United Nations Wire

September 29, 2000

Russia Voices Concern About Upcoming Kosovo Elections

Russian Ambassador to the UN Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that elections planned in Kosovo for next month under UNMIK supervision "cannot be now truly democratic, free and just." According to Lavrov, the elections "will only result in stronger positions of Albanian extremists and supporters of monoethnic Kosovo."

"Kosovo Serbs and members of other national minorities are forced to refrain from elections at all in the face of terror and violence," Lavrov added, saying former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army are conducting campaigns of "intimidation and blackmail" (Vadim Polischuk, ITAR-Tass, 28 Sep).