Moscow: Ruecker's capriciousness has to be stopped
Russia characterised on Thursday as intolerable the capricious efforts of UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker to limit the UN civil mission in Kosovo and urged that administrative measures be undertaken against him, all the way to removal from office.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, June 12, 2008
"What we have here is capriciousness that cannot be tolerated and which has to be resolutely stopped", official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Andrei Nesterenko underlined.
"We believe that administrative measures will be undertaken against Ruecker, all the way to his removal from office", he added.
Following the report that Ruecker is reducing the UNMIK force, he reiterated that at all the activities of UNMIK and change of the format of international presence in Kosovo were possible only if based on a corresponding decision by the UN Security Council.
"The officials of the UN Secretariat are well aware of this, and as far we know, Ruecker has not received any instructions from them", Nesterenko said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said recently in St. Petersburg that the EULEX mission, which the European Union was planning to deploy in Kosovo, could not be imposed.
"Any form of further international presence in Kosovo has to be acceptable for both Pristina and Belgrade", Lavrov said, pointing out that a decision of the UN Security Council was required for a modification of the current mandate or form of international presence.
