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China Concerned at Security Situation in Kosovo
China said Thursday that the security situation in Kosovo, the Yugoslav province, the physical security of Serbs and other minorities in particular, is "still worrying."
Wang Yingfan, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, told an open Security Council meeting that "Due to the extreme lack of sense of safety and given the situation of the Serbs and other minorities, there still exist enormous difficulties in the way of the return of internally displaced persons and refugees from third countries."
The Security Council met in an open meeting to discuss a report of the Security Council Mission to Kosovo, headed by Anwarul Chowdhury, the Bangladeshi permanent representative to the United Nations.
Since last June, more than 200,000 Serbs and people of other minorities have fled the area and more than 4,000 incidents of violence have taken place, reports said.
"While some of them have been anti-Albanian, most have been against Serbs and other minorities," he said.
"In Pristina (the provincial capital of Kosovo) where there once lived 40,000 Serbs and Montenegroins, now there are less than 100 Serbs," he said. "This is a horrible situation indeed." "Since Serbs and people of other minority groups are not able to return normally to their homes in Kosovo, it is impossible for them to integrate into the society," he said. "Without the integration, similarly, the 'strengthening of the multi-ethnic interim administration' is out of the question."
The Security Council Mission said in its report that "efforts to promote cooperation and interface between ethnic communities at the local level, including the establishment of multi-ethnic municipal councils, administrative boards and rapid-impact employment projects, could foster peaceful coexistence." "The realization of this objective rests on the normal return of people of all ethnic groups," which is closely linked to the security situation, he said.
On the upcoming municipal elections, he said, the civil and voter registration has already begun in Kosovo.
The Council Mission report said, "It is unfortunate, however, that all factions of the Kosovo Serb community have chosen no to participate in this process, due to the current lack of physical security and freedom of movement."
"This is a political reality in Kosovo that, the Chinese delegation believes, deserves the full attention of the Security Council and UNMIK," the U.N. Interim Administration in Kosovo, he said.
"In our view, careful prior planning and preparation must be done for the local elections in Kosovo," he said.
"The security situation must be improved to ensure physical security and freedom of movement so that the elections could be conducted in a free and peaceful atmosphere," he said. "The registration of voters must ensure broad representation, especially that of the minorities."
"To make this happen, necessary conditions still need to be put in place," he said. "Otherwise, there is no way to guarantee the fairness of the results of the elections. Elections in the absence of broad-based participation will only result in the intensification of ethnic conflicts."
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