July 18, 2000
One of Kosovo's main ethnic Albanian political parties said on Monday it would resume normal relations with the province's United Nations administration, broken off in protest more than two weeks ago. The Democratic Party of Kosovo, led by Hashim Thaci, said talks had resolved most of the issues which prompted it to suspend its role in the Interim Administrative Council (IAC), the centerpiece of a power-sharing structure set up by the UN
Thaci said he had held talks with Bernard Kouchner, the French head of the administration, and officials from the six-nation Contact Group of major powers over the past few weeks. "After assurances from Kouchner and representatives of the Contact Group, we decided to continue our work in the IAC," Thaci told a news conference in the Kosovo capital Pristina. The DPK, the main political force to emerge from the Kosovo Liberation Army which fought against Serb rule, froze ties on June 30 in protest over a number of issues, including a deal struck between the UN and leaders of Kosovo's Serb minority.
Since Kosovo came under international control last year, Serbs have been the targets of numerous violent attacks by members of the ethnic Albanian majority seeking vengeance for repression by Serb forces. NATO bombing drove Serb forces out of Kosovo in June last year, paving the way for the establishment of the KFOR peacekeeping force and the U.N.-led administration.
The UN insists the agreement with the Serbs is meant purely to provide better security and access to services for the minority, while many ethnic Albanians see it as a first step towards dividing the province into self-governing cantons. The UN mission in Kosovo welcomed Thaci's decision to return. "We're very happy," said Nadia Younes, a UN spokeswoman. "Now the work can restart and we can tackle the real problems and move towards elections."
Thaci said his party remained opposed to the deal with the Serbs but had made progress on several other issues of concern such as the treatment of war invalids, relatives of people killed in the Kosovo war and pensioners. He said drafts of three regulations on social issues had been drawn up and were now being studied by experts. He also said he hoped there would be no need for the special arrangements for the Serbs after local elections in October.
"After the free elections, there will be a new reality," he said.
Privately, UN officials had been fairly relaxed about Thaci's suspension of participation, seeing it more as a move to shore up political support. Thaci's decision allows him to return to the IAC in time for a visit to Kosovo by NATO Secretary-General George Robertson and the 19 permanent ambassadors of the alliance on Tuesday.
