UNMIK Head, Zahir Tanin assessed yesterday as concerning attempts from the part of Kosovo authorities to revoke Special Court for KLA war crimes, murder of Oliver Ivanovic and the fact that the Brussels agreement is not fully implemented, in particular when it comes to the establishment of the Association of Serb Municipalities, Serbian media report today.
Addressing Security Council members Tanin said that establishment of the Special Court represented a major step for Kosovo.
“This court does not target any particular community or group, but only individual criminal responsibility. This is something well-known by many in Kosovo, who understand that repealing the Specialist Chambers is simply not an option,” SRSG Tanin said.
“The only way forward is accepting justice,” he added.
Tanin also said the murder of a prominent Serb politician, Oliver Ivanovic “threatened to bring a new wave of political instability in Kosovo,” Blic daily further reported.
“Failure to identify the perpetrators would not only be a miscarriage of justice, but would also undermine confidence on all sides.”
He welcomed a new EU Enlargement Strategy for Western Balkans, emphasizing that 2008 can be a new momentum in Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.
