For immediate release 9 October
2006
PRESS COMMUNIQUE - COMMUNIQUE PRESSE
NATO parliamentarians Visit Kosovo
NATO parliamentarians visited Kosovo on 4-6 October on a fact-finding
mission. Members of the NATO Parliamentary AssemblyÂ’s Political
Committee met with senior representatives from the international
community, including KFOR, UNMIK, and the EUÂ’s Senior High
Representative. On its way to Kosovo, the delegation met UN Special
Envoy Martti Athisaari in Vienna, whilst in Pristina it held
meetings, among others, with KosovoÂ’s Prime Minister Agim Ceku and
President Fatmir Sejdiu, as well as with leaders of the
Kosovo-Serb community.
NATO legislators were “impressed” by the competence
and dedication displayed by KFOR troops under the command of General
Roland Kather. Karl A. Lamers (Germany), head of the NATO PA
delegation, said he and his colleagues were “impressed by the work
done by NATO and partner countries in Kosovo”. Mr Lamers added that the
Assembly wholeheartedly supported the work of Mr.Athisaari, and
encouraged all parties in Kosovo to fully engage in the status process
and related technical talks.
In talks with the representatives of Kosovo Provisional Institutions of
Self-Government (PISG), the NATO PA delegation said that the joint future
of Kosovo and South-East Europe lies in full European and transatlantic
integration, which rules out any form of discrimination and requires the
establishment of the rule of law. The delegation also understood that a
solution would have to be supported by the people of Kosovo and would
have to improve living conditions for all. Mr Lamers and his
colleagues called upon all Kosovo leaders to explain to their
electoratethat any compromise will require sacrifices from both
sides.
Members of the delegation shared the view that the preferred outcome of
the negotiations is an institutional arrangement that will allow for the
establishment of a stable multi-ethnic society in Kosovo. Moreover,
the outcome of the negotiations should allow to support and monitor the
further implementation of the standards established by the Contact Group
to Kosovo PISG.
Mr Lamers said that as the governments of the NATO member states, the
parliamentarians of the Alliance remained committed to securing peace and
stability in Kosovo and in South-East Europe as a whole by ensuring an
international military and civilian presence as long as the situation
requires.
For further information, please
contact
e-mail:
Press@nato-pa.int
NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Place du Petit Sablon 3, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tél: (32) 2 513 28 65 | Fax: (32) 2 514 18 47 |
website: http://
www.nato-pa.int
|
Background
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly, founded in 1955 with a
Brussels-based secretariat,
brings together 248national parliamentarians from the 26 NATO countries.
In addition, 13 associate delegations from Central and Eastern Europe,
Ukraine and Russia;
4Mediterranean Associate delegations: Morocco, algeria, Jordan,
Israel
and 8 Parliamentary Observer delegations participate in Assembly
activities and meetings.