§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the NATO Secretary General's message to the Prime Minister of Kosovo on the responsibility of the Kosovar Albanian leaders for the upsurge of violence in Kosovo. [166029]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe NATO Secretary General condemned the inter-ethnic violence in Kosovo in his statement of 17 March and urged all ethnic communities to act responsibly to avoid further escalation. He also saluted the courage and professionalism of the Kosovo Force soldiers on the ground, operating at great personal risk, to stop the violence and uphold law and order.
I endorse the Secretary General's call for all regional political leaders to encourage tolerance and condemn acts of violence. As 1 stated in the House on 30 March 2004, Official Report, columns 1408–11, we need to encourage a new dialogue between responsible politicians both in Belgrade and Pristina. That 335W relationship must be formed on the basis of common European values, the rule of law and democracy, and above all respect for minorities. I will reinforce this message during my visit to the region this week.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the recent upsurge in violence in Kosovo. [166030]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe international community will not tolerate inter-ethnic violence in Kosovo nor tolerate attacks on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and the Kosovo Force. The United Kingdom is committed to a peaceful, stable, democratic European future for the Balkans.
I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer 1 gave in the House to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 30 March 2004, Official Report, columns 1408–11. There have been no further developments.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) whether he has received a copy of the report of the UNESCO Director-General's expert mission to Kosovo in 2003 to evaluate the state of monuments there and propose a plan of action to safeguard them; and if he will make that report available to hon. Members; [166031]
(2) if he will make a statement on the enforcement of the Hague Convention of 1954 on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and other pertinent international normative instruments in the case of Kosovo; [166032]
(3) if he will make a statement on the UK's financial contribution to the urgent operations recommended by the UNESCO Director-General's expert mission to Kosovo to safeguard cultural and religious monuments. [166033]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe report of UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Director-General's expert mission to Kosovo is not yet available but I have been assured that it will be made public in the near future. The UK has not been asked for any extra-budgetary funds following this mission. The UK already contributes over £11 million a year to UNESCO's regular budget, making us the fourth largest contributor.
Within Kosovo, the UN mission in Kosovo is responsible for applying those provisions of the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property applicable outside of recognised armed conflict. Recent events in Kosovo give this responsibility even greater pertinence. I will visit Kosovo this week and I will make the point that that part of Europe's history deserves our special attention and protection. The UK's continued commitment to the Convention was made clear at the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in December 2003, where we co-signed a pledge supporting the 1954 Hague Convention with the Government of Serbia and Montenegro.