21/10/2005
Kosovo: Annan Recommends Starting Future Status Talks Now

Although democratic progress in Kosovo has been uneven, talks should begin now on the future status of the UN-administered province, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has told the Security Council. Earlier this month he said options could include independence or autonomy.

According to Mr Annan's Special Envoy for the Comprehensive Review of Kosovo, Ambassador Kai Eide of Norway, whose report formed the basis for the Secretary-General's recommendation, "there will not be any good moment for addressing Kosovo's future status." He described the situation as grim. "Nevertheless, an overall assessment leads to the conclusion that the time has come to commence this process. The political process, which is now under way, must continue."

Although Kosovo is a Serbian province, ethnic Albanians outnumber other communities, mainly Serbs, by about nine to one. "Kosovo will not in the foreseeable future become a place where Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs are integrated," Mr. Eide writes. "They probably never were. Nevertheless, the reconciliation process should start. It must come from inside Kosovo and be embraced by all communities."

Mr. Eide noted that the rule of law is hampered by a lack of ability and readiness to enforce legislation at all levels. Organised crime and corruption have been characterised as the biggest
threats to stability.

The overall security situation is stable, but fragile, he says. While the level of reported crime, including inter-ethnic crime, is low, there are frequently unreported cases of low-level, inter-ethnic violence and incidents, hampering freedom of movement.

"The overall return process has virtually come to a halt," he writes referring to the Serbs who fled when NATO drove Yugoslav troops out of the province in 1999.

"The general atmosphere in many places is not conducive to return. Multi-ethnicity is often not seen as a goal," he adds, noting that as many or more Kosovo Serbs are leaving than are returning. "A viable return process will require support and attention over a longer period of time, in particular to facilitate access to services and repossession of land."

To achieve sustainable return and viable minority communities, a wider decentralisation process will be required, he says.

"Determining the future status of Kosovo will in itself be a demanding challenge," the report concludes. "The international community must do the utmost to ensure that, whatever the eventual status, it does not become a 'failed' status."

Kosovo cannot remain indefinitely under international administration. However, it will continue to depend on a significant international presence on the ground, Mr Eide's report adds. "Entering the future status process does not mean entering the last stage, but the next stage of the international presence."