UN Security Council to hold session on Kosovo

BELGRADE The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold a debate on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija in New York on Thursday. The council will look at the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's latest report, in which he listed the implementation of the Brussels agreement between Belgrade and Pristina as the biggest challenge. UN Security Council to hold session on Kosovo The Serbian delegation will be headed by Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic, who will report on the situation in Serbia's southern province and efforts the government is making in terms of the implementation of the Belgrade-Pristina agreement from April 19, the country's Foreign Ministry released in a statement on Wednesday. Mrkic announced that the Serbian delegation at the highest level will point out that it is most important to actually implement what was agreed. "After the signing of the first agreement with Pristina's authorities, there are some interpretations that are "creative," and even "imaginative" and do not correspond to the letters of the agreement," he cautioned. "We will also prove to everyone that it cannot be so and that everyone has to respect what was signed," Mrkic told Tanjug prior to departing for New York. Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday he will not attend the UNSC session on Kosovo and Metohija, as he is "too busy and recalled that the government session on the reshuffle in his cabinet would be held later this week." Kosovo's prime minister, Hashim Thaci, also decided not to travel to New York, FoNet is reporting. The foreign minister in the government in Pristina, Enver Hoxhaj, will attend the session instead. Ahead of his trip, Hoxhaj was quoted a saying that the latest Ban report was "more objective than the previous one." In the regular quarterly report, which Tanjug has seen, the UN secretary-general noted that the biggest challenge in Kosovo is now the implementation of the Brussels agreement reached by Ivica Dacic and Hashim Thaci. Ban also noted that Belgrade continues talks with representatives of north Kosovo Serbs who are against the deal implementation. He calls on the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina to double the efforts to ascertain the fate of a total of 1726 missing persons and prosecute all accountable for war crimes. Amnesty International (AI), a human rights organization, said in a report on the eve of the UNSC debate on Kosovo that UNMIK's failure to investigate the abductions and murders of civilians, mostly Kosovo Serbs, who went missing during the 1998-1999 conflict in Kosovo, contributed to the climate of impunity prevailing in Kosovo. According to AI expert on Kosovo Sian Jones, this refers to the abductions and murders of 500-800 Serbs. In its report, Amnesty International states that families of the missing, mostly Kosovo Serbs, filed around 150 complaints claiming that UNMIK did not investigate the abductions and murders of their relatives. UNMIK considered only 20 cases, and infringed the rights of the abducted and missing persons in 19 cases. "There is no statute of limitations on crimes against humanity. They must be investigated and the families of the abducted and murdered must receive redress. The UN should not be allowed to shirk its responsibility any longer," Amnesty International underscores. Tanjug

UN Security Council to hold session on Kosovo

The Serbian delegation will be headed by Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkić, who will report on the situation in Serbia's southern province and efforts the government is making in terms of the implementation of the Belgrade-Priština agreement from April 19, the country's Foreign Ministry released in a statement on Wednesday.

Mrkić announced that the Serbian delegation at the highest level will point out that it is most important to actually implement what was agreed.

"After the signing of the first agreement with Priština's authorities, there are some interpretations that are "creative," and even "imaginative" and do not correspond to the letters of the agreement," he cautioned.

"We will also prove to everyone that it cannot be so and that everyone has to respect what was signed," Mrkić told Tanjug prior to departing for New York.

Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić said on Tuesday he will not attend the UNSC session on Kosovo and Metohija, as he is "too busy and recalled that the government session on the reshuffle in his cabinet would be held later this week."

Kosovo's prime minister, Hashim Thaci, also decided not to travel to New York, FoNet is reporting. The foreign minister in the government in Priština, Enver Hoxhaj, will attend the session instead. Ahead of his trip, Hoxhaj was quoted a saying that the latest Ban report was "more objective than the previous one."

In the regular quarterly report, which Tanjug has seen, the UN secretary-general noted that the biggest challenge in Kosovo is now the implementation of the Brussels agreement reached by Ivica Dačić and Hashim Thaci. Ban also noted that Belgrade continues talks with representatives of north Kosovo Serbs who are against the deal implementation.

He calls on the authorities in Belgrade and Priština to double the efforts to ascertain the fate of a total of 1726 missing persons and prosecute all accountable for war crimes.

Amnesty International (AI), a human rights organization, said in a report on the eve of the UNSC debate on Kosovo that UNMIK's failure to investigate the abductions and murders of civilians, mostly Kosovo Serbs, who went missing during the 1998-1999 conflict in Kosovo, contributed to the climate of impunity prevailing in Kosovo.

According to AI expert on Kosovo Sian Jones, this refers to the abductions and murders of 500-800 Serbs.

In its report, Amnesty International states that families of the missing, mostly Kosovo Serbs, filed around 150 complaints claiming that UNMIK did not investigate the abductions and murders of their relatives.

UNMIK considered only 20 cases, and infringed the rights of the abducted and missing persons in 19 cases.

"There is no statute of limitations on crimes against humanity. They must be investigated and the families of the abducted and murdered must receive redress. The UN should not be allowed to shirk its responsibility any longer," Amnesty International underscores.