UNMIK head tells Security Council tensions are eroding trust in Kosovo; members divided on the mission's future

The head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) told the Security Council today that tensions are eroding trust in Kosovo. Peter Due, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, said the past six months saw increased tensions in Kosovo and the region. Council members then disagreed on the mission's future. The sources report no vote or decision.

Mr. Due said property disputes, stalled reintegration of Kosovo Serb judicial personnel and allegations of police ill-treatment of Kosovo Serbs reinforced perceptions of insecurity and unequal treatment, while “eroding trust and affecting Kosovo’s multi-ethnic character”. He said the June elections were peaceful and inclusive, though political uncertainty and heightened rhetoric followed. He welcomed Kosovo's assembly and government, and the election of Justina Shiroka-Pula as president.

Mr. Due reported the convictions of former President Hashim Thaçi and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders for war crimes. He expressed concern over legislative amendments limiting the powers of the Specialist Chambers. He said 1,577 persons are still unaccounted for, and that efforts to resolve these cases must remain “humanitarian, victim-centred and free from politicization”.

Marko Đurić, Serbia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, said UNMIK remains essential. He alleged excessive police force and intimidation of Kosovo Serbs. He said the North of Kosovo has become “a police protectorate”. He also said “dialogue cannot become a substitute for implementation”.

Glauk Konjufca of Kosovo said the Secretary-General's report presented “a selective account” of political developments. He accused UNMIK of relying on “Serbian propaganda”. He questioned the mission's “outdated mandate” and asked the Council to redirect its resources towards facilitating Kosovo's admission to the United Nations.

The delegate of the United States said the mission has outlived its purpose and the Council should close it. She called UNMIK “an overstaffed peacekeeping mission without peacekeepers” and said it consumes critical UN resources needed elsewhere. The delegate of the United Kingdom asked for a strategic review of UNMIK's role, responsibilities and funding, with a view to “ensuring that UN resources are aligned with present-day realities”.

The representative of the Russian Federation urged that UNMIK's staffing and resources be maintained. He said Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) “must be implemented in full”. He called the replacement of NATO-led peacekeepers with Kosovo security personnel “an extremely risky move”. He described more than 800 ethnically motivated attacks over five years as “institutional terror”. That count was given by the Russian representative, and the source does not say who compiled it. China's delegate called on the Kosovo authorities to strengthen security for all communities.

France's delegate urged Kosovo to safeguard the independence and impartiality of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. Greece's representative said: “These developments risk undermining confidence in judicial institutions and the rule of law”. The European Union's delegate urged all political leaders to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric.

In a closing exchange, Mr. Konjufca accused Serbia's representative of using the meeting for domestic political purposes ahead of its 25 October elections. UNMIK is itself a United Nations body, so its head's account is a report on his own mission. The sources do not say whether any member has proposed a Council decision on the mission.