Unrest in Kosovo

We cannot afford another wave of violence in Kosovo. Recently, the violence against the Serbian population in Kosovo jeopardized the United Nations Mission (UNMIK) there and the efforts of the international community aimed at a peaceful resolution of the problem of the province.

All facts on the ground lead to the conclusion, confirmed by public statements of NATO and UNMIK officials, that the attacks and destruction were planned and orchestrated. The unfortunate and deplorable accidents involving three Albanian children and the previous shooting of a Serb teenager, although still under investigation, had been used as a pretext for the mounting of a campaign of ethnic violence against Serbs.

The Serbian population suffered attacks, that according to statements by a NATO commander and many international officials, amounted to ethnic cleansing.

It took KFOR and UNMIK almost three days to restore order. The U.N. said at least 3,500 Serbs and other non-Albanians fled their homes. Twenty-eight people were killed, and around 850 injured. Hundreds of Serbian houses were burned and 30 Serbian Orthodox Churches, some of them jewels of medieval art and under UNESCO protection, were destroyed.

However, the first reaction of Kosovo Albanian leaders was not to condemn the violence, but to demand independence.

Regrettably, there were also some in Belgrade and Nis who thought they could use the violence in Kosovo as an excuse for going against a city mosque. But their actions were met by a swift reaction by the authorities: 78 people were arrested and the crowds dispersed. No lives were lost.

The strong denunciation of the attacks issued subsequently by political leaders in Belgrade and the dismissal of a Belgrade police chief, after the incident, prove the government in Belgrade does not take its responsibilities lightly.

For the moment, the situation in Kosovo is calm .The international forces in the province have hopefully regained full control on the ground. But how long can the fragile peace last? And at what cost? In the last five years, out of 230 000 Serbs and other non-Albanians who fled the province in 1999, under a similar wave of ethnic violence by Albanian extremists, no more than 1,500 Serbs returned (according to the United Nations).

On March 17, 2004 and the following days, around 3,500 of Serbs fled their homes. Four years of international efforts were canceled in two days. We must not allow political extremism to force the resolution of the Kosovo problem. However, it is obvious that statements and declarations of good intentions are not sufficient if the situation is to be dealt with seriously.

If not backed by resolve and carefully planned actions, such statements are understood and taken by extremists as expressions of weakness.

For Kosovo, we must seek a solution that can be long-lasting and acceptable to the Serbs, Kosovo Albanians, our neighbors and the whole region. For such a solution to be found, careful consideration and the involvement of the international community are necessary.

In the meantime, if the Serbs and other non-Albanians are to remain in the province, additional efforts are required, as well as additional institutional guarantees.

In this regard, we consider decentralization and territorial autonomy as a potential and necessary step toward stabilizing the situation and securing the survival of Serbs and other minority communities in the province.

The U.N. Security Council will have to define the appropriate political and security guidelines for the civilian and military missions in Kosovo in these new and difficult circumstances.

If these necessary steps are not taken very soon, under U.S. and international leadership, the objective of creating a multiethnic and democratic Kosovo and Metohija, which Serbia and Montenegro still considers the only one worth pursuing, will be irreversibly damaged.

We cannot afford another wave of violence.

Goran Svilanovic is the foreign minister of Serbia and Montenegro.