YouSaid · the spoken record

J Essen-Petersen

lines on the record: 25
first: 2005-05-27
most recent: 2006-06-20
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I am confident that the Council will, when the time comes, take a decision that will allow Kosovo to build the democratic, multi-ethnic society it envisions, and for which, I am proud to say, the United Nations has helped to lay the foundations. I have served most of my United Nations career in the humanitarian field, and I have seen too much suffering in the Western Balkans over the last 15 years. My biggest hope as I leave my post is that the coming status agreement in Kosovo will finally allow the victims of the conflict on all sides to become the beneficiaries of a peaceful and lasting settlement, leading to a better future that they so thoroughly deserve.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“However, there are now diminishing returns from this mandate and limits to what can be achieved by an international administration in the absence of clarity on status. Interim administration has been in place for seven years without a clearly defined endpoint. It is time for us, for Kosovo and for the region to move on. 06-39548 Madam President, as you said, this report will be my last one to the Security Council before leaving my post at the end of this month. It has been a fascinating, at times difficult, but always rewarding post. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Security Council for the unstinting support I have received since taking up the appointment two years ago.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“In fact, it would be a far greater risk to keep Kosovo in limbo for much longer. At the moment, there is a feeling in Kosovo that progress is being made under a new, dynamic leadership. This dynamism is based on a vision of a transformed future, a future based on the Guiding Principles that there be no return of Kosovo to the pre- 1999 situation, no partition of Kosovo and no union of Kosovo with any country or part of another country, and that the status outcome be acceptable to the majority in Kosovo while the rights of minorities are respected and protected. UNMIK administration has extraordinary achievements to its credit. UNMIK will of course respect its mandate until the very end.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“I welcome the recent establishment in Pristina of a European Union planning team that will work with UNMIK to ensure that the rule of law sectors continue to receive the attention they need up to and beyond the end of our mandate. The future of Kosovo must be built on the solid foundation of the rule of law. The year 2006 is extraordinary for Kosovo. It is vital for stability and economic and social progress in Kosovo and the region that the status process be brought to an early and successful conclusion. I am aware, of course, of some voices that say that everything is happening too quickly and that that introduces unnecessary risks. I hold the opposite view. I hold that after seven years of interim administration in Kosovo, the society is ready - indeed impatient - to move on.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“But we are alert to the dangers, and we have been working more closely with the Kosovo Force (KFOR) - whose commander and whose members I would like to take this opportunity to salute - on strategies to respond to any eventuality and to keep down the risk of incidents that might escalate into something worse. Indeed, the rule of law, as a whole, remains an issue of paramount importance for Kosovo. In some areas, much has been achieved. For example, we are proud of the development and performance of the Kosovo Police Service and the progress it has made since its establishment under UNMIK's aegis. But there are areas where we will need to improve, and more needs to be done in the field of justice.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“Naturally, the status process carries with it risks as well as opportunities. Tensions may well rise as the process moves towards its conclusion. I am deeply concerned to see how violent crimes can quickly become politicized and used to provoke tensions and divisions, in particular, in the northern part of Kosovo. In this context, it is important at this crucial moment that no measures are taken by any political actors in the region that may foment instability. We will never be able to entirely eliminate the risk of security incidents in a volatile environment such as Kosovo.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“UNMIK is not a player in the status process. Our job is to fulfil our mandate as set forth in resolution 1244 (1999). But having said that, from the start it has been important to me that the activities of UNMIK in Kosovo should be consistent with and supportive of the status process being conducted out of Vienna. With that process gaining momentum, it is clear that we are moving towards the end of the UNMIK mandate. Much work has already been done on what will follow it. Of course, this work cannot prejudge what this Council might decide. Nevertheless, useful preparations are being made. The preparation already undertaken and the work that we will continue to do with partner organizations should allow UNMIK to achieve an orderly exit when the time comes so that Kosovo can experience an orderly transition.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“We need to see a significant increase in both numbers of 3 returns and resources to support returns in order for those returns to be sustainable. As I mentioned at the start of my presentation today, the status process is of the highest importance in Kosovo political life. Everything we do today is done against the background of managing expectations about and preparing for a settlement. It is the status process above all that is behind the reinvigoration of the political process in Kosovo. I would like in particular to acknowledge the spirit of cooperation which has characterized the Kosovo negotiators in the unity team and political group. For this, credit is due not only to President Sejdiu's leadership, but also to Prime Minister Ceku, Assembly President Berisha and, equally, to the opposition leader, Hachim Thaci and Ventran Sorai.