UN chief details his concerns about Kosovo in new report

UN chief details his concerns about Kosovo in new report

In his regular report on developments in Kosovo, covering mid-April to mid-July, the UN chief said he was concerned about the intention to build a road in the protected zone around the (Serbian Orthodox) monastery of Visoki (High) Decani - a UNESCO protected site - calling on local authorities to respect laws and decisions according to which construction there is forbidden, Serbia's public broadcaster RTS reported on Wednesday.

"I note with growing concern that the murder of Oliver Ivanovic has not been resolved after six months. I invite the authorities in Kosovo to intensify the investigation and use all available channels that could help them," Guterres said.

He welcomed the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina with the mediation of the EU.

"Although this meeting did not bring new results, the continuation of the dialogue provides new opportunities to launch the process of resolving long-term differences, which is essential for any viable solution. I encourage the leaders in Belgrade and Pristina to continue their dialogue and fully fulfill the agreements arising from the dialogue which is mediated by the EU," stated Guterres.

The UN chief also assessed that the overall situation in Kosovo in the past three months was stable, recalling that members of the Kosovo Assembly from the Serb List have not been taking part in the work of the parliament and the government since the end of March, i.e., since the arrest of the head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Djuric.

Guterres also stated that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and the office of Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj "condemned a series of ethnically motivated incidents that the Serb List complained about in June."

"On June 6, my special representative Zahir Tanin welcomed these statements, saying that there is no place for intimidation in a democratic society," Guterres said.

Once again, Guterres devoted a part of his report to the return of those expelled from their homes, saying that 77 people returned to Kosovo in the past three months, and that, according to the UN Commissariat for Refugees, another 89,480 internally displaced persons were registered after the 1998-1999 conflict, of which the vast majority, 72,000, are still in (central) Serbia.

The head of the world organization also said that 1,647 people are still missing from the 1998-1999 conflict.