UNMIK, U.S.: Local elections illegal

The UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, says holding of Serbian local elections in Kosovo would be an illegal move. The United States, in a separate statement today, agreed with the UNMIK answer to Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic, DSS. UNMIK, U.S.: Local elections illegal "UNMIK has sent a letter to Minister Samardzic, informing him about our present stance, according to which the Serbian municipal elections in Kosovo would be illegal under Resolution 1244. However, parliamentary elections can be held," spokesman for the mission Sven Lindhold was quoted as saying in Pristina. He added that a letter inquiring about UNMIK's position in the matter was sent from Belgrade Thursday afternoon. "Now we await the Serbian government answer," Lindhold said, when reporters asked what steps UNMIK plans to take in case local elections are held in the province. Meantime in Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack also weighed in on the issue, to say that "Kosovo is a sovereign state where elections should not be called and organized by another state". RFE reports that the spokesman added the "residents of Kosovo are not the ones who are disturbing, alarming or turning to violence. Those who are causing trouble are in fact people from the outside, sent from the outside". The first reaction from the Serbian government came from State Governance Minister Milan Markovic, DS, who said the "cabinet and the president of Serbia will look into the new circumstance and make a decision", about the local vote in Kosovo on May 11. Earlier, Samardzic said that according to UN Resolution 1244, UNMIK must call and hold local elections in Kosovo. The Kosovo minister added that there was a possibility of the international mission giving Serbian institutions the authority to organize local and parliamentary elections in the province. After visiting Kosovo and meeting with UNMIK officials, Samardzic recalled that when local and parliamentary elections had been held in Kosovo in November, the mission had transferred authority to the province’s institutions to organize the elections. “We expect them to do the same now, only this time to the Serbian institutions,” he said. During the 2002 Serbian local elections, UNMIK did not transfer authority to Serbian institutions, but organized the elections itself, though Samardzic said that the situation had been a lot different back then. “It is a completely different situation because the Albanians declared independence unilaterally on February 17, and because UNMIK is, in a sense, no longer implementing Resolution 1244 in agreement with Serbia,” the minister explained. He said that there were organizational and technical problems in helping Serbs who had left their jobs in the Kosovo institutions following the declaration of independence, but said that there were no political problems. Stating that the government had adopted a decision in February to take responsibility for financing Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo that had left their jobs, and that the relevant ministries had been supposed to take care of this, Samardzic said that there had been some technical problems, but that everything would be dealt with soon.

UNMIK, U.S.: Local elections illegal

"UNMIK has sent a letter to Minister Samardžić, informing him about our present stance, according to which the Serbian municipal elections in Kosovo would be illegal under Resolution 1244. However, parliamentary elections can be held," spokesman for the mission Sven Lindhold was quoted as saying in Priština.

He added that a letter inquiring about UNMIK's position in the matter was sent from Belgrade Thursday afternoon.

"Now we await the Serbian government answer," Lindhold said, when reporters asked what steps UNMIK plans to take in case local elections are held in the province.

Meantime in Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack also weighed in on the issue, to say that "Kosovo is a sovereign state where elections should not be called and organized by another state".

RFE reports that the spokesman added the "residents of Kosovo are not the ones who are disturbing, alarming or turning to violence. Those who are causing trouble are in fact people from the outside, sent from the outside".

The first reaction from the Serbian government came from State Governance Minister Milan Marković, DS, who said the "cabinet and the president of Serbia will look into the new circumstance and make a decision", about the local vote in Kosovo on May 11.

Earlier, Samardžić said that according to UN Resolution 1244, UNMIK must call and hold local elections in Kosovo.

The Kosovo minister added that there was a possibility of the international mission giving Serbian institutions the authority to organize local and parliamentary elections in the province.

After visiting Kosovo and meeting with UNMIK officials, Samardžić recalled that when local and parliamentary elections had been held in Kosovo in November, the mission had transferred authority to the province’s institutions to organize the elections.

“We expect them to do the same now, only this time to the Serbian institutions,” he said.

During the 2002 Serbian local elections, UNMIK did not transfer authority to Serbian institutions, but organized the elections itself, though Samardžić said that the situation had been a lot different back then.

“It is a completely different situation because the Albanians declared independence unilaterally on February 17, and because UNMIK is, in a sense, no longer implementing Resolution 1244 in agreement with Serbia,” the minister explained.

He said that there were organizational and technical problems in helping Serbs who had left their jobs in the Kosovo institutions following the declaration of independence, but said that there were no political problems.

Stating that the government had adopted a decision in February to take responsibility for financing Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo that had left their jobs, and that the relevant ministries had been supposed to take care of this, Samardžić said that there had been some technical problems, but that everything would be dealt with soon.