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| SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO: UNMIK Governer to Resign? |
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2004-05-19 13:07:24 |
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| Harri Holkeri |
Kosovo's United Nations administrator Harri Holkeri returned to the protectorate yesterday following a brief illness, but hinted he might not be much longer in the post, Reuters reported.
"It remains to be seen," the 67-year-old former Finnish prime minister told reporters when pressed on his future in the role of Kosovo governor.
Holkeri was due to meet the commander of the NATO-led peacekeeping mission, KFOR, in the evening and would see Kosovo's ethnic Albanian prime minister, Bajram Rexhepi, on Tuesday, officials said.
He was due to fly to Finland on Tuesday, they added.
Holkeri's grasp on the Kosovo problem was faulted by Western experts in mid-March following the worst ethnic violence in nearly five years. In two days of widespread unrest, 19 people died as rioting Albanians attacked minority Serb enclaves and clashed with NATO and UN police.
Western powers admitted the violence came as a surprise and caught both the UN and NATO unaware. The March clashes focussed fresh attention on Kosovo by the European Union, the United States and Russia.
Holkeri was admitted to hospital in France last week, following a diplomatic function, suffering from what doctors said was fatigue or possibly heart problems.
"I'm feeling quite better now. I'm here to exercise my powers," he told Reuters at Pristina airport yesterday.
Asked to confirm he was leaving for Helsinki on Tuesday, he said: "I don't know yet". But he added that he planned to go to Helsinki for a medical examination. "I want to see my own doctor. My French is not so good," the chief administrator said.
Holkeri is the fourth UN chief Kosovo has had since it became an international protectorate. Critics including former US Balkans troubleshooter Richard Holbrooke say the question of Kosovo's final status has been swept under the carpet.
Holkeri's one-year, renewable mandate would normally expire in August. Possible successors, according to the local rumour mill, include former Irish foreign minister Dick Spring.
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seeurope.net |
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The Event: SEEF 2004
