Under the headline Security Council expected to only modify role of UNMIK, Deutsche Welle reports that the Security Council is scheduled to hold a session on the situation in Kosovo in November. At the session, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and UNMIK chief, Zahir Tanin, will report on the current developments and the latest SG report. Serbia’s highest representatives will attend the session, while Kosovo will be represented by its Ambassador to the U.S., Vlora Citaku, the Security Council Report writes.
The Security Council has established the practice of holding meetings on the situation in Kosovo at three-month intervals, although Resolution 1244 has not specified the Secretary-General’s reporting circle.
During its Security Council presidency in August, the UK decided to omit the meeting on Kosovo. UK Ambassador Karen Pierce said Kosovo did not require such regular Council consideration and added that the Council should focus on other, more pressing, issues of international peace and security.
In a 9 October letter to the Secretary-General, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley urged the Secretariat to initiate a strategic review of the mission and develop an exit strategy. Key among several issues facing the Council on Kosovo is maintaining stability and reducing tensions between Belgrade and Pristina. Another issue for the Council is what role UNMIK can play in facilitating the implementation of the existing agreements between Belgrade and Pristina.
The Council will continue to closely follow developments related to the possible agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, including the potential for territorial adjustments. An issue for the Council is whether this could have a destabilising effect on neighbouring countries and spark ethnic tensions in the region, Security Council Report writes.
Several Council members, in particular the US, UK, France have continued to question the usefulness of the current reporting cycle, and have also called for downsizing the mission in light of the relative stability on the ground. Given the growing number of Council members who share those concerns, an option for the Council would be to consider more formal proposals for changing the reporting cycle, including possibly changing the format of the meeting to consultations. With regards to the effectiveness of the mission, the Council could request the Secretary-General to conduct a strategic review to explore ways to increase UNMIK’s efficiency.
