OSCE Mission in Kosovo

It is a pleasure to welcome Ambassador Fieschi back to the Permanent Council. We join our colleagues around the table in congratulating the voters of Kosovo and the dedicated staff of our OSCE Mission on the success of the October 26 Municipal Elections.

We are pleased to note the increased participation of local elections staff in organizing and conducting the elections. To us, this signals that OMIK's capacity-building activities in the important area of elections are off to a good start.

Mr. Chairman, we strongly condemn the violent incident in Suva Reke that occurred the day after elections. Political violence has no place in a civilized society, but we are pleased that the campaign period and voting day were largely peaceful.

We welcome the Council of Europe's assessment that these elections were in line with international standards.

The newly-elected municipal governments must now act quickly to show their commitment to creating peaceful, viable communities for all the citizens of Kosovo.

On the issue of minority returns, we commend OMIK's efforts in this area in support of the benchmarks, but note that there is still significant work to be done. There are still over 250,000 Kosovars remaining displaced throughout the region.

Creating conditions that will facilitate the return and reintegration of minorities throughout Kosovo is a priority for the international community.

We look forward to hearing more about the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) Steiner's "Decentralization Plan." We agree with Ambassador Fieschi that any type of sub-municipal decentralization must avoid further isolation or cantonization of minority communities.

We agree that there are many political benefits to greater sub-municipal involvement, including increased transparency and accountability of local officials. Working together with Kosovars and the international community, we hope SRSG Steiner will implement an effective decentralization plan.

In closing, I would like to again thank Ambassador Fieschi for his remarks and reaffirm our strong support for his leadership and for OMIK's activities. We pledge our continuing financial and political support for the Mission's mandate and work, including capacity and institution building, minority returns and integration, and further democratic development in Kosovo.

Thank you.