New York - The United Nations mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said
Friday its power to administer the former Serb province has
practically disappeared after the government in Pristina instituted
its constitution last month.
Lamberto Zannier, the new head of UNMIK, told the UN Security
Council in New York that the ethnic Albanian-led Kosovo government
has sought to assume powers and responsibilities of a 'sovereign
state' since the 'Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo' entered
into force on June 15.
The minority Serbs in northern Kosovo have, on the other hand,
held elections in their municipalities to form local government with
the support of Serbia. Zannier has declared those election results
invalid.
'As a consequences of this stark divergence of paths taken by
Kosovo's Serb and Albanian communities, the space in which UNMIK can
operate has changed,' said Zannier, who assumed his post as the
special representative of the UN secretary general on June 20.
Zannier said the Kosovo parliament issued new legislation and the
government in Pristina took decisions without seeking his approval.
UNMIK was created in 1999 to administer Kosovo until its final
political status was decided by the UN Security Council. But Kosovo
unilaterally declared independence in February, and is now recognized
by more than 40 countries, including many European nations and the
United States.
The UN is not in the position to recognize Kosovo as a country.
Kosovo, like newly formed states in the past, has sought recognition
from other states and may one day seek UN membership. But it will
certainly face a veto from Russia in the UN Security Council.
Serbia and Russia continue to strongly reject Kosovo's
independence and Belgrade still considers the territory its province.
Zannier said ties between UNMIK and Pristina had changed
drastically and UN work in Kosovo has been reduced because UNMIK is
no longer the broker in solving problems and proclaiming legislation
in Kosovo.
'While I and my staff continue to monitor the work of the Kosovo
authorities and to mediate and facilitate in disputes between
communities, my power to impose solutions through much of the
territory has in practice disappeared,' Zannier said in the speech to
the 15-nation council.
UNMIK is operating under a resolution from 1999, which gave it
vast authority to govern Kosovo after Serb security forces, accused
of atrocities against ethnic Albanians, were pushed out of the
province by NATO.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for restructuring
UNMIK based on the new situation in Kosovo. But Russia wanted UNMIK
to remain as Resolution 1244 has not been repelled.
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