YouSaid · the spoken record

Kouchner

lines on the record: 245
first: 2000-06-09
most recent: 2010-09-23
sittings or episodes: 11
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

“Mr. Kouchner: In my presentation I would like to focus on three areas. First, what have we done so far in Kosovo in our lS-month presence, from the moment we arrived in a war-torn Kosovo? Secondly, where do we stand today on our biggest immediate challenge: the preparation of the municipal elections to be held on 28 October - the first democratic elections in Kosovo for at least a generation? And thirdly, what are the biggest challenges ahead and what will be our policy priorities after those elections? Let me start with how I assess the work that we have done so far since the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Kosovo Force (KFOR) arrived in Kosovo some 15 months ago - very briefly, because I know that members are aware ofthese matters.”
2000-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4200 (2000) · source
“Their presence here, and that of Monsignor Artemije in particular, is for me very clear and decisive evidence of their will to continue to participate in the shared endeavour. If they were not to participate in it, they would certainly be on the side of those who do not want peace any longer, who constantly try to undermine the task undertaken by the international community in Kosovo. I do not believe a word of that. That is why I thank you for having welcomed them. If you agree and if circumstances permit, I would propose, to show a positive and optimistic side of our Mission in Kosovo, that we come with all the representatives of the interim administrative council, of the interim structure in the near future. On behalf of those working in your name, I would venture to say happy anniversary, but let there not be too many of them.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“The change in human behaviour is not exactly, directly or 100 per cent due the Special Representative or even the Security Council or the whole United Nations. We really must emphasize the importance of time and persistence. Do not abandon us on the grounds that after all, there has not been a major crisis. It is because there has not been a major crisis that it is essential to continue to support us. One final word on what Richard Holbrooke said. If the representatives of the Serb National Council of Kosovo are there, it is not because we are partial. It is because they present and continue to present claims that are legitimate. I am pleased that they participated in this meeting and I appeal to them to continue to work with us, as have all of you.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“I will not be able to answer all the very relevant and important questions due to the hour, but I do intend to come back again with more progress accomplished and with even greater determination to fight against what all members have referred to: violence and impunity, and for the protection of minorities. Thank you for everything that has been said concerning the UNMIK teams and the teams of all those other groups involved in this task, which at one time was considered impossible and which some critics now seem to believe is possible. We do in fact make progress. We have made progress from an economic standpoint. We have made a lot of progress from a political standpoint. However, there has not been enough progress made from a human standpoint.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“There was a response from the Albanian community there, recognizing the Kosovars as full members of the Serbian community. There are, therefore, no grounds for despair. In Kosovo today, more than before, one must cling to the optimism that prevails in international organizations. Each and every one must shoulder his or her own responsibilities so that everybody knows what morals and ideals they defend. I maintain that UNMIK and KFOR defend peace and democracy - and all the minorities. Soon we will have justice and peace for all the children of Kosovo.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“But a few days ago, they tried to assassinate the future of Kosovo when a four-year-old child was killed in Cernica. What was that little Serb boy guilty of? He represented a future generation of Serbs capable of living in harmony with the new generation in Kosova today. Thinking of that small boy who was killed, I think, too, of all the victims - the thousands of victims of the past 10 years. There is no justification for what has happened to them. There is no excuse. But now it is up to us - it is up to the Council - we must all remember why we are in Kosovo. We can be optimistic. In a difficult town called Orahovac the local Serb community was courageous enough to issue a communique regretting past crimes and deploring crimes committed by the Serb community against the Albanian community.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“As for the future of Kosovo, I know no more than the members of the Council, except that it will be settled within the context of resolution 1244 (1999). In that regard, in the election campaign, I am proposing a pact with the Kosovars in relation to the protection of minorities and the status of substantial autonomy. We have to renew some ambiguities, not about the future of Kosovo - that is not my job - but the about present. We must stop Kosovo from being so isolated and inward-looking. It has to be able to look outwards. We have to do away with violence and inter-ethnic hatred. Here, I would like to underline the importance of the Stability Pact. I believe that the European Union is now offering a more political dimension. That is it. I would have liked to wish a happy birthday to you all and to all the communities in Kosovo.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“Under resolution 1244 (1999), the property situation is not clear. On taxes, we hope that the customs duty system will improve and that international salaries will be reflected in the internal revenue system. Lastly, I welcome cooperation between the United Nations, KFOR and UNMIK. I have inflicted this account on the Council. I am sorry that I had to do so, but I felt that it was necessary, because, in a way, this is an anniversary. Sometimes we light a candle for a first birthday, but I am not sure that we can do that today, because so much remains to be done. In Kosovo, I think that life is getting back to normal, even though there is no full security yet. We will do our utmost to provide security. If the first free elections are held in October, then I think that we will have moved beyond one essential milestone.