UN Secretary-General concerned about situation in northern Kosovo

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wants dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia to start as soon as possible, media in Pristina reported on Tuesday (November 2nd), quoting his regular quarterly report on the situation in Kosovo that was distributed to UN Security Council members at the weekend. The general situation is stable, but in the north it remains tense, Ban said, urging all sides to refrain from violence. “I am upset with some Kosovo authorities’ reports and newspaper comments that are against the UNMIK presence in north. These newspaper articles did endanger UNMIK staff,” Ban wrote in the document. He was referring to government reports on the mission’s failures to restore Pristina’s control in northern Kosovo, as well as to media reports about the Russian domination in UNMIK’s presence there. He confirmed that in the future, UNMIK will hand over responsibilities only to authorities accepted by all sides.