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- 'Our shared responsibility is to work for reconciliation and normalization, so that all communities in Kosovo can participate fully and confidently in public life,' says Peter Due
By Merve Aydogan
HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) warned Tuesday of "increased tensions in Kosovo and the region" over the past six months, while welcoming signs that the country's political impasse is easing.
Peter Due presented the secretary-general's latest report to the Security Council, noting that "the reporting period ended on 15 September, so I will also update the Council on developments thereafter."
Referring to the June vote, Due said: "On 7 June, the people of Kosovo went to the polls for the third time in 16 months. The elections were peaceful and inclusive, but political uncertainty and heightened rhetoric followed."
Arguing that "accountability remains essential to building trust," Due reiterated the call for "full cooperation by the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina to hold accountable those responsible for the attacks in Banjska/Banjske in 2023 and on the Iber-Lepenc/Ibar-Lepenac water canal in 2024."
Welcoming the election of a new president, Due said: "Around midnight on 6 October, Justina Shiroka-Pula was elected President of Kosovo, the third woman to serve in this role. I warmly welcome her election."
"Political disagreement is part of the fabric of democratic life, but prolonged institutional deadlock carries consequences. The formation of the institutions is therefore encouraging," he added, saying the political deadlock "seems to have been broken."
He also stressed that "genuine commitment by both sides is needed to achieve tangible progress" in the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.
"Our shared responsibility is to work for reconciliation and normalization, so that all communities in Kosovo can participate fully and confidently in public life, with respect for the rule of law, human rights and Kosovo’s multiethnic character," he said.
Kosovo Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca told the Council: "Kosovo continues to remain one of the most stable democracies in southeastern Europe, with one of the fastest improvements in democratic indicators."
Rejecting claims in the reports, he said: "Beyond the misuse of ethnic connotations and fabrications, the reported cases also contain disinformation and deliberately misinterpret rule of law enforcement actions or breaches of public order, wrongly describing them as ethnically motivated or as violations of rights."
Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Duric said: "UNMIK remains essential precisely because its staff can listen to people whose experiences are too often reduced to a few cautious lines in international reports."
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