Head of the UN Mission in Kosovo Joachim Rucker called on Serbs in Kosovo, a breakaway province of Serbia, on Tuesday to participate in elections scheduled for next month.
Rucker, the UN chief's special representative in the UN- administered province, made the appeal after he briefed the UN Security Council on the work of the UN mission.
He told reporters that it was "very reassuring for us on the ground that many members of the council stressed how important ... it is that the Kosovo Serbs participate in the elections."
The 15-member body also underscored that "there should not be any direct or indirect calls for (the) boycott of these elections" scheduled to take place on Nov. 17, he noted.
In the past, the envoy said that "it was our impression that Belgrade has actually called for such boycotts directly or indirectly," and in response has asked Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica to ensure that there will be no calls to stay away from polls.
Rucker said he also asked Kostunica to make sure that internally displaced persons from Kosovo currently living in Serbia can vote in the November elections.
Under international supervision, parliamentary elections will be held in Kosovo on November 17.
Serbia has insisted that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia and therefore should remain within its border, while Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians account for 90 percent of its 2 million population, has repeatedly asked for complete independence.
In a report made public earlier this month, UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon said that "the status determination process continues to polarize the Kosovo Serb political community into those who see a future in working with the international community and the Provisional Institutions and those who do not."
He also underscored that any delay in determining the future status of the province could threaten the gains made by the UN in Kosovo.
Ban pledged the world body's support for discussions between the two sides led by the Troika, comprising the European Union, Russia and the United States.
He also called on Kosovo Serbs to fully take part in the upcoming elections.
Kosovo has threatened to unilaterally declare independence if the extended 120-day talks come to nothing by Dec. 10 when the so- called Kosovo troika should report the result of the talks to the United Nations.
Source: Xinhua
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