Also participating in the press conference was Special Representative of the Secretary General in Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup. Later in the day Powell traveled to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United States and the International Community remain firmly committed to the full implementation of the UNSC Resolution 1244, which calls for the development of provisional democratic institutions or autonomous self-government in Kosovo. Elections should be held as soon as possible this year. Our conversation this morning with the IAC touched on all of these points.
Democracy permits the participation of all citizens.
We encourage the full participation of all the people of Kosovo in the development of democratic institutions and civil society. It is important that all communities preserve and respect their own traditions and the traditions of others. Our mission in Kosovo so ably lead by Chris Dell has encouraged cultural centers that help minority communities to develop free media and their own social institutions. The US will continue to support such efforts. While the US supports the early completion of arrangements for substantial autonomy and democratic self-government, let me make clear that we see no role in such institutions or in the elections that will give rise to them for those who support violence inside or outside of Kosovo.