Kosovo a Fine Lesson to the UN in the International Struggle Against Ethnic Conflict

'Kosovo is a fine lesson for the UN in the international struggle against ethnic conflict', was a conclusion of the discussions at the UN Genocide Conference. United Nations The lesson includes establishment of peace-keeping forces in the conflict region as soon as possible, in order to prevent revenge action and facilitation of expedite return of the refugees, said Jean-Christian Cady, Deputy to the UN Special Envoy in Kosovo on the Stockholm international forum on prevention of genocide. 'Kosovo is a fine example for what the UN and the international force could do to stop the ethnic cleansing and construct the political instruments for further conflict prevention' he added. Cady also mentioned that the province remains under the UN patronage since 1999, i.e. after the eruption of conflict between the ethnic Albanians and Serbs that live in the area. Cady emphasized the fact that the secret of the success of the action lies in the preparedness of the international community to take decisive action and stop the ethnic cleansing, as well as in the expedient sending of an international mission with a proper military component. “One failure appeared during the establishment of the peace mandate, in the Summer and Autumn of 1999, when we had a lot of retaliation and revenge going on, which turned the victims into killers,” said Caddy. Another problem appeared with the return of the refugees; nearly all Albanian refugees returned to their homes. On the other hand, in spite of the fact that more than four years have passed since the start of the conflict, the majority of Serb refugees are yet to return. Caddy also added that a swift and efficient justice should precede the process of reconciliation, so that no crime remains unpunished, regardless of who was the victim and whatever the nationality of the executioner.