Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu promised on Thursday full cooperation with the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) during its process of reconfiguration in the next four months.
Addressing the press after meeting the UNMIK chief Lamberto Zannier, Sejdiu said that Kosovo welcomed the UN's decision to start the mission's reconfiguration after nine years of governance of the territory since 1999.
Zannier said that the UNMIK has received the long-awaited "green light" to begin reconfiguration and he saw the end of October as the deadline for ending the process.
This process means a change of UNMIK mandate and its role in Kosovo, scaling down its personnel and transferring much authorities to local institutions and the EU Justice and Law Mission (EULEX).
Kosovo, which is dominated by ethnic Albanians, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia with Western backing on Feb. 17.It has since won recognition from 43 countries, including the United States and most EU countries.
However, Serbia and the some 120,000 Kosovo Serbs rejected Kosovo's independence as illegal under international law.
UNMIK reconfiguration starts at a tense moment in interethnic relations in Kosovo. Ethnic Serbs in Kosovo have announced the establishment of their own parliament on Saturday or June 28, which coincides with the Vidovdan Day or St. Vitus's Day, the anniversary of the 1389 epic Battle of Kosovo, a lost battle of Serbs and other Balkan nations against Ottoman Empire.
The Serb parliament will be formed on the basis of May 11 general and local elections conducted by Serbia also in Kosovo.
To avoid possible incidents on Saturday, international and local security forces, including NATO-led peacekeeping forces (KFOR) have set up a special plan.
"We've established a common planning with three (KFOR, UN Police and Kosovo Police) agencies responsible for the security and I'm confident in the sense of responsibility of all actors in this event," said KFOR commander Xavier De Marnhac.
Source:Xinhua
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