The paper reports on page two that United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in his quarterly report on Kosovo, has called on Kosovo institutions to establish, by early 2015 at the latest, the Special Court that will handle allegations of war crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army. In his report, Ban talks about the political situation in the country, with special emphasis on the northern part of Mitrovica following tensions after the construction of the Peace Park on Ibër/Ibar River. The paper notes that although UN officials have said that the Security Council will meet on August 25 to discuss the situation in Kosovo, government representatives in Pristina said no official date has been set yet. The 26-report of the UN chief includes two annex reports, one by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the activities of EULEX in Kosovo, and a report by Clint Williamson on investigations carried out by the Special Task Force. Ban notes that Williamson’s report is crucial in respecting basic principles of international justice and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.
In the part addressing the rule of law situation, the report mostly highlights legal shortcomings. One of the concerns is the hospitalization of high-profile prisoners and that this is noted in the EU HR Ashton’s part of the report. “On May, the day the detainees were instructed to be transferred for the first time, three of the seven defendants absconded from custody at the University of Pristina clinical centre. The escape, which was allegedly facilitated by KCS, is the subject of a criminal investigation. A small protest accompanied the escape. Protesters barricaded the rooms the escapees had previously occupied and prevented the Kosovo police from establishing the exact whereabouts of the three individuals” the report says.
During the reporting period, UNMIK is said to have continued monitoring activities and exercising some responsibilities in the area of the rule of law, in cooperation with Kosovo institutions and the Serbian authorities. “UNMIK also continued to provide document certification services to Kosovo residents and at the request of non-recognizing States, primarily for the certification of civil status, education and pension documents. A total of 777 such documents were processed from 16 April to 15 July”.
The report also focuses on the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue and according to Secretary-General Ban, there is a strong commitment from both sides to make progress in the European integration process.
Ban strongly condemned violence in South Mitrovica on 22 June and stressed that it is essential that unilateral actions and inflammatory rhetoric be avoided, in order to help maintain an atmosphere conducive to the successful continuation of the dialogue. “The path to reconciliation between communities is long and arduous”, said Ban.
Officials from the Kosovo Government said the UN report is periodic and descriptive and nothing spectacular is expected during the upcoming Security Council session. “This meeting covers the situation over the last four months and we will focus on successful elections at the national level including, for the first time, elections throughout the territory of the Republic of Kosovo and participation of the population in the north”, said Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister Petrit Selimi.
