HOLKERI SAYS RECENT VIOLENCE SHOOK UN MISSION IN KOSOVO

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, May 12 (Hina) - Recent cases of violence have shaken the UN Mission in Kosovo, but the Mission plans to stop the violence, punish the perpetrators and continue to assist the province in the process of establishing the self-governing system, UN Civil Administrator in Kosovo Harri Holkeri told the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday.#L# The pace in which the incidents have spread has exceeded the possibilities of the international forces (KFOR) and the UN police to respond properly, Holkeri said in his first address to the Security Council after the recent wave of violence in Kosovo in which in two days 19 persons were killed and over 1,000 were injured. The UN Mission in Kosovo is trying to bring to justice those responsible for the violence and some 270 people have already been arrested, Holkeri said and added that the priority of the UN mission was to arrest the organisers of the violent incidents. He said that the incidents had negatively affected the return process and that the return of refugees in Kosovo demanded an increased protection which will be provided by KFOR and the UN police. Saying that Kosovo was an open wound for Serbs, Albanian and the international community, Serbia-Montenegro's Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic said the presidential statement which the Security Council adopted after the violence broke out did not properly respond to the tragedy the Serbs had suffered in Kosovo. Draskovic called on the Security Council to ensure the respect of Resolution 1244 which gave the mandate to the UNMIK. In his opinion, the international community preocupation at the moment should not be Kosovo's final status, given that the rights of Serbs have been violated. Draskovic called for dialogue between Serbs and Albanians, directly or through the mediation of the international community. (Hina) it