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“We have established a central fiscal authority and have a consolidated budget now. Of course, by the beginning of September, it will be insufficient. I hope that the European Union will once again be generous so that we can make it to the end of the year. We have established a payment and banking system. Twelve banks will be working by the end of the year. Some 70 per cent of the old private enterprises have started functioning again, producing 40 per cent more than they were producing five years ago. The first commercial bank was opened in January. Five others are working, and 16 commercial bank branches will be working throughout the region. We are doing this, but it is difficult. The property situation is very difficult, despite the example of the Sarr cement works. There is State property, public property and cooperative property.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“This is the climate in Kosovo. I condemn it and, of course, the Council condemns it, too. We will not tolerate it. We have tried to help in the establishment of a free press. The human rights organizations have protested this. I say absolutely - I am intransigent on this - that we want a free press, but that we do not want a press that condemns individuals to death. We will not tolerate it, or allow such death sentences to be issued in what is supposed to be a free media. On reconstruction, I do not want to drown the Council in details. But, as I have said, 20,000 housing units are scheduled to be built this year. Some 17,000 have already been reconstructed, and 25,000 have been rehabilitated. The macroeconomic system is in place. Investment - insufficient though it is - has been arriving.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“It is in the interests of the Serbs and the other minorities to work together with the international authorities. So far, we have received negative responses from Belgrade and Mr. Milosevic's regime, and we regret that. The municipal elections will be held this year, whatever response we get. These will be the first democratic elections ever organized in Kosovo. Of course, establishing free and objective media has helped us move ahead. Last week, we closed one of the newspapers because it had published what we described as a fatwa, condemning and naming one individual who was working with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, who has recently been accused of crimes. The publication gave the individual's name - Petar Topoljski- and what his movements were. He was kidnapped and assassinated.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“Registration has moved along well. There were no electoral rolls. Municipal elections, which were agreed to at our last meeting, will be held in October. We have not actually set the specific day. We will decide once registration is completed. The total number of people registered had risen to over 454,852 on 3 June. That is not too bad. Registration is set to be closed on 15 July and I hope that we will have good conditions, including for the appeals and those 10 per cent - in reality, they have been reduced to 2 per cent - that have to be reviewed because their papers are not in order. We must convince the Kosovo Serbs and those Serb refugees in Serbia to get involved and to register. It is in their interests to register and to be represented in all the democratic organs in Kosovo.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“It has been a terrible experience to see it at work. It was concerned with the remains of missing persons. It had to reopen graves. According to the International Tribunal, there are 559 mass graves, and 150 have been opened. We are in the process of opening 400. Until this pain has been dealt with and the wounds healed over, until the Albanian families know whether those who disappeared are alive or dead, whether they have lost brothers, cousins, sisters, fathers, it will not be possible to create conditions for greater tolerance. On 6 March last, when I spoke to the Council, I referred to the appointment of a special envoy for missing persons, and I believe - the Secretary-General has assured me - that someone will be taking up this post soon. Lastly, let me speak about elections. Elections are the great promise this year.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“I am ashamed to say that the judgement came down to a terrible concept that I thought had disappeared - that of collective guilt, which I find intolerable. Sixteen centuries of prison sentences were handed down. People were being detained in the street at that time. I have suggested from the start that we ask the Secretary-General to support me on this matter, and I have sent him a letter to that effect, so that all the people detained in Serbia, those arrested in and moved from Kosovo, could be sent to us and justice could be done on their behalf properly, in Kosovo. All of the detainees will be brought to trial. I trust that pressure will be brought to bear on the Belgrade authorities. An investigation must be carried out into the missing persons, whether Albanian, Serb, Roma or other. We have set up a committee to identify the victims.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“On 6 June, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) issued a list of 3,300 persons of all communities who went missing from January to 15 May 1998. The Albanian associations and the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms number those missing at over 9,000, so there is a large discrepancy between these figures. When I say 9,000 missing, that figure includes Serbs and Albanians. There are 950 Kosovo Albanians still detained in Serbia, according to the ICRC and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. At Nis, there was a case involving accused from the town of Djakovica. I recall with deep emotion that the Security Council mission was present in Djakovica as the case was about to open.