Thursday, May 26, 2005

Kosovo leader committed to uphold principles of democracy, freedom

Pristina, 25 May: Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi said today that the standards are the basic values and principles of democracy and human freedoms, and that his government is committed to their full implementation.

Kosumi told the media that he has conveyed to the Contact Group [United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy] state members that Kosovo is putting a lot of efforts to build a stable society and democracy, which will be capable to govern on its own.

"We do not deem standards as a table with pluses and minuses, as something that is made today and forgotten tomorrow. The standards represent one of the basic values for democracy and human freedoms," the prime minister said.

While the head of the German office, Jurgen Engel conveyed the message of the Contact Group following the meeting in London on Monday [22 May] that the international community, including Russia, has a united stand on Kosovo.

"We agreed that the so-called comprehensive assessment of standards is very close. We are aware that we have still more to do and we will do it together. The Contact Group has supported the government to achieve a positive evaluation. Of course, the result will not come automatically," Engel said.

He made known that the international community is putting pressure on all sides, including Belgrade, in order to achieve progress in implementation of the standards.

Source: KosovaLive website, Pristina, in English 25 May 05

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