Kosovo holds key to regional peace, new UN envoy says on arrival

Arriving in Kosovo to take up his duties as head of the United Nations Interim Assistance Mission (UNMIK) there, Søren Jessen-Petersen today emphasized the province's crucial role in regional stability.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, the envoy said Kosovo is the last piece in the puzzle taking the western Balkans from the conflicts of the 1990s towards normalization, stabilization and European integration.

"I firmly believe that there will be no normalization, no stabilization in the western Balkans unless the issue of Kosovo is resolved,” he said. Stability, normality, clarity of status in Kosovo will benefit not only Kosovo, its inhabitants, but the entire region.”

He pledged to work hard with his colleagues in UNMIK, with the provisional authorities and with all concerned to help Kosovo advance for the sake of its people.