KOSOVO: UN MISSION CONDEMNS VIOLENCE, RETAKES MITROVICA COURTHOUSE

KOSOVO: UN MISSION CONDEMNS VIOLENCE, RETAKES MITROVICA COURTHOUSE New York, Mar 17 2008 1:00PM Condemning the violence that has injured its personnel and destroyed equipment in Mitrovica, the United Nations mission in Kosovo today re-established control of its courthouse – which a mob had forcibly occupied last week – in the city.

The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (<"http://www.unmikonline.org/index.html">UNMIK) said that its joint operation, launched this morning with the NATO-led Kosovo Force, or KFOR, was continuing. Initial reports from the scene indicate that some UNMIK police officers and KFOR soldiers have been injured, with some vehicles from both contingents burned.

Temporarily, UNMIK police from north Mitrovica are redeploying outside of the city to other parts of the region while KFOR re-establishes control inside.

Dozens of people have been arrested, UNMIK said in a press release, stressing that the violence directed at the UN mission and at KFOR "is a flagrant breach of UN Security Council resolution <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1244(1999)">1244," which set up the UN administration after Western forces drove out Yugoslav forces amid inter-ethnic fighting in 1999.

"The resort to violence crosses one of the red lines that have been clearly articulated to the leaders of Kosovo Serbs in the north and to officials in Belgrade," the release said.

Principal Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Kosovo
Larry Rossin called on all Kosovo communities to exercise calm so that UNMIK can continue to efficiently fulfil its mandate throughout the territory of Kosovo.

"I specifically urge those who are reacting in a violent manner to the action taken by
UNMIK and KFOR to respect law and order and to cease their illegal activities," he said.

Last month, the Assembly of Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government declared independence from Serbia, and since then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has underlined the need for restraint from all sides.
2008-03-17 00:00:00.000

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