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“Needless to say, in presenting those points to the Council, I take the opportunity also to call on Belgrade, as the Contact Group has done in recent days, to withdraw that damaging directive and to give its consent to those political actors in the Kosovo Serb communities who want to work in the interests of their community, in partnership with the institutions and Government of Kosovo. Amidst those difficult issues, there have been some positive moves. In particular, I welcome the signing on 6 June of a returns protocol between UNMIK, Belgrade and Pristina, which should enable returns to take place on an agreed basis. The numbers of returns are steady, although still very low in absolute terms. However, there are currently more people wanting to return than there is available funding.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“I do not see any merit in Belgrade's isolationist policy from the point of view of Kosovo Serbs. I do not see how the Kosovo Serbs can make informed choices and decisions about their own future within Kosovo if they are not even permitted to take part in the democratic processes there, be it centrally or locally. At the grass-roots level, the Serbian Government's directive, which has obliged Kosovo Serbs working for certain Kosovo institutions to choose between their Belgrade and Pristina salaries, is, I am afraid, a divisive move and does a disservice to Kosovo Serbs at this sensitive time.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“Despite isolated incidents - and they really are isolated - the picture as it is painted does not correspond to the reality of Kosovo as it is now. I therefore call again upon the Serbian authorities to work with us and the Kosovo Government to provide factual information about current events so that we do not promote a climate of fear and further isolation. I welcome the Contact Group's recent letter to the Government in Belgrade making those same points. At this time of flux, as a new Kosovo is being built around them, a growing number of Kosovo Serbs would like to have a voice in the political process and in Kosovo's governmental and parliamentary institutions, but they feel that they cannot do so until Belgrade gives its consent. That has been the case for more than two years now.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“All too often, the only message reaching Kosovo Serbs tells them not to engage with the majority. That is not healthy for the more open and integrated society we all want to see. As an example, whenever there is any crime in which the victim is a Kosovo Serb, an ethnic motive is often proclaimed, usually without any evidence. Not only is that unfair to Kosovo as a society - a society, incidentally, in which violent crime is decreasing overall; more worryingly, it also perpetuates a climate of insecurity among Kosovo Serb communities. Of course, violent crimes need to be solved and prosecuted if citizens are to have faith in the justice system. We would all like to see quick results whenever harm is done to any citizen, but it is no 06-39548 service to the Kosovo Serbs themselves to present them only as targets and victims.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“The council brings together the Government of Kosovo, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), the Kosovo Force and other key players in an effort to promote improvements in the living conditions of Kosovo's most vulnerable communities - at this moment, notably, the Kosovo Serbs. Despite those efforts, however, it remains a fact that the situation for many Kosovo Serbs remains very difficult. Many of them feel confused, exposed and isolated, and do not know what to think about the future. In the final analysis, Kosovo Serb communities are concerned about the status process, although I have detected in my many contacts with them all over Kosovo a willingness to start considering what life might be like after final status, including on the outcomes they might not welcome.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“The Secretary- General's report before the Council today echoes those judgments and reinforces my observations that the performance of the Kosovo authorities has become dynamic and progressive as never before. There is, of course, a need for still further progress, but if the current momentum continues - and I am confident that it will - we can expect further concrete achievements over the coming months. The pace of policy implementation has been matched by a far greater willingness on the part of Kosovo's new leadership to take the lead in reaching out to minority communities, in particular to the Kosovo Serbs. The most recent example of that is the Prime Minister's initiative to establish a community security council, which met for the first time last Friday.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“In saying that, I want to acknowledge the great determination and energy which Prime Minister Ceku has brought to Government since his appointment on 10 March. I am therefore delighted that the Prime Minister is with us here today and also that he has addressed a letter to the President of the Security Council. Standards implementation is the exemplar of that progress. In my last report to the Council, covering events up to 20 December 2005, I expressed regret that the pace of standards implementation had slowed in the second half of 2005. By February, I was able to report here that the Government of Kosovo had begun to respond to those criticisms and that the process was 06-39548 getting back on track. My latest technical review, reflecting events up to 30 April 2006, shows an across- the-board revitalization of the process.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“Mr. J essen-Petersen: I thank you, Madam, for your kind words and for inviting me once again to brief the Security Council on developments in Kosovo. Denmark was also, I recall, in the chair in May 2005 when this body decided to launch the comprehensive review of the situation in Kosovo. It was based on the findings of that review that, last October, the Security Council endorsed the Secretary- General's recommendation that a process should begin to determine Kosovo's future status. It is that process, now well under way under the leadership of Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari, that is at the centre of current events in Kosovo. Let me begin by saying that Kosovo today presents a picture of a society making steady progress.”
