Europe

Kofi Annan

Former Soviet states must move speedily to confront HIV/AIDS – Annan

31 March 2005
With 1.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) of former Soviet nations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, a coordinated response from all sectors of society and leadership at every level are vital to combat the scourge, United Nations Secretary-General told a regional meeting today.

UN war crimes tribunal grants Bosnian Serb early release

31 March 2005
A Bosnian Serb camp officer sentenced to seven years' jail by a United Nations war crimes tribunal for his role in what was described as "a hellish orgy of persecutions" has been released after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

Annan notes exemplary give-and-take in 1905 dissolution of Norway-Sweden union

30 March 2005
The compromises in the Karlstad agreement between Norway and Sweden in the peaceful dissolution of their union 100 years ago are an inspiration to a world still riven by conflict, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today, marking the anniversary year of the separation.
Asylum seeker (right) in Brno, Czech Republic

European asylum bill might lead to breach of international law, UN agency warns

29 March 2005
Reiterating its “serious concerns” over new European Union (EU) legislation on asylum, the United Nations refugee agency today warned that without additional safeguards the measure might lead to breaches of international refugee law, and it urged Member States to adopt more favourable provisions.
Bosnian refugees

New asylum law in Serbia and Montenegro hailed by UN refugee agency

28 March 2005
The United Nations refugee agency has welcomed a new asylum law adopted by Serbia and Montenegro as “a concrete step” towards establishing a national asylum system in a country recovering from years of conflict and displacement, thus completing the introduction of international standards throughout the Balkans.

UN urges Serbia's leaders to encourage Kosovo Serbs to join in political process

28 March 2005
The United Nations administrator of Kosovo met with top Serbian leaders in Belgrade today and urged them to encourage Kosovo Serbs to participate in the political process in the province where Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities 9 to 1.
UNMIK chief Søren Jessen-Petersen

UN hails agreement on reconstructing Serbian religious sites in Kosovo

25 March 2005
The senior United Nations envoy to Kosovo today welcomed a new memorandum paving the way for the reconstruction of Serbian religious sites damaged during violence there last year.
Paddy Ashdown briefs Security Council

Bosnian Serbs change attitude towards war crimes tribunal, Security Council told

23 March 2005
The decision by the Serb entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina to hand over indictees to a United Nations war crimes tribunal seems to signify a change of attitude at last, 10 years after the massacre of up to 8,000 Muslims by Serbs in Srebrenica and the Dayton accords that ended the war there, the Security Council was told today.
Jessen-Petersen

UN envoy welcomes election of new government in Kosovo

23 March 2005
The United Nations administrator of Kosovo today welcomed the Kosovo Assembly's election of a new government, following the previous prime minister's resignation and surrender on war crimes charges earlier this month, as reflecting the province's democratic process and the proper functioning of institutions which have shown political maturity within the constitutional framework.
SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen

Kosovo: UN administrator welcomes moves towards forming new government

18 March 2005
The United Nations administrator for Kosovo today welcomed progress made towards forming a new government after last week’s resignation of the prime minister as an important stage towards determining the final status of the ethnically-divided Serbian province which the world body has run since 1999.