Brussels, 24/08/2000 (Agence Europe) - On 23 August, the French Presidency issued the following declaration on behalf of the European Union:
"The European Union vigorously condemns the attack perpetrated in Pristina on Friday 18 August inside the OSCE mission housing Kosovo political parties and the seat of the Yugoslav representation in Pristina. It condemns with equal vigour the intolerable attack which injured several Kosovo Serbian children on 18 August. The European Union trusts that the perpetrators of these attacks will be identified and arrested as swiftly as possible. It notes with concern the continued acts of communal violence and political violence in the run-up to the local elections on 28 October. The international community will continue resolutely to deploy all means to ensure that the elections are properly prepared and take place in the best possible conditions. It will not let the various extremists succeed in their attempts to sabotage and defeat the electoral process. The European Union appeals to all Kosovo leaders to support the efforts of UNMIK and KFOR to put a stop to the violence".