UN Envoy Certifies Kosovo Election Results

UN Envoy Certifies Kosovo Election Results With Call To Heed Serb Minority

The top United Nations envoy for Kosovo today certified the results of last month's elections in the ethnically-divided province which the world body has administered for the past five years, appealing to all parties to heed the concerns of minorities, particularly the Serbs.

"They have some very real concerns, they also expect better living conditions, better security, freedom of movement and return of the displaced," Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative Søren Jessen-Petersen said at the ceremony in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, whose population is mainly Albanian.

"We, the international community, must redouble our efforts. We most work even harder with the legitimate representatives of all communities in order to build a better future for all citizens of Kosovo," he added.

Kosovo has been under UN administration since 1999 when NATO forced the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops following fighting between Albanians and Serbs. Under its mandate the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is seeking to promote the establishment of substantial autonomy and self-government and to facilitate a political process to determine the province's future status.

Mr. Jessen-Petersen called for the prompt formation of a new government following the 23 October elections to the 120-member Assembly. Election turnout among Kosovo Serbs was low.

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