UNMIK chief Peter Due told the UN Security Council that tensions in Kosovo and the wider region had increased over the past six months, urging Belgrade and Pristina to implement existing agreements and cooperate in bringing those responsible for the 2023 Banjska attack and the 2024 Ibar-Lepenac canal attack to justice.
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Presenting the UN secretary-general's report covering March 16 to September 15, Due cited rising disputes over municipal authority, property demolitions and evictions, stalled reintegration of Kosovo Serb judges and prosecutors, restrictions on freedom of expression, and difficulties involving Serbia-run healthcare and education institutions and the Serbian Orthodox Church. He said these developments had reinforced perceptions of insecurity and unequal treatment among Kosovo Serbs. He also said 1,577 people remained missing from the Kosovo conflict, urging both sides to keep the issue humanitarian and provide access to relevant archives.
The UNMIK report covering March 16 to September 15 said the overall security situation in Kosovo remained stable, but institutional deadlock continued and progress in implementing agreements reached in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue remained limited. It noted increased tensions between Pristina authorities and local governments, particularly in the north, as well as arrests of Serbs, closures and disruptions affecting institutions operating under Serbia's system, restrictions involving religious and cultural symbols, reports of police mistreatment, and the demolition of property and displacement. These developments, the report said, contributed to insecurity and a sense of unequal treatment among Kosovo Serbs. UNMIK chief Peter Due called for progress in the EU-mediated dialogue and implementation of existing agreements.
Speaking at the UN Security Council, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Albanian President Bajram Begaj of undermining the significance of war-crimes convictions against former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders. Djuric said justice must be delivered to all victims, Serbs and Albanians alike, and criticised proposed legal changes that he said sought to limit the mandate of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
Djuric also cited reports of demolitions affecting Serb-owned property near Lake Gazivode and alleged police mistreatment following the June Vidovdan gathering at Gazimestan, where he said 37 people were arrested, including a minor. He described northern Kosovo as a police protectorate and said only 47 members of non-majority communities had voluntarily returned during the reporting period, none of them Serbs.
Due called for renewed EU-mediated dialogue and implementation of the agreement establishing the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities.
Teme