ALEXANDER YAKOVENKO, THE SPOKESMAN OF RUSSIA'S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, ANSWERS A QUESTION FROM RUSSIAN MEDIA ABOUT SITUATION IN KOSOVO
Unofficial translation from Russian
Question: How does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia assess the Presidential Statement of the United Nations Security Council on Kosovo and generally the situation in the province?
Answer: We support the Presidential Statement of the United Nations Security Council on Kosovo that was adopted on April 30 in New York and which expresses the desire of the international community to take effective action to restore a multiethnic society in Kosovo, to protect the rights of the national minorities there, and to ensure the freedom of movement and security for all the residents of the province. The statement contains important provisions on the necessity to bring those responsible for the March 17-20 events to justice, to restore law and order and to carry out an effective collection of illegal arms.
The situation in Kosovo generally remains complicated. No serious measures are being carried out to eliminate the consequences of the March outbreak of interethnic violence.
In this connection Russia suggests carrying out in the province a set of measures aimed at normalizing the situation, and getting the process of settlement in Kosovo back on the track of building a multinational society.
In order to prevent a repetition of ethnic cleansings in the province, it is necessary to carefully investigate the circumstances of the March 17-19 events and to punish those found guilty. There should be identified and disbanded all the paramilitary groups as well as the preserved organizational structures of the former Kosovo Liberation Army.
Along with the increase of the numerical strength of the Kosovo Force, their antiterrorist component could be strengthened and additional capabilities imparted to the KFOR for dealing with mass disturbances. Undoubtedly, carrying out an effective operation to collect arms from the population would help the safeguarding of security.
The strategy for realizing democratic standards in Kosovo also requires substantial corrections. It is necessary to adapt the Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan (KSIP) to the new conditions, by strengthening its provisions related to the guarantees of equal security for the population, the ensuring of freedom of movement, the return of refugees and displaced persons, and the full-fledged integration of the national minorities into the bodies of power at all levels. Special attention ought to be paid to the decentralization of power in Kosovo. This in many respects would help preserve the multiethnicity of the province.
As before, we consider it premature at this stage to set any deadline for an overall survey of the KSIP implementation for the middle of 2005. The arguments that this might provoke additional tension in the province are unconvincing. On the contrary, a confirmation of the time frame would be taken as connivance at the extremists and indeed an attempt to remove responsibility from the Provisional Institutions of Self-government for the developments in the situation in the province. The current practice of transmission to the PISG of powers that are reserved for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo needs reviewing. The province-wide structures should earn trust by preliminarily proving their efficiency in running individual areas of public life in Kosovo.
To find well-balanced ways of resolving the Kosovo problem, it is necessary to develop cooperation by UNMIK and PISG with the Kosovo Serbs and Belgrade in every way. We welcome the intention of the Serbian government to work actively in the Kosovo sector.
The Russian side is convinced that coordinated efforts by the international community in Kosovo alone can ensure the consolidation of stability and security there.
May 1, 2004
