Kosovo

Of the almost 1 million ethnic Albanian refugees who have fled Kosovo, nearly half have already returned home. In Albania, work continues to improve the main supply routes, to maintain refugee camps and to prepare for the repatriation of refugees. Co-ordination work continues with non-governmental organisations for the scheduled hand-over of certain camps and the repatriation plan for refugees. The United Nations has started to organise convoys from camps in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia ¹ to areas of Pristina which are considered reasonably safe.

Serbs living in the province of Kosovo fear retaliation from the ethnic Kosovar Albanians. NATO Secretary General, Dr Javier Solana, has made an appeal to them to "give peace a chance". He declared that KFOR forces "will do their very best to ensure the safety and security of everyone in Kosovo, regardless of their ethnic, religious or cultural background."

KFOR is continuing its deployment into Kosovo. Its role is to create secure conditions to enable the international community under the leadership of the UN:

• to rebuild Kosovo;
• to re-establish law and order;
• to ensure the safe return of refugees to their homes;
• to promote social and economic reconstruction;
• and to support the full investigation of all war crimes and atrocities.

On 21 June, the UCK gave a written undertaking to demilitarise and cooperate with NATO forces. So far, the terms of this agreement have been respected by the UCK.

NATO Secretary General visited Pristina on 24 June where he met with Kosovar Albanian leaders, Mr. Hauzai and Mr. Tahiri, UCK leaders, Mr. Thaci and Mr. Surroi, and Kosovar Serb leaders, Mr. Artimije and Mr. Trajkovic. During the visit, he reiterated NATO's determination to uphold values -democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law- which the Alliance has been defending for 50 years.

Dr Javier Solana also stated that more troops from NATO and non-NATO countries are still arriving in Kosovo. Following the agreement signed in Helsinki between the US State Department and the Russian Ministry of Defence on Russian participation in KFOR, Russian troops are also arriving in Pristina.