Ruecker: UNMIK continues "pragmatically"

UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker submitted his regular Kosovo report to the UN Security Council Monday. The German diplomat in charge of the world organization's mission to the province told the session, also addressed by President Boris Tadic, that he would continue to perform his mandate in keeping with Resolution 1244, "under new circumstances". Ruecker: UNMIK continues "pragmatically" Ruecker added he would do that "in the best way possible and in a pragmatic manner". "In light of the newly presented events, I will continue performing UNMIK's mandate defined by Resolution 1244 in the best possible way and pragmatically," Rucker told the ambassadors, pointing out that his mission would not allow for "violence, parallel institutions or disrespect of UNMIK". "However, we have to accept the fact that the our surrounding is changing and that the realization of this mandate does not mean the same as in 1999, when there were no Kosovo institutions and when UNMIK's interventions were required in every segment of the life in order to prevent total anarchy," the UNMIK chief said. After the session, the United States and Great Britain demanded from Serbia to "reexamine its decision to hold elections in Kosovo", pointing out that the voting of just one ethnic group would represent an introduction into new divisions and would in no way whatsoever help pacify the situation in Kosovo. Serbia's parliamentary and local elections are scheduled for Maz 11. "Russia and Serbia persist in refusing to acknowledge the reality of Kosovo independence," British Ambassador to the UN John Sawers told reporters. "Monoethnic, elections in Kosovo will be of no help. We want Serbia to change its decision on elections in Kosovo," he added. The British stand was backed by U.S. Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad, who said that his country did not want the elections to be held in Kosovo, assessing that the outcome of such elections would be "illegitimate". Also Monday in New York, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin warned the leadership of the UN Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, not to contribute to or take part in efforts aimed at forcing Serbs and other minority communities to live, as he put it, in the illegal formation that had been created contrary to the efforts of the UN Security Council, Russia's news agency Itar-Tass reporte. Pointing out that UNMIK should continue performing its mandate, Churkin said that this referred" in particular to those regions of the province where the people needed UNMIK's presence". The Russian diplomat also called on UNMIK not to prevent the voting in the elections for the Serbian parliament and the bodies of local authority in the province. RIA Novosti said that during the UN SC closed-door consultations on Kosovo late Monday, Churkin demanded from the UN Secretariat to inform the Security Council about the results of the investigation regarding the claims about Albanian extremists' participation in the trade in human organs. The information that Kosovo Albanians took part in the illegal trade of the organs that had been taken from the bodies of kidnapped or imprisoned Serbs, appeared recently in former Chief Hague Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte's book. "We required detail information from the UN Secretariat about the investigation, which was carried out recently in the light of new facts, as well as about the role the UN Mission in Kosovo had in that context during 2002 ad 2003," Churkin said.

Ruecker: UNMIK continues "pragmatically"

Ruecker added he would do that "in the best way possible and in a pragmatic manner".

"In light of the newly presented events, I will continue performing UNMIK's mandate defined by Resolution 1244 in the best possible way and pragmatically," Rucker told the ambassadors, pointing out that his mission would not allow for "violence, parallel institutions or disrespect of UNMIK".

"However, we have to accept the fact that the our surrounding is changing and that the realization of this mandate does not mean the same as in 1999, when there were no Kosovo institutions and when UNMIK's interventions were required in every segment of the life in order to prevent total anarchy," the UNMIK chief said.

After the session, the United States and Great Britain demanded from Serbia to "reexamine its decision to hold elections in Kosovo", pointing out that the voting of just one ethnic group would represent an introduction into new divisions and would in no way whatsoever help pacify the situation in Kosovo.

Serbia's parliamentary and local elections are scheduled for Maz 11.

"Russia and Serbia persist in refusing to acknowledge the reality of Kosovo independence," British Ambassador to the UN John Sawers told reporters.

"Monoethnic, elections in Kosovo will be of no help. We want Serbia to change its decision on elections in Kosovo," he added.

The British stand was backed by U.S. Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad, who said that his country did not want the elections to be held in Kosovo, assessing that the outcome of such elections would be "illegitimate".

Also Monday in New York, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin warned the leadership of the UN Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, not to contribute to or take part in efforts aimed at forcing Serbs and other minority communities to live, as he put it, in the illegal formation that had been created contrary to the efforts of the UN Security Council, Russia's news agency Itar-Tass reporte.

Pointing out that UNMIK should continue performing its mandate, Churkin said that this referred" in particular to those regions of the province where the people needed UNMIK's presence".

The Russian diplomat also called on UNMIK not to prevent the voting in the elections for the Serbian parliament and the bodies of local authority in the province.

RIA Novosti said that during the UN SC closed-door consultations on Kosovo late Monday, Churkin demanded from the UN Secretariat to inform the Security Council about the results of the investigation regarding the claims about Albanian extremists' participation in the trade in human organs.

The information that Kosovo Albanians took part in the illegal trade of the organs that had been taken from the bodies of kidnapped or imprisoned Serbs, appeared recently in former Chief Hague Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte's book.

"We required detail information from the UN Secretariat about the investigation, which was carried out recently in the light of new facts, as well as about the role the UN Mission in Kosovo had in that context during 2002 ad 2003," Churkin said.