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“They proposed not only the establishment of a programme to resettle the Roma, but that an economic development programme be accepted by all. I must repeat that this would have been simply inconceivable only a few months ago. I hope that the inter-ethnic problems, which are currently at a peak because of extremist attacks from both sides, will soon be nothing more than a bad memory. I would not wish to end without referring to the issue of missing persons and detainees. As everyone knows, this is a constant concern. The Kosovo community will never reconcile with its past until the matter of missing persons and detainees is addressed and settled one way or another. Otherwise, that society cannot achieve reconciliation or, if it can, years and years will be required.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“The agreement would involve specialists from New York and would reopen for discussion all aspects of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). Of course, there was no question of accepting it. Since the United Nations rejected it, we resumed our exchange of letters so as to create a genuine joint consultative committee. With respect to the co-existence programme, I have talked a good deal about the Serbs. I have been happy to offer them a number of measures to improve their daily lives, but there are other communities as well. There must be an impact on the economic development of each of these communities and a co- existence programme involving them too. I welcome the visit two days ago by all the representatives of the Interim Administrative Council - Mr. Rugova, Mr. Qosja and Mr. Thaci - to the Roma community.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“We are willing to broaden these contacts with specialists who cooperate with authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in many spheres. We have exchanged letters, most recently on 30 May, with authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with a view to establishing a joint consultative committee to address practical issues of mutual interest, such as postal services and telecommunications, pensions, social security, health care, property titles, circulation, employment of Serbs and so on. We have lost some time. It will be recalled that there was a Belgrade proposal for a draft agreement on a joint coordinating committee, but it went far beyond the initial agreement that I had been discussing with Ambassador Vukicevic.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“The Department of Agriculture, which, as I mentioned, is headed by the Serb community, provides food not only within Kosovo, but perhaps for export as well. Some 10,000 families are targeted within the country. The World Bank has a rural revival project, funded by 10 per cent of all the resources it distributes, to include agronomists and other workers. I am sorry to have gone on at such length, but I did want to tell the Council about everything we have done in the past year. Let me talk now about contacts with the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. As I said at my last briefing, we have regular contacts, several times a week, with the Belgrade representatives. I meet in particular with Ambassador Vukicevic.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“Internet centres have been created. Of course, everything I have said about minorities, which happen to be the focus of our attention, applies equally to the majority. Clearly, when I refer to the distribution of newspapers, we must welcome the free enterprise associated with the publication of Albanian newspapers throughout Kosovo. There are six or seven daily newspapers. The press is flourishing. Naturally, it gets some help from businesses dealing with United Nations or other agencies. We should also praise the efficacy of the television channel we set up, which broadcasts in Albanian and minority languages alike. We have also rebuilt housing. 20,000 units for all communities are scheduled for this year.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“I mentioned that access to health care, which was inadequate to communities, has now been improved by the creation of structures, which I hope will prove temporary, at the very heart of communities. How could we do otherwise? Medical and surgical care had to be guaranteed. We have also worked on schools within the communities. Serb schools and a bussing service have been established throughout Kosovo. Micro-enterprises have been proposed for the communities. Projects will be developed in Mitrovica, Kosovo Polje, Dobrotin and Gracanica, For example, there will be projects to rehabilitate windmills and to assist small businesses, such as dairy and agricultural enterprises. One industrial project at Leposavic is closely tied to the dairy business. We guarantee the free distribution of independent Serb newspapers to the communities.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“We provide safe transport to those from minority groups and communities working in our administrative structures. We guarantee their safe movement with particular attention because, of course, we want nothing bad to happen to them. Telephone lines have been restored. Once again, I hope that the return of Serbs will be carried out successfully and that 50 families will soon be back home. The co-existence programme that I proposed to minority groups on the Security Council's behalf has allowed the establishment of local community offices in all administrations. We have already opened 13 local community offices out of the 20 envisaged. There are Serb personnel at all of these offices.