Attachments
Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
I. Introduction and Mission priorities
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1244 (1999), by which the Council established the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and requested that I report at regular intervals on the implementation of its mandate. The report covers the activities of UNMIK, and developments related thereto, from 16 July to 15 October 2017.
2. The priorities of the Mission remain to promote security, stability and respect for human rights in Kosovo and the region. In furtherance of its goals, UNMIK continues its constructive engagements with Pristina and Belgrade, all communities in Kosovo and regional and international actors. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Kosovo Force continue to perform their roles within the framework of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) continues its presence in line with the presidential statement of the Council of 26 November 2008 (S/PRST/2008/44) and my report of 24 November 2008 (S/2008/692). The United Nations agencies, funds and programmes work in partnership with the Mission.
II. Key political and security developments
3. Following the conduct of early legislative elections on 11 June 2017, in whi ch the opposition gained unprecedented ground, the situation in Kosovo was marked by a prolonged period of negotiations, which culminated in the formation of a new Assembly and government.
4. The compromise reached on 4 September involved a switch in allegiance by the New Kosovo Alliance party led by Behgjet Pacolli, which had secured four Assembly seats in the legislative elections. The New Kosovo Alliance left the coalition led by the Democratic League of Kosovo, with which it had competed in the elections, to join the “PAN” coalition, which is led by the Democratic Party of Kosovo and comprises that Party, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and the Initiative for Kosovo. As a result of this compromise, on 7 September, the Assembly was able to re-elect the leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Kadri Veseli, as its president, following which Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi gave a mandate to form the new government to the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and candidate for Prime Minister of the “PAN” coalition, Ramush Haradinaj.
5. On 9 September, the Assembly of Kosovo, with a sufficient but very slim majority of 61 votes in favour out of 120 seats in the Assembly, approved the new government led by Prime Minister Haradinaj, with New Kosovo Alliance leader Pacolli as Principal Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs. Support from the ethnic Serb voting bloc led by the Serbian List, following consultations with Belgrade, was crucial in assuring this majority. The new government, which represents a relatively diverse political spectrum, includes 5 deputy prime ministers and 21 ministers, with the Democratic Party of Kosovo holding 6 ministries; the New Kosovo Alliance 4 ministries; the Initiative for Kosovo and the Serbian List 3 ministries each; the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and other communities 2 ministries each; and 1 ministry without party affiliation. Additionally, the Serbian List holds six deputy ministerial posts. Among the 21 ministries, only two are led by women, which represents a decrease in women’s representation at that level, from 16.7 per cent to 8.9 per cent. On a positive note, two of the five deputy presidents of the Assembly of Kosovo are women, and 7 of 14 parliamentary committees are chaired by women.
6. With the new governing framework in place, the government began to return to its many pressing challenges. However, shortly thereafter, the focus shifted to another Kosovo-wide election, at the municipal level, which was scheduled for 22 October. Significantly, at his first cabinet meeting on 12 September, Prime Minister Haradinaj dismissed the members of the State Commission on Border Demarcation with Montenegro in a bid to revise the border deal. In an interview with the Radio Television of Kosovo on 26 September, the Prime Minister opined that the border with neighbouring Montenegro is not where the previous State Commission drew the demarcation line. On the same day, while in Podgorica on an official visit, Principal Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pacolli, speaking at a joint press conference with his Montenegrin counterpart,
Srdjan Darmanović, stated that the current composition of the Assembly of Kosovo makes it difficult to ratify the border demarcation agreement of 26 August 2015 and appealed for “understanding and patience”.
7. On 22 September, Prime Minister Haradinaj participated in a regular meeting of the Ministerial Council for European Union Integration, which focused on the implementation of the European reform agenda, and encouraged the new Assembly to act on necessary legislation. Subsequently, on 4 October, the Assembly unanimously ratified the agreement between Kosovo and the European Union signed on 20 April on the implementation of financial assistance under the 2016 European Union Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance.
8. By the end of the reporting period, all political parties were intensively engaged in the campaign for Kosovo-wide municipal elections scheduled for 22 October. On 30 August, the Central Election Commission certified 91 political entities: 35 political parties, 1 coalition, 30 civic initiatives and 25 independent candidates, running a total of 7,300 candidates for municipality assemblies and mayors. Although all candidates were initially certified, on 12 September the Commission decided to decertify 87 candidates who had been convicted by Kosovo courts in the past three years, thus applying for the first time article 29 of the Law on General Elections. On 22 September, however, the Central Election Commission was obliged to reverse its decertification decision, following a ruling by the Supreme Court that article 29 was unconstitutional. The 87 candidates were thus allowed to resume their candidacies. This prompted renewed concern by many international and local observers about the integrity of the eligibility criteria, as well as the political independence of the judiciary.