Posted on 06/29/2002 7:10:13 AM PDT by crazykatz
June 28, 2002
New York, June 27, 2002
- Yugoslav Ambassador to UN Dejan Sahovic addressed a UN Security Council session, saying that despite some progress made in Kosovo-Metohija, much remains to be done to normalise the situation in the province.
Sahovic pointed out that a large number of the murders and abductions of Serbs and other non-Albanians have occurred since the KFOR deployment in June 1999, adding that few, if any, perpetrators have been brought to justice.
Bearing in mind that freedom of movement is still non-existent, the property of minorities has been confiscated and their cultural heritage destroyed, it is not surprising that only 100 Serbs have returned to the province of a total 226,000 dispelled.
The Yugoslav Ambassador also pointed to the significance of economic recovery in the province, adding that there is a need to build a "common economic space in the region." He said that Belgrade should be actively involved in Kosovo privatisation, since UNMIK proposed a specific form of privatisation that ignores the fact that Serbian banks have receivables due in the province and that Serbian companies are paying the debts of provincial firms.
Russian representative Sergey Lavrov strongly opposed any attempt to push for independence of Kosovo, while China's Zhang Yishan warned that any such attempt would have an adverse effect on regional stability.
Speaking on behalf of the European Union, Spain's Ana Maria Menendez said that the rule of law, tackling crime and violence and ensuring economic progress were the priorities in analysing the situation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.