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“Unfortunately, some churches remain the targets of bombings. I know that over 50 of these religious establishments and churches have been destroyed. I would recall - not as a tit-for-tat, but things should always be placed in context - that 100 mosques were destroyed. We get no pleasure out of the destruction of either. Naturally, we are trying to improve the situation. We are building roads with a British project, since we want to improve traffic and to guarantee freedom of movement for the Serbs. We have worked in joint projects to repair several roads in Zubin Potok, Zvecan and elsewhere. We provide bus service and protection. New bus lines have been established to transport Serbs within Kosovo and to and from Serbia. Another and safer means of transport that we assist with is trains. There are 12 train stations operational now.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“But we have to build; we must provide work; we must ensure a proper environment. We will provide these things. Our idea is that the return of the Serbs should, by and large, begin before vacations start in July. I would like to say just a few more words about security for minorities. Once again, the situation has improved, but not enough. We are making special efforts to ensure security in enclaves. We proposed arrangements so that farmers could work in their fields. We proposed foot patrols, and we carry out frequent vehicle checks. We search dwellings for weapons. Curfews have been declared in sensitive areas such as Mitrovica, Bicina and other places. UNMIK police have established small police posts in Serb enclaves in Gracanica, Obilic, Orahovac and other enclaves. KFOR provides around-the-clock protection to churches.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“Then there is the question of the return of Serbs. Not only are we in favour of their return, but, together with Bishop Artemije, Commander Ortufio of KFOR, Mr. Dennis McNamara of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and various members of the OSCE, we have established a joint committee on return. All the plans must go through that committee, and not only for bureaucratic reasons, for I must confess that bureaucracy is not my forte. But if all the plans are legitimate, then the matter has to be regarded calmly so that we can ensure a safe return for the Serbs. I am quite proud to say that the first families have already returned. Forty families will be back home either later this week or next week into regions where, along with our KFOR friends, we have provided minimum security conditions.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“If the 180,000 or so Albanians who took refuge in European countries and the Serbs return - and I want Serbs to return - it will mean 20 per cent of the Kosovo population returning together. I hope it will not be too bad and that the difficulties involved will be dealt with plainly. But it will certainly be a very difficult situation in a country where 50 per cent of the people are unemployed. I would ask that this be taken not of. Perhaps at some point one may have to ask - and right now I do not wish for this - for a moratorium so that all the refugees do not return at once. They must return in a humane, coordinated and orderly way. And, of course, they must have all the necessary services they will need. I hope there will not be increased inter-ethnic tension at the time of their return.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“It is indeed the case that there must first be a psychological step before there can be a political one. If one does not even talk, there is no hope of peace. So I am glad that the political leaders of Kosovo made this statement. On the return of Serbs and refugees in general, there are two aspects to the situation. Albanian refugees and those seeking asylum, who were taken in primarily by European countries, are returning in large numbers. I cannot reject them, nor do I have the intention of doing so. The countries that so generously opened their doors should be able to offer return to those they hosted. There is no international law that prevents them from doing so. But I must stress that it is going to be a heavy burden.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“I must also commit myself to having at least one international judge and one international prosecutor in each of the five district courts throughout Kosovo. As we stated in 1999, we will need the expulsion law to be applied, particularly in troubled areas. I am happy to say that, following certain commitments we made with our Serb friends, this morning Kosovo Albanian leaders issued very strong statements against violence, specifically against ethnic violence. Allow me to mention a few sentences of what was written by Mr. Ibrahim Rugova, Mr. Rexhep Qosja and Mr. Hashim Thaci. What they said today was simply inconceivable three or four months ago. I know they are only words, but that is how peace begins. One needs to talk about peace before peace takes hold.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“Our basic objective is still the protection of the non-Albanian population, particularly with regard to the return of refugees. We must therefore step up our efforts against organized crime and systematic violence against minorities, as well as ethnically inspired murders. A campaign of tolerance using posters, television and radio will be launched in a few weeks. I know it must be promised here that additional steps will be taken to protect minority communities, and I will do my utmost to ensure that they are taken. I, you, we will need 200 to 300 special anti-terrorist forces to protect Serb enclaves. We will have to increase the number of Kosovar policemen, to perhaps 4,000 in 2001. We must improve police academy recruitment of minorities.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“But there is still too much of it, particularly in the area of inter-ethnic violence. It is estimated - and these numbers can be found in the report of the Secretary-General - that two thirds of the serious crime can be attributed to inter- ethnic incidents or to inter-ethnic hatred, as are 80 per cent of the cases of arson. For the time being, the situation in Mitrovica is calm. This is due to the establishment of a Confidence Area there and to the employment offers that have been made by both sides, as well as to the deployment of a new administrator. The situation on the Serbian border, in the Presevo region, has also been stabilized, thanks - and I would like to highlight this to the Council - to the active involvement of Kosovo Albanian leaders.