I should like at the outset to thank the Secretary-General for his report and to thank Mr. Jessen-Petersen for his briefing. I should also like to thank Mr. Cović for participating in this meeting and for his statement. Mr. Jessen-Petersen has done a great deal of active work since he assumed his post last year, and we express our appreciation to him for that. We believe that in his future work he will continue to earnestly carry out the mandate entrusted to him by the Security Council.

This is a crucial period for Kosovo. The current developments in the situation will have an important bearing on its future and on the stability of the entire Balkan region. We have always believed that a sound and comprehensive settlement of the question of Kosovo will require comprehensive implementation of resolution 1244 (1999).

During the most recent period, the situation in Kosovo has remained generally stable. We welcome the active efforts of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government to implement the standards in relevant fields. However, we also note that progress in some key areas remains insufficient, including promoting the return of refugees and ensuring the safety and freedom of movement of minority communities. We also note that progress has been slow in addressing the issues of employment and economic development and in improving the lives of members of minority groups. We hope that Kosovo.s leaders will cooperate actively with UNMIK to undertake further measures in those areas to effectively promote trust and reconciliation among all ethnic communities, thus laying a solid foundation for peaceful coexistence among all of Kosovo.s communities. In addition, we hope that the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government and Belgrade will resume direct dialogue as soon as possible. That is essential in order to steer developments in the situation in Kosovo in the right direction.

This year is a crucial one for Kosovo. We believe that during this next stage work should focus on the implementation of the relevant standards in all areas. We hope for a sincere and pragmatic spirit on all sides, which will help promote implementation. Any acts of violence such as those that occurred last March would have very serious and negative consequences and are therefore unacceptable. We hope that Kosovo can achieve substantive results in the economic and security areas and thereby effectively improve the lives of all the peoples of Kosovo.