MINISTER ANDREWS WELCOMES UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON KOSOVO
The Minister for Foreign, Mr. David Andrews TD, today welcomed the Resolution which has been adopted by the United Nations Security Council on Kosovo. The Resolution, which was adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, authorises the creation of an international security force and the setting up of a provisional international civil administration for the province.
Minister Andrews expressed his satisfaction that the intensive recent efforts of the international community to make progress towards achieving a political settlement have now been consolidated in this way, as well as the hope that the unity of purpose shown by the Council in adopting the Resolution would be met by full compliance with its terms by the parties to which it is addressed. He recalled the importance that he had attributed to the Security Council responding to the urgent humanitarian and security needs of all citizens of the province in accordance with the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter.
"The Resolution comprehensively addresses the scale and complexity of the situation" said the Minister. "It provides a clear and detailed road-map of what needs to be done both on the security and the civil sides for the benefit of all citizens".
"The size, duration and costs of the tasks which now lie ahead, and which have to be addressed by the international community with the utmost urgency, must not be underestimated" the Minister cautioned "but the restoration of the province to enable the early return of the refugees and to reverse the effects of the wide-scale devestation is an absolute priority". He said that the Government was committed to assisting in this process.
