UN envoy in Kosovo vows to help displaced people return to their homes

The top United Nations envoy to Kosovo pledged today to make sure that the thousands of people who fled their homes in the province last week because of ethnic violence will be able to return.

After a tour of houses and religious buildings damaged or destroyed during the rioting, Harri Holkeri, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, said the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) would help the estimated 3,200 displaced people - mostly ethnic Serbs - to return.

"You have the right to return," Mr. Holkeri told people in the town of Lipljan, where several houses were burnt during last week's riots. "Every citizen has a human right to have a home and to live there protected in peace with prosperity."

UNMIK police have reported that the situation in Kosovo is comparatively calm after last week's violence, which left about 30 people dead.

Mr. Holkeri said police are investigating the riots and acts of violence, adding the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

Asked by reporters whether the purpose of last week's violence was ethnic cleansing, Mr. Holkeri said labels were not the most important issue at this time. "Every lost life is one too many. Every destroyed home is one too many. Every destroyed holy site is one too many."

During a tour of damaged apartments in the capital, Pristina, with Mr. Holkeri, Kosovo's Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi promised to provide funds to repair the damage caused by last week's violence.