26 June 2003

North Atlantic Council visits Kosovo News 25/06/2003 - NATO The North Atlantic Council to visit Kosovo on 26 June, 2003 Opinions Speech by Lord Robertson at the arrival of the North Atlantic Council in Kosovo Speech by Lord Robertson during the visit of the North Atlantic Council to Kosovo Press conference by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson and Lt. General Fabio Mini, COMKFOR at KFOR Headquarters, Film City, Pristina Multimedia High resolution photos Speech by Lord Robertson at the arrival of the North Atlantic Council in Kosovo (.MP3/.985Kb) (poor sound) Speech by Lord Robertson during the visit of the North Atlantic Council to Kosovo (.MP3/.2567Kb) (poor sound) Press conference by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson and Lt. General Fabio Mini, COMKFOR, Pristina (.MP3/.5733Kb) NATO’s top decision makers visited Kosovo on 26 June to demonstrate the Alliance's continuing commitment to maintain peace and stability in Kosovo and the Balkans region. The North Atlantic Council is the senior decision-making body of NATO, comprising the Secretary General, Lord Robertson and the 19 NATO permanent representatives. For the first time, the Council was joined by the Ambassadors of the seven countries invited to join NATO next year: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lituania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. During the one-day visit, the Council met with the Commander of the NATO-led Kosovo peacekeeping force (KFOR), General Mini, the Head of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, Michael Steiner, as well as representatives of the local authorities. The Council delivered a strong message of support for Kosovo, but only a tolerant, multi-ethnic Kosovo. “We won't be content until we see that multi-ethnic society develop, where people of all races and background and ethnic origin can walk the streets happily and in safety, as they can in every other part of Europe,” said Lord Robertson at a press conference. He pointed out however, that whereas NATO is committed to helping, the future depends on the people of Kosovo, and that they must “show the tolerance and the understanding of others that was not there in 1999 and which triggered off the conflict at that time.” Lord Robertson challenged the people of Kosovo to stand up to organized crime and extremism, saying that the Alliance is not prepared “to see Kosovo that was saved because of NATO turned over to organized criminals”. On 12 June, KFOR celebrated the four-year anniversary of its presence in Kosovo. The Council confirmed that NATO would maintain adequate level of forces to maintain a safe and secure environment in the province.