Today, the situation on the ground in Kosovo is dramatically better and continues to improve gradually day by day. Humanitarian agencies have met basic shelter, food and medical requirements and pulled the population through the winter. Further, public and independent media are regaining their voices. Children have begun to attend school again, even if in tents. Many ethnic Albanians are studying in their own language for the first time in 10 years.
Ethnic tensions continue at an unacceptable level.
FRY forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents confront each other in the Presevo Valley region of southern Serbia, where we face a tough challenge in preventing potential violence there from destabilizing the situation in Kosovo. The economy needs to be rebuilt and organized crime suppressed. These are tough challenges, but they are not insurmountable. I would like to update you on programs to address these issues. The UN has appointed a strong administrator for the region in American William Nash.