UNMIK: Privatisation to resume as soon as possible

Prishtina, 27 February 2004 – Referring to BBC news service, Zëri reports that the United Nations in New York stated that the privatization process in Kosovo, which has been blocked for almost four months, should continue and added that there must be a will to overcome the problems.

A UN spokesperson in New York, Ari Gaitanis, told BBC that the members of the Security Council agree that the process of privatization shall continue as soon as possible. The general stance of the UN in New York is that the privatization should continue and New York and SRSG Holkeri are aware of this, added Gaitanis.

‘I think that you should understand that every privatization process in Central and Eastern Europe was accompanied by problems and this is not a direct process. What is needed is the will and wish to overcome the problems, and we all hope that we will see such development in Kosovo as well,’ Gaitanis was quoted as saying.

Asked whether New York was clear in transmitting this message to SRSG Holkeri, DSRSG Lambsdorff and Marie Fucci, Gaitanis said: ‘I think that Harri Holkeri is very much aware of all the issues related to privatization. He is the Special Representative of the Secretary General and naturally we believe that he has the force to move things forward. Last time he was here he presented a report to the UN Security Council and he mentioned privatization. His message was that privatization must continue and everyone, i.e. the 15 Security Council member states agreed to this. There was no challenge or disagreement by the Security Council related to the continuation of the process.’

ECIKS