UN Mission in Kosovo at most critical phase, UNMIK Head tells OSCE

VIENNA, 8 May 2003 - The United Nations Mission in Kosovo has entered what is perhaps its most critical and delicate phase as powers are transferred from the international community to local bodies, Michael Steiner, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, said on Thursday.

"Responsibilities have to be transferred gradually, so that society's institutions have the capacity to bear them," the Head of UNMIK told the 55-nation OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.

"This makes local capacity-building and monitoring more important than ever. As we transfer more responsibilities, we have to intensify our monitoring of how they're carried out. With its seasoned field presence, the OSCE is uniquely qualified to play the leading role in this critical process."

Mr Steiner said the international community's priorities in Kosovo had not changed: battling organized crime - which still poisons the Balkans and threatens the security of Europe, consolidating the rule of law and dismantling parallel structures whose very existence undermines the rule of law.

He reminded OSCE participating States that Kosovo remained an urgent security priority for Europe despite rising challenges in the Middle East, the Caucasus and elsewhere.

"When you weigh the importance of Kosovo next to competing priorities farther afield, I urge you to remember the choice Europe faces directly," the Special Representative said.

"To put it starkly: Europe can either help us fill our prisons in Kosovo by supporting vital work in training police, developing the judiciary and developing technical forensic expertise. Or Kosovo will help fill prisons in Europe. Clearly, this would be a bad bargain. Instead, after the huge investment made already, we must continue our work to make Kosovo a beacon for the rule of law and, ultimately, an exporter of stability."

He paid tribute to the critical role played by the OSCE in Kosovo's international administration. "The OSCE made an invaluable contribution by undertaking the challenge of organizing the first three democratic elections in Kosovo's history...Having organized the elections, the OSCE is now transferring the skills necessary to organize future elections to their Kosovan partners.

"Over the past four years, we have built the forms of democratic self-government. Now we must fill these forms with the actual content of democratic life."

The Special Representative urged all sides in Kosovo to participate fully in political life. "For checks and balances to operate effectively, everyone must participate - Kosovo Serbs as well. Boycotting means removing the checks and upsetting the balance. 'Boycott' must be struck from Kosovo's political lexicon.

"For checks and balances to work, Kosovo's political culture also needs to develop a capacity for recognizing and addressing its own weaknesses. Such a capacity is the indispensable feedback mechanism that allows institutions to learn from their mistakes. Today in Kosovo this capacity remains seriously underdeveloped. In rectifying this, the OSCE is playing the leading role."

The OSCE continued to play the lead role in training the judiciary, police, new municipal assembly members, journalists and civil society leaders, and was active in the fight against human trafficking.

"All of these individual programmes fit into a cohesive picture. UNMIK needs to finish the job it began in 1999. In this, the OSCE and the EU are part of a common UN engagement. We've come far. Finishing the job means institutionalizing the standards. In Europe, no standard is more precious than tolerance and respect for diversity."

In conclusion, the Special Representative said: "We must all remember that history's judgment - and Europe's security - depend on what we will leave behind once we have gone."