United Nations Wire

September 29, 2000

KOSOVO: Protecting Minorities Poses Biggest Problem, UN Says

In a report to the Security Council on Wednesday, UN Kosovo administrator Bernard Kouchner said the biggest problem in the province is the situation facing non-Albanian groups.

"Serbs and Roma [Gypsies], in particular, are often still excluded from daily life and are under great personal security risks," Kouchner said. The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has tried to address the problem, Kouchner added, through special assistance programs for Serbs and the establishment of local community offices to facilitate access to minorities and enhance their protection.

Kouchner said the fate of missing persons and detainees is another key problem, explaining that he is "extremely concerned" that remaining prisoners in Serbia may be forgotten due to political turbulence there.

In addition, Kouchner outlined some of UNMIK's failures, saying the mission often tried to implement unrealistic programs "instead of taking the still existing conflict circumstances into account." Though UNMIK's mandate is ambiguous, Kouchner said, it calls for the creation of interim institutions of self-government. Without such guidelines, Kouchner said, UNMIK cannot reduce ethnic violence or develop Kosovo's economy (UN Newservice, 27 Sep).