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Prishtinë, Aug 14, 2006 – Most of the dailies in Kosovo report that UNMIK Pillar IV Chief, Joachim Ruecker, is most likely to be appointed as the new SRSG in Kosovo.
According to the Kosovar daily Zëri, Ruecker will be appointed SRSG today. UNMIK officials, who chose to remain anonymous, told Zëri that the spokesperson to the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, would announce the appointment today during the regular daily press conference in New York.
Under the headline Ruecker – The right choice at the right time, Koha Ditore carries the reactions of political parties in Kosovo in support to Ruecker’s eventual appointment as SRSG. “Ruecker is known as a dynamic person, who made the drove the privatisation forward” Koha quotes the LDK Spokesperson, Lulzim Zeneli as saying. “He is familiar with the political situation in Kosovo. He is the right person [for the post of SRSG].”
Meanwhile, Bajram Rexhepi, PDK Vice Chairman is quoted as saying: “Ruecker accelerated the privatisation process. He was not bureaucratic. [This appointment] is the best choice. He is very familiar with the circumstances in Kosovo, including the political process. I think that his nomination will reflect positively the political process in Kosovo.”
Also the AAK Spokesperson, Ernest Luma, praised Ruecker for his commitment. “He proved to be highly responsible during his mandate as UNMIK Pillar IV Chief. He contributed dynamically to the privatisation process and his resume is comprehensive. Ruecker is very welcome,” said Luma.
Under the headline “No more monarch”, Express reads that the local political parties welcome Ruecker’s eventual appointment. The paper also notes that politicians and political experts say that the SRSG is not the most important person in Kosovo. “I wouldn’t call this an extraordinary event – the appointment of Ruecker or someone of his profile in the post that has so far been described as the post of monarch in Kosovo. The SRSG is no longer the most important person in Kosovo. Now there is the Contact Group, the direct engagement of UNOSEK and the European Union,” said a local expert.
Meanwhile the Kosovar Radio-Television and Reuters confirm that the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has appointed Joachim Ruecker as of today for the post of UN Mission Administrator for Kosovo. Ruecker is expected to be the last UN Administrator in Kosovo, since the UNMIK Mission approaches its end.
ECIKS