Yesterday, representatives of the permanent members of the UN Security Council presented different views on the resolution of the Kosovo issue and the situation in Kosovo, during the session dedicated to the work of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
During the review of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ new six-monthly report (covering the period from 16th March to 15th September, 2022) on the work of UNMIK, the US representative said that a ‘serious and urgent engagement’ of the two sides in the dialogue was necessary in order to achieve a comprehensive framework for normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, based on mutual recognition, reports the Beta news agency.
The US representative said that Washington ‘strongly encourages’ Serbia and Kosovo not to escalate tensions, focus on progress in dialogue and avoid inflammatory rhetoric. He said that UNMIK has played an important role in peacekeeping in the past, but that the UN mission has since become redundant.
“We are disappointed that the UN Security Council has not done more to abolish UNMIK, as we have much more important priorities,” he added. The US representative also said that it was not necessary to hold sessions on Kosovo every six months, but once a year.
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that Kosovo remains a “key point of tension” in the Balkans and added that the situation requires “close attention” from the UN Security Council and the international community. He said that this is why it is necessary to continue UNMIK’s efforts as “the most important guarantor of security” in Kosovo.
Nebenzya said that since 1999 there had been a “continuous violation of the rights of Serbs” in Kosovo and that an “atmosphere of hatred towards the Serbs” was being encouraged, and repeated that Brussels’ neutral position on the status in the dialogue was questionable. “No one has tried to force Pristina to implement the agreements reached, not even the EU as mediator,” Nebenzya said.
The representative of Great Britain said that the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina was “of paramount importance” and added that London was providing full support for the dialogue under the auspices of the EU. He also said that Great Britain “welcomes the increased engagement” of Pristina in relation to minority communities and added that dialogue between the communities is “key to the stability of Kosovo as a multi-ethnic state”. He then said that London encourages the authorities in Pristina to continue such engagement, in particular with the political representatives of Serbs in Kosovo in order to resolve open issues.
The representative of China said that Beijing supports both sides in their efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and added that the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia should be fully respected. He said that China calls on both sides, in particular the Kosovo authorities, to show restraint and refrain from unilateral moves, arguing that the Security Council should maintain its focus on the Kosovo issue and that UNMIK should continue its work in accordance with resolution 1244.
(Radio Free Europe, 19.10.2022)
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/savet-bezbednosti-un-kosovo/32090925.html