UN Security Council discuss regular quarterly report on Kosovo

The UN Security Council will review today in New York the UN Secretary-General's regular quarterly report on Kosovo. 

Serbia's initiative for an independent investigation under a UN mandate into organ trafficking in the province should also be discussed. The session will be attended by Serbia's Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and UNMIK Head Lamberto Zannier.

Serbia's proposal has not been formally included on the agenda for the session, but Jeremic said earlier that he will start a discussion on Serbia's initiative, which has since received support from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The UN Secretary-General forwarded to the UNSC member countries Serbia's proposal that the body start an investigation into the allegations of organ trafficking in Kosovo made in the report of Council of Europe Rapporteur Dick Marty.

The report names members of the ethnic Albanian KLA as perpetrators of atrocities that included kidnappings and murder for their organs of Serb and other civilians in Kosovo in 1999 and 2000.

In his latest quarterly report on Kosovo, Ban Ki-moon pointed out that a thorough, unbiased and independent investigation is needed into the organ trafficking in Kosovo, with a strong witness protection program and full cooperation from all sides.

Serbia's proposal is now an official UNSC document, so tomorrow's session will in a way mark the start of debate on the initiative, even though it is not officially on the agenda, assessed head of Serbia's Mission to the UN Feodor Starcevic.

The session will also be attended by the Pristina government's Foreign Minister Enver Hodzaj, it has been announced. Kosovo Albanian representatives usually attend these session as private persons, at the invitation of one of the member countries, and in line with Article 39 of the UNSC Rules of Procedure.