Press conference

by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER (Secretary General, NATO): Ladies and gentlemen it's good to be back since the middle of February when I visited Kosovo with a delegation; and now as you know, I visit Kosovo in the company of all the 26 NATO Ambassadors on the North Atlantic Council who are here this morning and who are now flying to different parts of Kosovo to watch the situation on the ground themselves.

You know I presume what we have done this morning; we've talked to the SRSG, we've talked to representatives of the Serb minority, we have talked to the Unity Team; of course we have started with a briefing by General Kather, Com KFOR. And the fact that you see now again after six weeks General Kather and me standing here side by side is the sign that NATO-KFOR is committed to underline and to show again that commitment under the able leadership of General Kather to create a climate of security and stability for every individual Kosovar citizen, be it majority, be it minority. And as you might conclude - we've heard the Secretary General say this before - you're correct. The answer is yes. I did say this before, but it is the most important, and in my opinion, overriding principle of NATO-KFOR's presence here. So once again the Ambassadors could hear directly about the situation in Kosovo.

Now you know where things are and where things stand in the political domain. Tomorrow… and I hear that the President has already travelled to New York. A very important day in the Security Council. It is now in the reign and in the domain of the Security Council. So NATO does not play a role in the political sense as it has never played a direct political role. NATO… of course the Allies are following with more than average… more than keen interest the procedures as they will now take place in the Security Council.

The Ahtisaari proposals are in the Security Council. You and - somebody is touching the switch I think - this is not proverbial for what's going to happen in the Security Council because I'm quite sure that the Security Council will come to a just conclusion. May I add that the principle I think which is important to note here is that on the one hand I think we should not expect a rush. On the other hand, we should not expect unnecessary delay. No rush. No unnecessary delay in the Security Council.

But I say it once again. We are here. NATO-KFOR is here in this very special and important period for Kosovo to see that no one, no one, should have the illusion that violence or the threath with violence could in any way be an element in finding a solution. Anybody who would like to resort to violence is not only wrong, but he's harming the process from whatever side of Kosovar society he or she comes. So moderation is the key word; taking and having and letting the responsibility where it now belongs and that is in the Security Council of the United Nations.

I can stop here. I'll go south in a moment with a few colleagues. The other Ambassadors are going north, west and east to familiarize themselves once again. Finally NATO-KFOR is here to stay. When you ask me how long, my answer is (as you know) as long as NATO-KFOR is needed.

Thank you very much.

Q: (Inaudible)… Sir which are the main security concerns you have right now concerning the situation in general in Kosovo and the situation in the north in particular?

SCHEFFER: Well let me answer you by saying that I do know from my visits and my talks with General Kather and his staff that KFOR is prepared for all eventualities and that is I think the answer I should give to your question. And I say again and I repeat again, that people who were trying or would try to create, in your terms "a security risk" are wrong and KFOR is there preferably not to act of course, but KFOR is also there to act when… if that is necessary.

Q: Secretary General (inaudible)… can the new resolution of Security Council take only some parts of the Ahtisaari proposal or should they be completely? And if the resolution fails, should EU take the President of NATO in 1999?

SCHEFFER: The last part of your question I have a rather standard answer. A long political career has given me a lot of expertise and experience in not answering iffy questions. So the second part of your question started with if. I'm not going to answer that.

As far as the first part of your question is concerned, the Security Council more in general, let's leave the responsibility where it is now. There are 15 members of the Security Council; five permanent and 10 non-permanent members. You know the Security Council procedures. I would of course, with you I presume, hope for a resolution. But let the process take its time. But I say again, no rush and no unnecessary delay. But even if I say that, I do realize that I'm not in control of the Security Council procedures. Let's leave things where they belong and that is in the Security Council.

Q: Associated Press TV. Please sir can you just tell us or can you give us your comment about, or NATO's comment, about the latest pictures shown from Iran about the 15 soldiers, British soldiers, seized in Iran?

SCHEFFER: The public comments I have made and I could repeat here today on the seizure of the British soldiers is that I would hope, as NATO Secretary General, that they will be released as soon as possible. And for the rest you will appreciate that NATO as such, or I as NATO Secretary General, are not involved in that process. But I join everybody, everybody, European Union colleagues, to ask for their very quick release.

