Guterres welcomes normalisation deal, voices concern over regression

NEW YORK - In a new semi-annual report on Kosovo-Metohija, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed an EU-facilitated agreement on a road map to normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations and its implementation annex.

In the report on UNMIK activities and developments in the period between September 16 and March 18, Guterres said the new dialogue framework had the potential to advance the process towards reaching long-term solutions.

He said continued constructive engagement on comprehensive implementation of the agreement would be necessary for building common foundations, maintaining stability and averting any re-emergence of tensions and conflicts.

He noted that developments in the reporting period had escalated tensions to a crisis level and that this had resulted in the most concerning regression since the start of the dialogue process in 2011.

He said stepped-up and incendiary rhetoric by all parties, barricades on roads, multiple security incidents and protests in the north of Kosovo-Metohija had increased the risk of violence.

All parties should exercise restraint and work on resolving all issues peacefully and through dialogue, rather than through escalation and by crossing the line, the report said.

The report includes a detailed description of events in November 2022, when Kosovo-Metohija Serbs left Pristina's institutions, and all developments that followed.

Guterres noted that progress on other urgent issues in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue had been limited as a result of escalated tensions on the ground.

He also said further progress in the dialogue was crucial for creating conditions for a return of Serb representatives from north Kosovo to Pristina's institutions.