Belgrade, Moscow call on Ban to identity those responsible for March violence
Belgrade and Moscow called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to identity those responsible for the decision to launch a police operation against Serb protesters in Kosovska Mitrovica north in March, which resulted in one death and over 100 people injured.
Friday, August 08, 2008
The secretary-general would have to "underscore the facts based on which those who started the police operation in the District Court in Kosovska Mitrovica, causing incidents and unfortunate events, would be identified", Serbia's Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic said.
"The event itself, the death of one international policeman and more than 100 injured civilians and police and KFOR members, is an admonition to all those in Kosovo that problems may not be solved by using force, but it is also important to identify those responsible for the police intervention in order to stop the manipulation of Serbs as initiators of violence," said Bogdanovic.
Meanwhile, Russia's ambassador to the UN Vitaliy Churkin said Moscow expects Ban "to take a clear stand towards the erroneous and provocative decision of former deputy UMMIK head Larry Rosin to use force.
"We hope that the principled assessment of the actions of those who made those decisions will be given", Churkin said and voiced hope that the Secretariat and the secretary-general would learn the lesson from the developments in Mitrovica and that disciplinary measures would be taken against the former UNMIK leadership.
