§ Mr. SpringTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has a strategy to achieve peace in(a) Kosovo, (b) Macedonia and (c) the Balkans in general; and if he will make a statement. [308]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe UK is working closely with its partners and key international organisations to bring peace and stability to the Balkans.
In Kosovo, we fully support the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) in their efforts, in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1244, to secure the establishment of a democratic, tolerant, multi-ethnic society and to achieve lasting security for all of Kosovo's population. Elections to a Kosovo Assembly in November 2001 will deliver the provisional democratic self-governing institutions foreseen in UNSCR 1244, and will provide an important opportunity for the people of Kosovo to have a say in how Kosovo is to be run. Extremism and organised crime are significant regional problems, and are the biggest internal threat to stability in Kosovo. We support UNMIK and KFOR in their efforts to combat extremism and to promote law and order throughout the province.
In Macedonia, we strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and condemn all acts of extremist violence. We welcome the efforts of EU High Representative Solana and NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson to promote inter-ethnic dialogue and an overall political settlement. The British Ambassador in Skopje has played a key role in recent months as Mr. Solana's Special Representative. We welcome the 25 June decision of the EU's General Affairs Council to appoint a senior political figure, Francois Leotard, as Mr. Solana's new full-time resident representative in Skopje. In the light of recent events, we hope he will be able to encourage all the parties to take the political process forward rapidly, to 89W head off the risk of further violence. We are discussing with Allies a possible NATO role in disarming NLA members in support of any peace agreement.
The key elements of our regional strategy are fostering regional co-operation, inter-ethnic reconciliation and economic reform through the Stability Pact and the EU's Stabilisation and Association Process. As it made clear at the Zagreb summit, the EU has offered the incentives of potential EU membership, generous trade access and technical assistance in return for commitments to democracy, regional co-operation and economic reform. We also continue to take tough measures against extremists and organised crime whose activities continue to undermine the region.