Q:
A:
Serbs in Kosovo live in fear and are marginalised
Belgrade/New York,
16 February 2005
In a regular quarterly report on the situation in Kosovo-Metohija submitted to the UN Security Council, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said that Serbs in Kosovo live in fear and that it is further deepening already deep ethnic divisions.
Kofi Annan
Annan pointed out that although serious crimes against Serbs in the province have recorded a downward trend since March last year, when several thousands of Serbs were expelled from their homes during an ethnically motivated violence by ethnic Albanian extremists, isolated incidents still fuel the fear of Kosovo Serbs, the Associated Press reports.
He said that vehicles for transport of minorities have been stoned, graffiti with messages of hatred written on public buildings, empty Serb houses looted and the right to use minority languages is hardly respected.
Kosovo Serbs continue to believe that they are under threat. Their fear of going out of their communities and getting into contact with members of the majority community deepens the already substantial ethnic division, the UN Secretary General said and added that the Kosovo government has not done enough to punish all ethnically motivated crimes.
He stressed that Kosovo Serbs are still faced with numerous problems – notably that they are forced to travel in special convoys or with military escort, thus limiting their freedom of movement and access to services, employment and judiciary.
According to Annan, security fears are discouraging Serbs from returning to Kosovo and minorities have little confidence in the administrative and political system of Kosovo. Their participation in the political process and higher levels of public service remains marginal, the UN Secretary General said in the report which covers the period from early November 2004 to late January 2005.
He said that vehicles for transport of minorities have been stoned, graffiti with messages of hatred written on public buildings, empty Serb houses looted and the right to use minority languages is hardly respected.
Kosovo Serbs continue to believe that they are under threat. Their fear of going out of their communities and getting into contact with members of the majority community deepens the already substantial ethnic division, the UN Secretary General said and added that the Kosovo government has not done enough to punish all ethnically motivated crimes.
He stressed that Kosovo Serbs are still faced with numerous problems – notably that they are forced to travel in special convoys or with military escort, thus limiting their freedom of movement and access to services, employment and judiciary.
According to Annan, security fears are discouraging Serbs from returning to Kosovo and minorities have little confidence in the administrative and political system of Kosovo. Their participation in the political process and higher levels of public service remains marginal, the UN Secretary General said in the report which covers the period from early November 2004 to late January 2005.
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