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Annan mourns death of President Rugova of Kosovo, urges continued unity

Annan mourns death of President Rugova of Kosovo, urges continued unity

Ibrahim Rugova (left) and Dr. Bajram Rexhepi
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today mourned the passing of Kosovo's President, Ibrahim Rugova, and urged that his legacy of peace be sustained in the period ahead.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today mourned the passing of Kosovo's President, Ibrahim Rugova, and urged that his legacy of peace be sustained in the period ahead.

In a statement released by his spokesman, the Secretary General hailed the late politician for having “demonstrated true leadership and advocated a peaceful solution for Kosovo.”

He noted that Mr. Rugova passed away at a crucial moment, with final preparations now underway for talks on Kosovo's future status. “The Secretary General trusts in the maturity of Kosovo's institutions and believes that the loss of Kosovo's President will not disrupt this process,” the spokesman said.

The Secretary General also called on the Kosovo political leaders to maintain their unity and continue cooperating with his Special Envoy, Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, and his Special Representative, Mr. Soren Jessen-Petersen.

In Kosovo, the senior UN envoy and key leaders issued a joint statement. “Together with the people of Kosovo we are united in our grief and sorrow,” Mr. Jessen-Petersen, Assembly Speaker Nexhat Daci, Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi, PDK leader Hashim Thaci, ORA leader Veton Surroi, and Co-ordinator of Status Working Groups Blerim Shala said.

“Together with the people we are united in our determination to see Kosovo continue on its path towards a peaceful and prosperous future,” they pledged.

In his own personal statement, Mr. Jessen-Petersen said, “The best tribute we can pay to President Rugova and his legacy is to stay united during the coming months. Indeed, this is the moment for all the people and political leaders of Kosovo to pull together and show the maturity and wisdom that would serve Kosovo well now and in the future.”

Martti Ahtisaari, the UN Special Envoy for the future status process for Kosovo, issued his own statement praising the late President for his determination to work for a better future. “I expect the momentum generated by President Rugova to be sustained, and that Kosovo's political leaders assume the responsibility to remain unified and actively support our common efforts to realize Kosovo's status,” he said.

Mr. Ahtisaari reiterated his commitment to leading the status process “to culminate in a political settlement that determines the future status of Kosovo.”

In September, officials announced that Mr. Rugova had lung cancer.

Mr. Rugova received a majority of votes during elections in late 2001 but only came to office in February of the following year after Kosovo's Albanian parties reached an accord which paved the way for him to assume the presidency. During his term in office, he survived a number of assassination attempts, including a grenade attack on his home in March 2004 and an explosive offensive against his convoy one year later.

The UN has run Kosovo since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) drove out Yugoslav troops amid grave human rights abuses in fighting between Serbs and Albanians in 1999.