Kosovo daily hails new face of UNMIK's policy toward Belgrade

Since the departure of Charles Brayshaw [former deputy of UNMIK, UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] and Harri Holkeri [former UNMIK chief administrator], things are clearer in the UN mission and you can see that the leading policy is not what it used to be.

Soeren Jessen-Petersen [UNMIK head] and Larry Rossin [UNMIK deputy], the two new officials at the helm of UNMIK, are making it clear to all senior Belgrade officials that they cannot gain anything with their position and that on the contrary, they will damage the Serb minority in Kosova [Kosovo]. The first visit by a Serbian official to Kosova since the Assembly election has marked a turning point in UNMIK's position towards Serbian politics. The criticism by the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General addressed to Nebojsa Covic [head of the Serbian Government's Coordination Centre for Kosovo] was direct; he faulted Belgrade for its wicked policy towards Kosova.

There is no reason why the Serb minority should remain outside the institutions and oppose everything that is in favour of building a democratic society where everyone can exercise his rights. Covic was certainly disappointed after his meeting with Rossin, because he might have thought that the senior UN official would be soft on him and offer compromises that would suit Serbia. This is what used to happen in the past, when agreements and treaties were signed in favour of the Serbs for the sole purpose of ending their destructive policy.

But after five years it has been noted that this kind of diplomacy brings no results, because as people say, "Give him an inch, and he takes a mile". There is no longer a need for privileges. Serbs should first of all turn to human integrity and then to other things. It seems that Serbia will finally realize that it cannot decide Kosova's fate. This new position by UNMIK can bring results in this respect, because the Serbs now see that not even the internationals will support their absurd demands.