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“The Mission needs more well-trained international policemen, as well as international experts trained in forensic medicine, investigation procedures and evidence collection. Fifty-eight police stations have been set up around Kosovo. I hope that the local police service - the Kosovo Police Service - will have trained 4,000 local recruits by early 2001. The police academy is a multi-ethnic institution. I am very sorry that there are not yet enough Serbs in it, but there are quite a few. I trust the number of Serbian volunteers will increase. I have noted complaints from our Serbian friends, and I think that recruitment should be looked at more closely. KFOR and the police are working together satisfactorily, particularly in Mitrovica. As I said, crime has dropped spectacularly.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“That is why we have called for international judges and prosecutors, of which we currently have five. I hope we will eventually have 15. I would like to thank the countries that have made those international judges available to us. We need them, but we also need funds for necessary equipment and to provide judicial and penal services. Security is our major problem. The police mission given to the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is without precedent. The responsibility of the police is not only to preserve order; it is also to establish local police forces at the same time. Thanks to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) there is a police academy, which is exemplary both in the way it works and in its output. The international police are not quite up to the authorized number.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“We have a joint interim administrative council and a provisional national council. The three parties at Rambouillet and Kosovo, the Kosovar Albanians and the Kosovar Serbs are represented in the joint interim administrative council. All the main political parties, civil society, all religions and minorities are represented in the Kosovo transitional council. Administrative departments are administered by members of the majority and minority populations. The Kosovar Serbs have agreed to head the agriculture department and the employment department. Speaking of law and law and order, the judiciary is still very weak. Local judges still show little ability to be impartial, or at least they are not impartial enough. The direct threats against them and their poor salaries do not improve matters.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“Even if it is not working perfectly, the post office is working at the international level. We have UNMIK stamps, a mobile telephone company covers most of the area and progress is being made with regard to permanent lines. We, or rather I should say you, the Member States, employ 70,000 personnel who are paid a small salary using a central data base that has been set up. In the past they were offered only minimal compensation. A joint interim administrative system marks the first step towards a more direct system of administration. We have 20 administrative departments, each run by two leaders: one international and one Kosovar, including the minorities. There is mixed participation at all levels, both local and UNMIK. We are also providing training for a more effective civil sector.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“However, I know that access by minority communities is not sufficiently guaranteed in the hospitals and because of that we have established structures for the minority communities. We have tried to help in the rural areas by opening small clinics. A judicial framework is being developed within private medicine to open private clinics. A total of 500,000 students are also attending school. This has not happened in 10 years. In Kosovo the children are seen leaving for school in the morning with their schoolbags. It is ajoy, whether they are Serb, Albanian, Bosnian or Turk. Ten years ago no children went to school because they had to hide. About 470 schools out of 1,000 have been rehabilitated. Colleges and universities are also operating. There are textbooks in Albanian, Serbian, Bosnian and Turkish that are freely distributed.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“We carry out vehicle registration, 25,000 to date, starting from scratch and from the fact that vehicle registration had been abandoned. However, it must also be recalled that there was no personal identification for the people in Kosovo. We must not forget this, because when things are going a little better, people tend to forget the past. We must not forget what brought us here to Kosovo. Not only have we been issuing license plates and drivers' licenses, there are also now three insurance companies working. This had not happened for years in Kosovo. Health systems have been re-established. Between 80 per cent and 95 per cent of the five regional hospitals, 29 clinics and 300 dispensaries are operating. Three-quarters of these medical buildings were damaged. Reforms were introduced, such as limited financial input to the hospitals.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“The ambiguities in resolution 1244 (1999) must be dealt with. I recall with great interest and feeling the discussion with Members here in the Security Council during my last stay in New York, at the Council's invitation. We clarified future plans and during the election campaign I think we will be able to provide explanations that everyone awaits as to what is meant in resolution 1244 (1999) by the words "substantial autonomy". Regarding administration, it should be recalled that the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) established administration over all five regions in Kosovo and 29 of the 30 municipalities. We issue birth, marriage and death certificates. We issue building licenses and small- business permits.