Q: (Inaudible)… what would be the reaction of NATO if we have (inaudible)?

SCHEFFER: You hear the word if and I hear the word if. But let me say, all jokes apart, that partition can never be an option and will never be an option and I would advise anybody who would like to go en route to partition is absolutely wrong and that will also not be tolerated.

Q:  I have a question in Albanian

SCHEFFER: Then I have to… my Albanian is not what it used to be, so I have to…

Yes please.

Q: (Speaking in Albanian)

SCHEFFER: I can repeat what I said last week when there was a reinforced meeting of the North Atlantic Council with the political directors. I've of course followed the discussions in Bremen on the part of the European Union. I can say I think that for NATO and as NATO Secretary General there is support for the Ahtisaari proposals. That does not mean that there is not certain nuances here and there, but my central line is support for the Ahtisaari proposals.

Q: Secretary General I have a bit broader question. Can you tell me, speaking in the original context, do you see (inaudible) Kosovo status again (inaudible)… NATO's final move toward stabilizing the region. And what do you think in 2008 is there going to be an invitation for the three countries (inaudible)… Macedonia, because the words that are coming from Brussels and Washington are not so optimistic. It looks like that Croatia is being terrorized by some countries.

SCHEFFER: I can of course - you'll understand - not in any way prejudge what will happen in NATO or at a next NATO summit for the simple reason that the NATO process of enlargement, like the process of the EU by the way, is performance-based. So it is always impossible to give dates of summits or timelines for that matter. So I can't answer that part of your question.

What I can tell you is that of course there is no direct relationship with the process we do now see in the United Nations hopefully leading to a resolution vis-à-vis the future of Kosovo. But you also know my opinion that I do think that at the end of the day, and I cannot possibly tell you when the end of the day is, because again that is performance-based, there is only one recipe, political recipe, for this region to be stable and secure and this is NATO and European Union membership.

Now I can't speak for the European Union. I can speak for NATO and I can tell you that the decision made at the NATO Riga Summit last November to have Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Montenegro into the Partnership for Peace I do consider a very important building block. And I had a long discussion only a few weeks ago in Belgrade with President Tadic, Serbian President Tadic, about this and I think he and I agree. So you cannot make a direct link because this process is a specific stand alone process. But that process of course and the outcome of that process - and I can't prejudge the outcome (that's up to the Security Council) - is important for the stability of this region. That's out of the question in my opinion.

But again, on future NATO enlargement I cannot possibly be specific. The only think I can say is that those nations knocking on NATO's door should go on in their reform process at a certain stage, and I don't know when that stage is, get an invitation to join. But again, the when I can't answer.

Q: Since Mr. Ahtisaari delivered his package, we've heard frequent warnings from the European Union that a decision should come soon or they could be violence. Do you think this is sending the wrong message that in fact violence does pay?

SCHEFFER: I am usually not somebody who prejudges things. In other words, I'm not going to speculate. That's the right word. I'm not going to speculate. The only thing I know is - and I repeat this - that whoever in Kosovo would be of the opinion that violence could ever be the answer, or for that matter that violence would improve his position (and I say this to all Kosovar citizens) is in my opinion very, very wrong.

And if I say that what I hope is that the Security Council shouldn't rush this because it's serious issue, but they're also should not be unnecessary delay; that is because I think there's a time frame in which I would hope that the Security Council could come to a solution. But I'm not a member. Nor can influence that process. But I'm not going to speculate on any kind of violence. The only thing I can say is that violence will not be tolerated by the police. Let's not forget we have the police; we have UNMIK Police, we have Kosovar Police, UNMIK Police and KFOR. I can only speak on behalf of NATO-KFOR, but I can repeat that violence will not be tolerated and violence can never be the answer.

Q: (Speaking in foreign language)

SCHEFFER: That is of course… in fact you're giving the answer to the question better than I could do it. I always try to be consistent. So I'm glad that you say that what I said in 2005 is the same as what I'm saying here and now in Pristina in 2007. That is the role, not exclusively of NATO-KFOR, because as I say again there is the Kosovo Police, there is the UNMIK Police. But do know, and I say again you see the example of the Commander KFOR and the Secretary General of NATO standing side by side here, do know that the mission of NATO-KFOR is to see that the climate is stable and safe and that goes for all Kosovar citizens. Thank you very much. That is all.