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At UN, Serbia's Vuk Jeremic Speaks of Kosovo, Says Ruecker "Doesn't Deserve" Higher UN Post

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, April 4 -- Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic met late Friday with the UN's Ban Ki-moon, then after 7 p.m. took question from the two media outlets left, a television station and Inner City Press. He spoke of Serbia asking the International Court of Justice to declare Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, and some countries' recognition of it, as illegal. Inner City Press asked him about the European Union's announcement that so-called Pillar IV of the UN Mission in Kosovo will end in June. While Ban's Deputy Spokesperson declined to comment on this earlier on Friday, Jeremic replied that he told Ban that the UN must keep up UNMIK, under Security Council Resolution 1244. He said that Ban assured him that the UN is in fact conducting an investigation of its actions in Metrovica on March 17, when they stormed the courthouse and re-took it by force.

            Back on April 1, Inner City Press had asked Ban's Associate Spokesperson Farhan Haq about "reports that UNMIK in Kosovo has alleged that Serbian Interior Ministry personnel were in Mitrovica when this courthouse incident took place and that somehow they have an office there, something that Serbia rejects.  Is that what UNMIK is alleging and, if so, based on what evidence?

            Haq answered, "I'll have to look into that.  I hadn't heard of that before."

            But rather than look into it and provide an answer or evidence, while the noon briefing was still going on, Haq's colleague upstairs e-mailed Inner City Press that the question should be directed to UNMIK. But UNMIK increasingly says it is waiting for guidance from New York, meaning that the questions should be asked in New York. Ultimately, Ban Ki-moon is responsible, as Vuk Jeremic on Friday made clear.

            Of the rumor inside the UN that the current head of UNMIK Joachim Ruecker might come to New York to take over the Department of Management, with a promotion to Under-Secretary-General, Vuk Jeremic said without hesitation, "He doesn't deserve it." We'll see.

Vuk Jeremic at the UN, Ruecker "doesn't deserve it."

Press analysis: A Balkan diplomat consulted by Inner City Press said the reason that a Swiss cantonization of Kosovo could never work is that while "Switzerland is rich," Kosovo does not have the economy to support such an arrangement. He mused that in Ban Ki-moon's upcoming trip to Russia he will attempt to render moot what he said was Russia's threat to veto any second term as Secretary-General for Mr. Ban. He predicted that Kostunica would represent Serbia at the Council's April 21 debate, and openly questioned why the UN never responded to Serbia's formal request for an emergency meeting following the events of March 17 in Mitrovica. "It's strange they didn't answer," he said. Strange indeed...

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Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

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