UN Kosovo Envoy Warns of Rising Tensions as Deadlock Eases
(MENAFN) The UN’s top official in Kosovo sounded the alarm at the Security Council on Tuesday, citing “increased tensions in Kosovo and the region” over the past six months, even as he pointed to signs that the country’s political paralysis is lifting.
Peter Due, head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), briefed the Council on the secretary-general’s latest report. He said “the reporting period ended on 15 September, so I will also update the Council on developments thereafter.”
Due described a turbulent run of elections. “On 7 June, the people of Kosovo went to the polls for the third time in 16 months. The elections were peaceful and inclusive, but political uncertainty and heightened rhetoric followed.”
He pressed Belgrade and Pristina on justice for past attacks, saying “accountability remains essential to building trust,” and renewed the call for “full cooperation by the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina to hold accountable those responsible for the attacks in Banjska/Banjske in 2023 and on the Iber-Lepenc/Ibar-Lepenac water canal in 2024.”
Due praised the choice of a new head of state. “Around midnight on 6 October, Justina Shiroka-Pula was elected President of Kosovo, the third woman to serve in this role. I warmly welcome her election.”
“Political disagreement is part of the fabric of democratic life, but prolonged institutional deadlock carries consequences. The formation of the institutions is therefore encouraging,” he added, saying the political deadlock “seems to have been broken.”
On the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Due stressed that “genuine commitment by both sides is needed to achieve tangible progress.”
“Our shared responsibility is to work for reconciliation and normalization, so that all communities in Kosovo can participate fully and confidently in public life, with respect for the rule of law, human rights and Kosovo’s multiethnic character,” he said.
Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca defended his country’s record before the Council. “Kosovo continues to remain one of the most stable democracies in southeastern Europe, with one of the fastest improvements in democratic indicators.”
He rejected claims in the reports, saying: “Beyond the misuse of ethnic connotations and fabrications, the reported cases also contain disinformation and deliberately misinterpret rule of law enforcement actions or breaches of public order, wrongly describing them as ethnically motivated or as violations of rights.”
Serbia’s Foreign Minister Marko Duric argued for the mission’s continued relevance. “UNMIK remains essential precisely because its staff can listen to people whose experiences are too often reduced to a few cautious lines in international reports.”
Peter Due, head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), briefed the Council on the secretary-general’s latest report. He said “the reporting period ended on 15 September, so I will also update the Council on developments thereafter.”
Due described a turbulent run of elections. “On 7 June, the people of Kosovo went to the polls for the third time in 16 months. The elections were peaceful and inclusive, but political uncertainty and heightened rhetoric followed.”
He pressed Belgrade and Pristina on justice for past attacks, saying “accountability remains essential to building trust,” and renewed the call for “full cooperation by the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina to hold accountable those responsible for the attacks in Banjska/Banjske in 2023 and on the Iber-Lepenc/Ibar-Lepenac water canal in 2024.”
Due praised the choice of a new head of state. “Around midnight on 6 October, Justina Shiroka-Pula was elected President of Kosovo, the third woman to serve in this role. I warmly welcome her election.”
“Political disagreement is part of the fabric of democratic life, but prolonged institutional deadlock carries consequences. The formation of the institutions is therefore encouraging,” he added, saying the political deadlock “seems to have been broken.”
On the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Due stressed that “genuine commitment by both sides is needed to achieve tangible progress.”
“Our shared responsibility is to work for reconciliation and normalization, so that all communities in Kosovo can participate fully and confidently in public life, with respect for the rule of law, human rights and Kosovo’s multiethnic character,” he said.
Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca defended his country’s record before the Council. “Kosovo continues to remain one of the most stable democracies in southeastern Europe, with one of the fastest improvements in democratic indicators.”
He rejected claims in the reports, saying: “Beyond the misuse of ethnic connotations and fabrications, the reported cases also contain disinformation and deliberately misinterpret rule of law enforcement actions or breaches of public order, wrongly describing them as ethnically motivated or as violations of rights.”
Serbia’s Foreign Minister Marko Duric argued for the mission’s continued relevance. “UNMIK remains essential precisely because its staff can listen to people whose experiences are too often reduced to a few cautious lines in international reports.”
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