"Situation in Kosovo"

Statement by Mr. Masood Khalid, Acting Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations (5 August, 2004)

Thank you, Mr. President,

I welcome you Excellency to New York and I wish to congratulate you on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council for this month. I also wish to take this opportunity to commend Ambassador Motoc for the efficient and skillful way in which he guided the Council’s work in the month of July, 2004.

  1. I wish to thank Mr. Annabi for introducing the Secretary-General’s report as well as for updating the Council on the work of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). I also wish to recognize the participation of Minister Zoran Loncar (Lon-char), in this meeting and welcome him.
  2. Pakistan welcomes the appointment of Mr. Jessen Peterson as the Secretary General’s Special Representative for Kosovo and we continue to support UNMIK in its efforts to implement its mandate provided by this Council. We also wish to acknowledge the contribution of Mr. Harri Holken, former Special Representative of the Secretary General.

Mr. President,

  1. The Secretary-General’s report is a sobering assessment of the situation in Kosovo. While there has been some progress in areas related to the rule of law and in the development of the Kosovo Protection Corps, other issues like the freedom of movement, sustainable returns and the rights of communities, and property rights continue to suffer as a consequence of the violence of last March. Above all, we remain concerned that Kosovo’s economy needs considerable international donor support.
  2. Pakistan continues to call for an early resumption of the direct dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. We note the willingness of Prime Minister Rexhepi (Re-che-pi) to resume the dialogue and we urge the authorities in Belgrade to reciprocate. In the meantime, we welcome the positive developments in regional dialogue and cooperation with Kosovo as mentioned in the Secretary-General’s report. These are steps, we believe, in the right direction.
  3. The violence of last March continues to cast its shadow and hamper the building of trust and cooperation between the main communities of Kosovo. This is currently the main hurdle in the implementation of standards in accordance with the provisions of resolution 1244. However, a deeper problem – indeed a more fundamental problem – as we have consistently stressed is that the “standards before status” approach is flawed. The longer the clarification of Kosovo’s status is delayed, the more it will feed into the frustrations and tensions in Kosovo. It will continue to hamper the transition from war to peace and delay investments from international financial institutions which are so vital for the economic recovery of Kosovo. The longer Kosovo remains in international political limbo, the more this perpetuates a situation where frustrations and violence will continue to fester.

Mr. President,

  1. In our statement in May, my delegation had proposed that instead of a “standards before status” approach, the Council should consider promoting a “status with standards” approach, as a two pronged effort which would hold the Kosovars – both the people and leadership - accountable to implement the standards programme, to work to end extremism and intolerance, and to create friendly and cooperative relationship with their neighbours. This approach would see simultaneous progress on clarifying Kosovo’s status issue – identifying ways of promoting self-determination for all Kosovars, while seeking to uphold the rights and interests of all its minorities. A change of course is essential to create hope for peace and end the legacy of war in the entire region. We once again urge the Council to give this option some serious thought.

Thank you, Mr. President.