UNMIK Chief reports to UN Security Council

The Beta news agency reported her as pointing out the concerns of the Kosovo Serbs in the northern municipalities over the unilateral steps taken by the authorities in Pristina. Ziadeh is in New York to present the latest 6-month report on the situation in Kosovo.

She said that every time the Kosovo authorities implemented a measure that was not consulted and agreed with Kosovo Serb representatives and in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, many Kosovo Serbs perceived it as antagonistic. She added that the Serbs have complained that the closure of Serbian government institutions in the northern majority-Serb municipalities limits their access to important services and that they are concerned that the Kosovo government will try to do the same with health care and education institutions.

Ziadeh said that there were several reported cases of the arrest of people exercising their right to freedom of expression over the past few weeks.

She warned of danger if the bridge across the Ibar river dividing the city of Mitrovica is opened to traffic and of excessive use of force by the Kosovo Police.

She called for a comprehensive investigation into the Banjska armed incident on September 24, 2023, describing it as a serious security incident.

The UNMIK chief said trust in Kosovo institutions is low and added that the EU-facilitated dialogue is crucial to resolving Serb-Albanian problems in Kosovo.