UN Envoy Opens Conference on Kosovo’s Future
New York, Jun 13 2005 12:00PM
The top United Nations envoy in Kosovo today said that it is time for the province’s majority and minority communities
to move toward the resolution of Kosovo’s status by showing that they can build a stable, tolerant, multi-ethnic and
democratic society.
“The time has come for all sides to put short-term politics aside and to get involved, to talk openly, frankly,
passionately and constructively about the concrete issues and make the changes which we all recognize are needed,” said
Søren Jessen-Petersen, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, as he opened a two-day conference in Pristina on
the “Future Status of Kosovo.” The meeting was organized by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia.
He said the conference was bringing together Serbs and Albanians to discuss security, standards, local government
reform, ethnic reconciliation and the resolution of Kosovo’s status, in light of the comprehensive review of progress
requested by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and endorsed by the UN Security Council.
The Helsinki Committee says it hopes the conference fully mobilizes local leaders to make far-reaching decisions for
Albanians and Serbs and to take it upon themselves to carry those decisions through. The conference, the committee says,
is part of a larger project, called “Belgrade-Pristina: Steps to Build Confidence and Understanding,” realized with the
support of the United States Institute of Peace.
ENDS