UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Kosovo authorities and the EU to ensure that a special court will be formed no later than early next year, which would deal with the issue of war crimes allegedly committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in Kosovo in 1999. “I strongly urge the Kosovo authorities, as well as the supporting European Union structures, to ensure that a specialist court is in place by early 2015,” said Ban in its latest report on the situation in Kosovo, which will be presented to the UN Security Council on 25 August.
The UN Secretary-General said that the 29 July report of Clint Williamson, Chief Prosecutor of the Special Investigation Task Force (SITF) for KLA crimes ” is essential not only for sustaining fundamental principles of international justice but also for combating impunity and ensuring accountability.”
He also thanked the European Union, which has provided political and financial resources to complete the process.
In the report, which covers the period from 16 April to 15 July, and has been published on the website of the UN, Ban stressed that the strong commitment of Belgrade and Pristina to make progress towards European integration, with the active involvement of the European Union, proved to be a key driving force for achieving the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.
Ban welcomed the formation on April 29 of the new Serbian Government led by Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, pointing out that it willingly demonstrated commitment to continuing the dialogue with Pristina under EU mediation and to full implementation of the Brussels Agreement.
When it comes to continuing the dialogue, the UN Secretary-General noted that in the period from mid-April to mid-July, high-level meetings between the two sides were not held, due to the pre-election and post-election processes in Belgrade and Pristina, and pointed out that the meetings should continue as soon as possible.
“I encourage both sides to resume such meetings at the earliest opportunity. Full and faithful implementation of the 19 April 2013 Agreement, in accordance with the implementation plan of 22 May 2013, should provide the context for addressing other outstanding issues through continued high-level engagement by Belgrade and Pristina in the European Union-facilitated dialogue.” He praised the process of parliamentary elections in Kosovo, in particular the participation of Kosovo Serbs in northern Kosovo, adding that the post-election negotiations are another important test of the political maturity of Kosovo’s institutions.
Completion of the negotiations is very important so that the new leadership in Pristina can quickly continue to deal with key challenges, including the reform of the electoral system and political dialogue with Belgrade.
Ban condemned the violence in South Mitrovica on June 22 and said it was essential to avoid “unilateral actions and inflammatory rhetoric” in order to maintain an atmosphere that can lead to the successful continuation of the dialogue.
This incident, warned Ban, shows that the road to reconciliation of communities is long and difficult, and that it “highlights the need for all sides to translate on the ground the progress reached by leaders in Brussels.”
Ban’s report also welcomed the establishment of new municipal assemblies and the adoption of statutes by the Serbian municipalities in northern Kosovo.
“Together with the successful conduct of municipal and legislative elections throughout Kosovo, these positive developments represent critical steps towards the establishment of an association/community of Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo in the future, as envisaged in the 19 April 2013 Agreement.”
The report of the UN Secretary-General includes a separate report by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, on the activities of the EULEX mission in Kosovo, and the report of the Chief Prosecutor of the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Investigation Task Force (SITF), Clint Williamson.
