UN General Assembly
2004

plight of some 600,000 refugees; hopelessness among young people, which breeds drug dependence; a rising suicide rate; and the desperate position of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. The reality of Kosovo and Metohija today is both dramatic and grim. Over the past five years, the international administration and dominance of the Albanian majority of this Serbian province have led to the killing or abduction of more than 2,500 Serbs, including many children, and to the destruction of 1,500-year-old churches and monasteries and approximately 40,000 homes. As a result of terrorism and massive violations of basic human rights, nearly 200,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians have been expelled from Kosovo and Metohija. The hopes of suffering victims are directed towards the United Nations, particularly its bodies and specialized agencies. I take this opportunity to express my most profound gratitude to the Secretary-General and to the Director-General of UNESCO for the decision to convene, in November, an international donor conference aimed at funding the reconstruction of destroyed churches and monasteries in Kosovo. We are also grateful for the principled position that all