UN envoy urges visiting Serbian President to show Kosovo that Belgrade will foster trust

The senior United Nations envoy for Kosovo today urged the visiting Serbian President to send positive signals on Belgrade's readiness to build bridges of trust.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative, Søren Jessen-Petersen, voiced hope that Serbian President Boris Tadic would use his first visit to Kosovo since 1999 to obtain a complete view of the current situation in the province.

During their meeting at the headquarters of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), the envoy also suggested that the Serbian leader speak with representatives of all communities.

Mr. Jessen-Petersen noted that progress is needed in reaching standards set for Kosovo in the areas of freedom of movement and the return of displaced persons. In this context, he encouraged once more the full participation of Kosovo Serbs in the political and democratic process in order to ensure that maximum progress could be made on issues important to them.

In the meeting, the envoy and the President also discussed the reconstruction of religious monuments. The Provisional Institutions of Self-Government and UNMIK have made funds available and work is ready to proceed, pending a re-engagement of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the process.