Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-01-18-Speech-3-339"
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"en.20060118.23.3-339"2
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".
Madam President, I will start with the questions by Mr Posselt, Mr Papadimoulis and Mr Karas on Kosovo. According to the Thessaloniki Declaration, which the EU and the western Balkan states issued at their summit in June 2003, the future of the western Balkans, including Kosovo, is within the European Union.
At the same time, in connection with the restructuring of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission In Kosovo (UNMIK), the EU has held informal consultations with the UNMIK together with other international organisations and partners. The aim is to assess the options for a future international presence in Kosovo without pre-empting the outcome of the discussion on Kosovo's status. Against this background, Mr Solana and Commissioner Rehn presented their second report on how the EU can prepare for the coming challenges to the Council in December.
The new international formation for the follow-up period to Resolution 1244 will involve everybody and have a strong EU presence. The EU should play a vital role in the areas related to the rule of law, including a police mission, capacity building and in the economy. The body responsible for all issues regarding the international military presence in Kosovo led by the UN is KFOR.
The Council's attitude to Kosovo is based on a set of principles that the European Council adopted at its meeting on 16 and 17 June 2005 as part of its declaration on Kosovo. Any solution for the status of Kosovo must be fully compatible with European values and norms, comply with international legal instruments and obligations and the United Nations Charter, and contribute to realising the European prospects of Kosovo and the region.
Any agreement on status must ensure that Kosovo does not return to the pre-March 1999 situation. The determination of the future status of Kosovo must be based on multi-ethnicity, and on full respect for human rights, including the right for all to return home.
The status must also offer, and this is very important, effective constitutional guarantees to ensure that minorities are protected, including mechanisms to ensure their participation in central government and local administrative structures. It should also include specific safeguards to protect the cultural heritage and religious sites and to promote effective mechanisms to combat organised crime, corruption and terrorism.
The status of Kosovo must also reinforce the security and stability of the region. Thus any solution which was unilateral or resulted from the use of force, as well as any changes to the current territory of Kosovo, would be unacceptable, and there will be no partition of Kosovo, nor any union of Kosovo with another country or with part of another country. The territorial integrity of neighbouring countries must be fully respected.
The Council is also of the opinion that further implementation of both current and future standards is of particular importance, especially with regard to the protection of minorities. In this connection, the Council has repeatedly emphasised that it values and supports the work of the UN's Special Representative for Kosovo, Mr Jessen-Petersen.
The Council is determined to work extensively to determine the status of Kosovo and to contribute to the related negotiation process led by the United Nations. To this end, in November 2005 the High Representative, Mr Solana, appointed Stefan Lehne as the EU's representative, to work closely with the UN's Special Envoy for the future status process for Kosovo, Mr Ahtisaari. The Council endorsed this appointment.
The EU's representative provides the UN Special Envoy with contributions for the negotiations and also helps the EU to prepare for its future role in Kosovo in the follow-up period to Resolution 1244. He also works closely with the Member States and the Commission. The European Commission will also be represented in Vienna, where the UN Special Envoy for the future status process for Kosovo has his headquarters.
Areas such as respect for human rights, minorities, cultural and religious sites, the rule of law and economic development will be of particular interest for the European Union. The UN Special Envoy has indicated his willingness to work closely with the EU on these and other issues."@en1
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