2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source
“Prime Minister Kosumi responded in a letter welcoming the dialogue and I believe that they will meet shortly. Let me conclude by thanking you, Sir, for presiding over this Council meeting, which I believe will go down in history as a very important one that will move forward the process in the western Balkans, in Kosovo in particular; that will move the region and Kosovo closer towards normalization and stabilization; and that will allow all the States in the region, and Kosovo too, to focus all their efforts on what must be the goal of everybody in the region: European integration.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“It is not the responsibility of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. My mandate is clear. My mandate is to facilitate the process, but status preparations must be the exclusive responsibilities of the authorities and the political parties in Kosovo, and will indeed be so. Finally, Mr. Covic said that there had been no response to the invitations for dialogue from President Tadic and Prime Minister Kostunica. As I said in my opening statement, I very much welcome those invitations. Mr. Covic's statement is not entirely correct. The invitation from President Tadic was a public one and Mr. Rugova has publicly confirmed that he is looking forward to meeting him. The Prime Minister wrote the letter of invitation eventually, inviting Prime Minister Kosumi.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“The very weak economy of Kosovo loses approximately â‚¬50 million on an annual basis because all the profits of telephone communications today go to quarters outside Kosovo. The fourth point I want to make is on the Kosovo Forum. I want to reassure Mr. Covic and the members of the Council that the moment that the Kosovo Serbs are encouraged to take their seats in the democratic institutions, they will, of course, be invited to join the Forum, but we cannot invite them into the Forum as along as they are not members of the Assembly, because we have invited the political parties represented in the Assembly. I also want to make the very evident point that, when it comes to preparing for status discussions, that is the responsibility of the institutions in Kosovo.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Furthermore, as I have discussed many times with Belgrade, I still regret that the Kosovo Serbs did not participate in the elections, because if they had participated at the level they did during the last elections, Kosovo Serbs would today have the second largest political party in Kosovo, and the risk of being outvoted would not have been there. Thirdly, on the International Telecommunication Union, I know this is a matter that was raised here in the Council in February. Let me just say very briefly that UNMIK has acted, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) and on the basis of absolutely unambiguous advice from the Legal Adviser of the Secretary-General, to seek an independent code for Kosovo on an interim basis. We are doing that for purely economic purposes.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Let me just say here - and the statistics are clear - that 10 per cent of all public servants are minorities, and the large majority of those are Kosovo Serbs. The large majority of those minority public servants move to work every day. Secondly, Mr. Covic expressed concern over the quality of democracy in a place where the minority - the Kosovo Serbs - risks being outvoted. I would say that I find that the most important aspect of democracy is indeed that one participates, exercises the rights of a democracy and votes. I think we should worry about voting before we start worrying about being outvoted.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“I would, with your permission, Sir, say a few words in response to the first and second statements of my friend Mr. Covic. I do feel that the statements may not always have reflected the fact that we are dealing with a very complex situation in which there are no blacks and whites. I thought it might be helpful if I were to add a couple of points, so that maybe we can get more than one side on some of the important issues. Out of respect for the Council's time, however, let me just cite three or four examples. First of all, Mr. Covic mentioned as an example of freedom of movement being respected on the Kosovo Serb side that one Albanian Resident, a judge in northern Mitrovica, goes to work every day. I think that is good.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Thirdly, I can assure the Council that the leaders in Kosovo have heard, loud and clear, that the outcome of the comprehensive review is not a foregone conclusion. I assure the Council because I know that, for the leaders and citizens of Kosovo, the implementation of standards is not only a requirement for moving forward on the process leading us into status discussions. It is much more; above all, for the political parties and citizens of Kosovo, standards implementation is, equally and maybe even more importantly, a matter of building up a European society that is democratic and multi-ethnic and where the minorities are protected and the religious and cultural sites of importance to the minorities are preserved and protected.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“It is not a situation that can described in black and white; it is full of nuances. That is exactly why the Secretary-General's report and, I would underline, my own technical assessment try to present what one member of the Council referred to as a mixed picture. But I want to assure the Security Council that I know that the leaders of Kosovo have heard their statements today loud and clear. They have heard, first, that they need to make further demonstrable progress in order to move forward. They have heard, secondly, that they need to redouble and intensify their efforts to address, in particular, the shortcomings that we all recognize and that I also referred to in my opening remarks, notably in the areas of return and freedom of movement, and overall to improve the conditions and the protection of minorities.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Mr. J essen-Petersen: Allow me first to thank the members of the Security Council for their observations and their very strong statements of support for the ongoing process in Kosovo and in the region. I also would like to express my appreciation for the statements expressing support for the Secretary- General's recommendations to launch the comprehensive review this summer. I fully agree with those many statements underlining that such a review must indeed be comprehensive, thorough and objective, and I can only say here that, obviously, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) will support that exercise so that we can achieve the objective, which is one we all share. I would also like to welcome the many statements that rightly have underlined that the situation in Kosovo is a very complex one.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source