Simon Coveney
Question:137 Mr. Coveney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the tensions between communities in Kosovo, evident in 2004, are now under control once again; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7612/05]
View answerTuesday, 8 March 2005
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Written answers
The outbreak of ethnically motivated violence in March 2004 was a serious setback to the work of building a multiethnic society in Kosovo. In a series of attacks across Kosovo on 17 March, 19 people were killed and widespread damage was caused to homes and other property, most of which were owned by members of the Kosovo Serb community. The security situation is now calm but it remains tense. Work is continuing on the reconstruction of destroyed property. It is essential that the authorities in Kosovo ensure that this work is completed without delay. I would like to pay tribute to the work of KFOR, the UN-mandated peacekeeping force in Kosovo and especially to the contribution of the 213 Irish troops serving with the force in ensuring security and stability in often difficult circumstances.
It is reported today that the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Mr. Ramush Haradinaj, has been indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He agreed to questioning late last year by investigators from the tribunal on allegations relating to deaths in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999. He has indicated that if he is indicted he will resign and travel to The Hague to face the charges against him at the Tribunal. I hope that Mr. Haradinaj will meet his responsibilities and will act in the days ahead in the interests of all the people of Kosovo.
Kosovo has been under UN administration since the end of the conflict in June 1999 in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1244. The EU fully supports the work of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Kosovo, Mr. Soren Jessen-Petersen, who heads the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK. He is working closely with the provisional institutions of self government to encourage the implementation of a wide ranging reform process based on European standards in advance of any consideration of the constitutional status of Kosovo. The Government in Kosovo which was appointed in December has been making some encouraging and tangible progress in their commitment to the implementation of the standards. The EU supports the priority which UNMIK has established for early progress on those reforms which most directly affect the security and rights of minority communities and the creation of a truly democratic and multiethnic society in Kosovo.
This will be a crucial year for Kosovo. During the summer the UN will preside over a comprehensive review of the implementation of reforms based on European standards. If the review is positive it will be followed by the opening of a process to agree the constitutional status of Kosovo which will be facilitated by the international community. The EU will play an important role in this process in order to ensure that the agreed outcome is fully compatible with the process of European integration. In these circumstances it is essential that direct dialogue resumes between Belgrade and Pristina and that the Kosovo Serb community now have the confidence to reengage in the political process, and take their place in the provisional institutions of self government.
The EU has given a clear commitment that the long term future of the western Balkans region including Kosovo rests within the European Union. The meeting of the external relations council which I attended in Brussels on 21 February confirmed that Kosovo will not return to the situation which existed before 1999 and reaffirmed the Union's commitment to a multiethnic and democratic Kosovo which contributes to the stability of the region and which adheres to the values and standards of the EU. In the period ahead the EU will continue to work in cooperation with the United Nations, with the Governments of the region and with the US and other international partners towards the achievement of this objective.