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“There are many negative aspects in this matter and there still are the many challenges relating to the departure of the Serbs, the Roma, the non-Albanian population, and particularly the precariousness of the security situation for the non-Albanian population. There are still too many murders, even if one considers the great progress made in the area of security made over the last year. We have reduced the crime rate by a factor of ten, but there is still too much murder, violence and arson, and too many exactions, particularly against the Kosovar Serbs. There are also shortcomings in the judicial system. But we are going to overcome them by importing international judges who we need. Lastly, one crucial point I wish to stress is the uncertainty about the interim status of Kosovo.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“However, before moving on to the negative aspects of the situation, I would like to mention the personal, physical and psychological involvement of all the volunteers and United Nations personnel working in Kosovo. They work in an environment that is not very attractive or welcoming and where, because of personnel shortages, which I stressed yesterday to the Friends of the Secretary- General, we have often had to work twice as hard as normal because we lack half the specialized personnel we need. Once again, distinguished representatives, I would urge you all to make efforts to ensure that we can get more of the personnel we need.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“We began reconstruction and established a macroeconomic structure which never existed before: a central fiscal authority, a banking system and a payments authority. In the second phase we demilitarized the Kosovo Liberation Army. As always, there was a lot of criticism. When one does anything, there is criticism. In Kosovo there are no illegal uniforms or weapons. I am not so naive as to say that there are no weapons in Kosovo or the Balkans. Certainly not. I do not say that. However, that was true long before the United Nations intervention. Lastly, we have successfully begun civil registration for forthcoming elections in October. I would not like to create the impression that we are boasting of our successes and that this is a triumph for the United Nations.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“Among other tasks, about which a report will be issued this afternoon, UNHCR had to deal with this surge of refugees. With the help of all the forces on the ground, and thanks to the donor community, most significantly the European Union, the UNHCR along with others made it possible for the 900,000 refugees to survive the winter. It was minus 30 degrees in Kosovo in winter and there was no heat or electricity. But there was no major humanitarian crisis in that respect. The winter was survived. We rebuilt an administration involving the local population as soon as we could. This was the choice we shared in and which was supported by all members of the Security Council. This proved possible, thanks to resolution 1244 (1999), through the establishment of a joint interim administrative structure.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“We had to implement resolution 1244 (1999), which the Council had adopted unanimously. We had to provide an interim administration and establish provisional institutions for democratic and autonomous governance. There have been four major phases. First, there was the emergency phase during which we had to deal with the refugees. Then came demilitarization, which while imperfect met with some degree of success for the first time in history. Next was the establishment of a political administration. And now comes the fourth phase, the elections, for which we are preparing at present. In the first phase, 900,000 refugees returned to Kosovo with assistance from the United Nations family and from non-governmental organizations, and with the help of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“But we have no illusions: we will need years to build a society based on tolerance and democracy. Neither tolerance nor democracy can be built overnight, especially in that part of Europe, and particularly in Kosovo. I had anticipated that as we approached 15 June - a date by which some had felt that the Kosovo Force (KFOR) troops and the United Nations Mission would be withdrawing - there would be many incidents, many crimes and many killings. That has in fact happened, and I deplore it. We must do better on the security front. When we arrived, it was a desert. After many years of a communist society, then a decade of an unequal society and many years of patent administrative and economic negligence, we had to build a government authority from nothing. Our job was a complex one.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has stated that there are more than 550 such graves, of which I remind the Council that we have excavated no more than 150. We must not allow the truth to be hidden. The international community needs much time, patience and determination in the face of provocation if it is to hope to be able to bring about the peaceful coexistence in which we continue to believe. Indeed, we believe it in ever more after a year of hard work by the outstanding team I have the honour to lead. We are not in Kosovo for 12 months or 24 months; we are undoubtedly there for a significant number of years. Quite a bit of progress has been made in the past 12 months, and I should like to summarize it this morning. To be sure, a great deal remains to be done, but we have accomplished something.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source
“Can a full assessment be made after one year? I think not. At best this can be only an interim report. Has it been one year already? Or has it been merely one year? Is one year too much, or is it not enough? One year ago, the United Nations family was approaching what Andre Malraux called the complicated Balkans with one very simple idea in mind: peace. Members will recall that at that time, after the bombings by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), after 10 years of a policy of segregation and after ethnic cleansing, when the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo arrived, there was nothing: Kosovo was a desert. One hundred twenty thousand houses had been destroyed, and I would not even venture to guess exactly how many people had died - certainly thousands, in common graves.”
2000-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4153 (2000) · source