Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-02-16-Speech-3-186"
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"en.20000216.10.3-186"2
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Mr President, as I stated in response to a previous question, the situation in Kosovo is an issue to which last Monday’s General Affairs Council certainly paid a great deal of attention. That Council emphasised its support for the efforts of UNMIK and of Bernard Kouchner, the special representative of the Secretary-General, and in particular their efforts to create an interim administrative structure, in Kosovo, under which the guarantee that it will include all sides, particularly those which have until now refused to take part in this interim structure, will not be an empty one.
In assessing the progress that UNMIK has made so far, we must bear in mind the extremely difficult circumstances in which this organisation is operating. By this I mean the large number of refugees and displaced persons who have had to be rehoused, the fact that most of the infrastructure has been destroyed, the strength of feeling that still exists in every section of Kosovo’s population, the fact that the economy has collapsed and the total lack of internal tax income. There is also the fact that administrative structures at local and district level have imploded, as have the judicial and police systems. This is all due to the war and to a decade of neglect after Belgrade removed Kosovo’s autonomy. This factor is important and it should remain clear in everyone’s mind that it was the change in Kosovo’s status within the Republic of Yugoslavia that caused the increasing ethnic tensions that gave rise to the current situation. This factor must not be forgotten, lest the past actions of those who are historically responsible should also be forgotten.
In these circumstances, I think that UNMIK, together with the other international bodies and organisations involved, must have made some progress in relation to some of the objectives stated in Resolution 1244, although we are still a long way from a situation which is at all satisfactory.
The Council also supports the decision of the special representative, Bernard Kouchner, to establish a provisional joint administrative council which should include all of Kosovo’s ethnic groups, as I have already mentioned. The European Union has appealed to the Serbs in Kosovo to reconsider their boycott of this structure so that they can contribute to a multi-ethnic region and assure themselves a place in the new administrative structures.
On the other hand, the European Union is also supporting UNMIK’s efforts to construct the Kosovar civil police force, with the aim of helping to combat multi-ethnic violence and of creating the secure atmosphere necessary to prevent Kosovars of non-Albanian ethnic origin from leaving the province. Although we have already made a substantial contribution, we must recognise that, until now, as I have already said, the EU Member States have not been able to detach officers to this police force, which has proven to be a very damaging factor for the operation of a public security structure.
As I have said, in accordance with the conclusions of the General Affairs Council of 24 January, the Member States are doing their utmost to find additional police personnel, and the most recent General Affairs Council reiterated this position. Strengthening police forces is also an important task in the context of the growing threat represented by organised crime, and the Commission is seeking to include the fight against organised crime in its programme of assistance for Kosovo for 2000 and is asking the Member States to identify what assistance they can provide in this area.
We feel that a large part of the solution to the Kosovo problem – and there cannot be very much doubt about this – also relates to the problem of stabilising the countries involved. Unless this is done, there is no point in thinking that we can solve Kosovo’s problems. We therefore need to stabilise the situation in Albania, and there are currently proposals for the Commission to evaluate Albania’s chances of moving towards a stabilisation and association agreement. We need to stabilise the situation in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and we need to come up with integrated models in the other areas of the former Yugoslavia. Unless we can do all this, we will not be able to find separate solutions for Kosovo. It is the overall context in the region and the overall context for implementing the Stability Pact that provide a solution for this situation.
Javier Solana, the High Representative for the common foreign and security policy of the European Union, gave this General Affairs Council an assessment of the situation. He is expected to put forward proposals on this matter, particularly internal adjustment measures, which will allow, not only a certain degree of flexibility in inter-ethnic relations, but will also – as I have already stated in response to another question – permit the establishment of new police structures and the creation of systems which will enable the Kosovo situation to be prevented from becoming considerably worse, in terms of corruption, drug-trafficking and crime. The forces on the ground have so far been unable to solve these problems.
It is therefore obvious, Mr Korakas, that the Council of Ministers is still seriously concerned about the current situation in Kosovo, particularly about the exodus of the Serbian population and of other ethnic and religious minorities from Kosovo. These minorities are often not mentioned enough when discrimination taking place in Kosovo is discussed. The Council wishes to express its consternation and concern at the degree of inter-ethnic violence still being seen.
As I have already said in response to another question, the latest outbreak of hostilities in Mitrovica is just another example of the difficulty of overcoming the distrust which has built up over decades. Obviously we are at just one stage of a process which has already passed through various earlier stages, and I think that we should always see this stage in the light of history.
The Council of Ministers of the European Union has on several occasions stated its commitment to establishing a democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo in accordance with the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. It has in particular declared its commitment to all refugees being able to return safely and without obstacles.
I would like to make it clear, Mr Korakas, regardless of the many doubts that we may have concerning Resolution 1244, that it is still the main determinant of our actions in that region. As regards criticisms levelled at the Council, I wish to state that the Council condemns all acts of violence, persecution and intolerance, whoever commits them.
Therefore, in response to the current situation, the Council has resolutely supported the establishment of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, has contributed to its budget and has taken responsibility for the so-called “fourth UNMIK pillar”, which is concerned with economic reconstruction and rehabilitation."@en1
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