UN Appoints Adviser On Minorities In Kosovo

The U.N. mission in Kosovo appointed a Canadian lawyer Monday as a senior adviser for minority issues in the province.

Craig Jenness took up his position "to reach out and maintain" a dialogue with minorities, a U.N. statement said.

He will focus on issues such as security, the return of displaced people, freedom of movement and reform of local governance, which are all still difficult areas.

Kosovo has been administered by a U.N. mission since mid-1999 when an air war by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ended a crackdown by Serb forces on ethnic Albanians seeking independence.

Its status remains unresolved, with Serbs wanting the province to remain part of Serbia and its ethnic Albanian majority insisting on full independence