Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-30-Speech-2-206"
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"en.20040330.6.2-206"2
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".
Mr President, we were all shocked at the eruption of ethnically motivated violence in Kosovo on 17 and 18 March. The latest outbreak resulted in death and injury and the displacement of 3000 people. It also resulted in the destruction of places of worship, hospitals and schools which were deliberately targeted in an attack on our shared vision of a multi-ethnic Kosovo. While the situation in Kosovo has stabilised since 18 March, it remains very tense. The KFOR international peacekeeping force has been strengthened significantly in response to the violence. I pay tribute to the efforts of all who worked hard to stabilise the situation and to restore calm in Kosovo. I would also like to offer my condolences and those of the Council to all who have once again suffered loss of life, injury and loss of loved ones.
Those responsible for the recent violence in Kosovo must be brought to justice. There should be no wall of silence, there should be no culture of impunity. It is time to move forward, away from the hurt and the anger which have blighted Kosovo’s politics for so long. The path to take has been mapped out by the United Nations, in its Standards before Status policy. I would like to repeat the Council’s support for Special Representative Holkeri, for his United Nations colleagues, and for KFOR, in their determination to stabilise the situation and to ensure the implementation of Security Council resolution 1244 in full. It is the responsibility of all, but particularly of Kosovo’s leaders, to support the work already in train to ensure a stable future for a secure, democratic, prosperous and multi-ethnic Kosovo, with its place in Europe. The European Union is ready to help in the achievement of this goal. It is up to the people in Kosovo now to take up the offers made.
The General Affairs and External Relations Council, on 22 March, and the European Council, on 26 March, condemned the violence, loss of life, the damage to property and the destruction of religious and cultural heritage in Kosovo. The full commitment of the European Union to the development of a secure, democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 has been reaffirmed once again. The European Union strongly supports the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Kosovo, Harri Holkeri, the United Nations mission in Kosovo and KFOR in their determined efforts to stabilise the situation and to ensure the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1244. I would like to underscore the strong support of the European Union for the United Nations policy of Standards before Status. That policy, together with Security Council resolution 1244, remains the foundation of the international community’s commitment to Kosovo. The European Union is considering how it can strengthen its role in support of the UN Standards before Status policy.
The recent violent events have risked undermining the painstakingly achieved progress that has been made to date. It is important now that we assert the primacy of politics in Kosovo and ensure that there is no further descent into ethnic violence. The explosion of sectarianism would be to the detriment of all in Kosovo. It is clear that the future of the people of that country lies in the eventual integration of the countries of the Western Balkans into the European Union structures, as agreed at the EU-Western Balkans summit in June 2003. The implementation of the UN Standards before Status policy is the key to achieving that goal. However, the issue of final status in Kosovo can only be addressed once sufficient progress has been made on the implementation and review of standards. Despite the recent violence and the continuing tensions, this will have to include the resumption of the process of dialogue on practical matters between Belgrade and Pristina.
As this House is aware, at the request of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, High Representative Solana visited Kosovo on 24 March. Commissioner Patten accompanied him on the visit. They took with them a clear message. Political leaders in Kosovo, especially the Kosovo Albanian leadership, need to take responsibility for the situation and ensure that there is no repeat of ethnically motivated violence, or of threats of such violence. Those responsible for the violence must be brought to justice.
Kosovo’s Provisional Institutions of Self-Government must demonstrate their commitment to a multi-ethnic Kosovo. Last week’s European Council called on them to take an immediate step in this direction by allocating resources for the urgent reconstruction of damaged property, including places of worship, to ensure that internally displaced persons can return safely to their homes. I welcome the allocation by the Provisional Institutions of EUR 5 million to assist with reconstruction, and the unanimous declaration of the Kosovo Assembly on 26 March to condemn the recent violence.
Welcome as they are, words are not enough. It is time to see real efforts to reach across ethnic divisions so that a Kosovo in which all can live peaceably and in security is created. To this end, political leaders in Kosovo must now work more closely with the United Nations mission in Kosovo and with KFOR for the protection of the rights of all sections of the population, including members of minority communities.
What has happened in Kosovo over the past few weeks is a reminder to us all of the importance of the role that the European Union plays, not just in Kosovo, but in the wider region. The European Union has taken the lead role in working with the countries of the Western Balkans to consolidate peace and stability in the region, and to promote economic development and the respect for human rights and the rule of law. European Union assistance in the region in support of those objectives will amount to EUR 4.65 billion over the period 2000-2006. The Union, including its Member States, continues to be the most important source of funding for the international efforts in Kosovo. Moreover, European Union Member States make the largest troop contributions to KFOR.
The development of ever closer relations with the Western Balkans is a priority for the European Union. Since last year’s Thessaloniki Summit, the European Union and the countries of the Western Balkans have a shared agenda for progress. The objective of eventual integration will be pursued through the Stabilisation and Association Process and through implementation of the series of agreements which brought an end to the tragic conflicts of the past 13 years. In the case of Kosovo, the Stabilisation and Association Process tracking mechanism initiated by the European Commission in the spring of 2003 is designed to facilitate Kosovo’s progress within the Stabilisation and Association Process, bringing Kosovo within the embrace of the European family. Our efforts to promote the European perspective of Kosovo and the United Nations policy of implementing standards are mutually reinforcing policies.
The Stabilisation and Association Process challenges the democratically elected governments of the region to adopt and implement difficult and wide-ranging economic and political reforms, and to continue to strengthen regional cooperation. The rate of progress of the countries of the region towards European integration is to a great extent in their own hands, although the European Union will support them fully in this endeavour. Both sides of the relationship made commitments at Thessaloniki which must be implemented fully."@en1
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