as their offices, transport and other facilities were subjected to attacks by the Serbs, should be strongly condemned. Those responsible for these acts should be held accountable. On this point, we have read about possible involvement of "outside elements" in these attacks and acts of intimidation. We wonder if Mr. Annabi is in a position to confirm this report and what actions have been taken to prevent such occurrence.

We note the signing on 29 June of the Joint UNMIK-SNC Understanding which lays down additional steps to improve the situation of the Serb community in Kosovo. We certainly consider the initiative very important as part of UNMIK's efforts to improve the level of freedom, security and fundamental rights of the Serb community. We, however, feel that the agreement by the Serb National Council of Gracanica (SNC-G) to participate in the Joint Interim Administrative Structures (JIAS) as observers for another three months as its response to the Understanding fell short of expectations. We, like others in the Council, have called for their full, active and unqualified participation in the joint administrative structures.

Secondly, the signing of the Joint UNMIK-SNC Understanding has drawn a negative reaction from some quarters of the Kosovo Albanian community. At least the leadership of one of Kosovo's largest political parties, the PDK, has decided to withdraw from the Interim Administrative Council (IAC). This is a serious setback. We would also appreciate if ASG Annabi could enlighten us on any efforts being made to encourage the PDK to reconsider its position and to return to the IAC. Their return and full participation is important. In this regard, we wish to underscore the importance for UNMIK to continue with on-going efforts for close and all-inclusive consultations with leaders of all Kosovo communities so as to further strengthen the IAC. We believe the efforts to engage local leaders and population in the administration of Kosovo should be even more vigorously pursued at this critical stage so as to fully prepare the Kosovars to handle their own affairs.

My third point relates to the civil registration process and holding of municipal elections in Kosovo this fall, for which, as Mr. Annabi indicated in his briefing, the preparation is well underway. We welcome the issuance by SRSG Kouchner of UNMIK Regulation 2000/39 last Saturday (8 July 2000) that outlines the necessary law governing the proposed municipal elections. We have urged for the participation of all communities in the registration process. We look forward to the successful conduct of the elections which will lay a viable foundation of the future of Kosovo. We would be grateful for additional details on the status of the registration and whether UNMIK expects to attain the target number of 1.3 million people by the closing date on 15th of this month.

Finally, my delegation, along with many other members of the Council, had earlier expressed our strong support for the appointment of a Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to look into the issue of detainees and missing persons for reasons we had already explained, not the least of which, is the need to resolve this sensitive and emotive issue in the larger interest of reconciliation among the Kosovars. We would be grateful if ASG Annabi could update us on this important matter.

In conclusion, Madame President, my delegation wishes to reiterate once again its full support for and appreciation to UNMIK and SRSG Kouchner for the efforts made in the implementation of Resolution 1244 (1999) in Kosovo. Important achievements have indeed been made, but many challenges still lie ahead before self-sustaining peace and stability can be established in Kosovo. Hence, the need for the sustained strong support by this Council and members of the international community to the efforts currently underway in Kosovo.