22 Apr. 2004

Kosovo leadership not doing enough, says NATO Council News 21/04/2004 - NATO North Atlantic Council to visit Kosovo on Thursday, 22 April 2004 22/03/2004 - NATO Kosovo violence unacceptable, says NATO Secretary General Multimedia High resolution photos of the visit of the North Atlantic Council to Kosovo On a visit to Kosovo on 22 April, the Representatives of the 26 NATO countries and the Secretary General said that Kosovo leaders were doing too little to rebuild security and trust after recent violence in the province. The North Atlantic Council, NATO’s principal decision-making body, travelled to Kosovo for talks with the province’s leaders following the recent clashes in which 19 people died. NATO experts have assessed the violence to have been orchestrated largely by ethnic Albanian extremists. A clear message Council members met in Pristina with President Ibrahim Rugova, Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi and with the President of the Kosovo Assembly Nexhat Daci, as well as the UN Special Representative, Harri Holkeri, and the Commander of the NATO-led Kosovo peacekeeping force, Lieutenant General Holger Kammerhoff. The Council delivered a strong and clear message, saying that the Albanian community holds the responsibility for preventing any further violence and rebuilding the damage that had been done. “I expected to see more responsibility, rebuilding, stronger language and more ambitions. I must say that I’m disappointed,” NATO Secretary General Jaap told reporters, “Being a political leader means that you have to lead, you have to take decisions, you have to take responsibility and I don’t see that unfortunately.” He said also that the press in Kosovo should play a more responsible role, and that the role of the media during the violence in Kosovo was not seen as helpful. The Secretary General and the North Atlantic Council also met with representatives of ethnic minorities, hearing firsthand accounts of the violence perpetrated. The Council reiterated NATO’s commitment to provide security for all inhabitants of Kosovo and called on minorities to reengage themselves in Kosovo’s political process, to give themselves more voice and political power.