UNMIK, Kosovo government disagree over north

UNMIK chief Lamberto Zannier on Wednesday (September 22nd) criticised a government report on northern Kosovo, saying it contains factual errors and a series of groundless statements. “I am sorry that the authors did not consult me or the UN officials in charge while preparing the report. If they had done so, they would have had the possibility of publishing an accurate report,” Zannier said. The document, by the Office of the Co-ordinator for Implementation of the Strategy for Kosovo North, concluded that the UNMIK administration in Mitrovica is impeding the Serb-dominated area’s integration into the rest of the country. It claimed UNMIK has allowed parallel structures to continue governing in the north.

The head of the office, Ylber Hysa, dismissed Zannier’s reaction and promised to provide new facts about what he described as UNMIK’s damaging performance in northern Kosovo.