Ambassador Robert Wood, the U.S. Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs at the UN Security Council, during the discussion on the report regarding Kosovo by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, not only called for the dissolution of UNMIK in Kosovo but also raised concerns about the report itself.
The U.S. urged UNMIK to maintain neutrality in its future reports.
“We also call on UNMIK, in its future reporting, to maintain a neutral viewpoint to better reflect UNMIK’s impartiality.”
In the beginning of his speech, he stated that the U.S. values the efforts UNMIK has made in advancing interethnic dialogue and the rule of law in Kosovo but noted that there are other UN agencies in Kosovo that perform this work more appropriately.
“We must also acknowledge that there are other UN resident agencies in Kosovo that are doing this type of work more suitably. After a quarter of a century, UNMIK has outlived its original mandate, and the United States calls on the Council to review UNMIK in Kosovo and work towards its eventual [dissolution].”
Wood also mentioned that there are much greater demands on the Council at this time, “as we all know,” and stated that the information regarding Kosovo should be reduced to annual private meetings.
The U.S. has criticized Serbia for not holding accountable those involved in the terrorist attack in Banjska.
“It has been more than a year since the Serbian paramilitary attack on the Kosovo Police station near the Banjska Monastery in northern Kosovo, and Serbia has made no meaningful progress in holding accountable those involved, including the self-proclaimed leader of the attack, Milan Radoičić. We demand full accountability in accordance with the rule of law,” he said.
Kosovo was also not spared criticism.
“We remain concerned about the uncoordinated actions taken by the Government of Kosovo, which are not consistent with Kosovo’s commitment to working through the EU-facilitated dialogue. These actions affect the well-being of vulnerable and minority communities and undermine the path towards normalization between Kosovo and Serbia.”
The United States, Wood stated, shares the aspirations of the people of the Western Balkans, including Kosovo and Serbia, to build greater regional economic integration, promote regional stability, democracy, and multiethnic societies, and uphold the rule of law.
“The EU-mediated dialogue is the agreed path for normalization between Serbia and Kosovo and progress towards membership in European institutions.”
Wood stated that the U.S. continues to work with the EU, OSCE, and NATO partners to “keep tensions low in northern Kosovo; to prevent escalating measures from either side; and to push forward in implementing all commitments from the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, including the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. We warn both sides against uncoordinated or escalatory actions and urge them to resolve issues within the framework of the dialogue.”
“The ultimate goal of the United States remains eventual mutual recognition,” he concluded.
