The European Parliament ,

–   having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Kosovo and the former Yugoslavia, in particular its resolution of 15 February 2001 on the situation in Kosovo(1) ,

–   having regard to the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, in particular Resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999,

–   having regard to the External Relations Council's statement on Serbia and Montenegro and on Kosovo of 22 March 2004,

–   having regard to the strongly worded condemnation of the violence in Kosovo made by the Brussels European Council of 25 and 26 March 2004,

–   having regard to Rule 37(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   alarmed by the worst outbreak of mainly ethnically motivated violence in Kosovo for five years, which has left dozens dead and about a thousand people injured and has resulted in the destruction of several hundred houses and about forty Orthodox churches, monasteries, schools and other buildings throughout Kosovo,

B.   whereas UN police have indicated that most of the violence is being directed against the ethnic Serb minority,

C.   stressing that violent acts have also been directed against the international peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR) and the premises and personnel of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNKIK),

D.   pointing out that ethnic, cultural and religious coexistence and respect for minorities are two fundamentals which must be considered before any decision is reached on the final status of Kosovo,

E.   whereas the European Union and its Member States have made considerable political, financial and human investments in the peace process in the region,

1.  Condemns the recent ethnically motivated violence in Kosovo on 17 and 18 March 2004 and calls for an immediate and definitive end to all violence and unlawful acts, including the destruction of Kosovo's religious and cultural heritage, which forms part of the common European heritage; extends its condolences to the people of Kosovo and the families concerned;

2.  Condemns, equally, the destruction of Muslim religious buildings in Serbia;

3.  Condemns the killing of two UN police officers on 23 March 2004 and other attacks on KFOR troops and UNMIK personnel and sites;

4.  Reminds the Kosovo Albanian community and its leaders that the recent violence and the slow and hesitant condemnations issued by the Kosovo-Albanian leadership mark a break with the UNMIK-led 'standards before status' process, which could seriously harm the long-term security and prosperity of Kosovo;

5.  Calls on the Kosovo Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) and on the political parties and civil society organisations in the province to strongly condemn the recent violence and to do their utmost to ensure that no further violence occurs;

6.  Calls, equally, on the Serb community in Kosovo to refrain from further violence, to cease making calls for assistance from Serbia and Montenegro and to fully comply with UNMIK guidelines on security and local administration, and calls on the government in Belgrade to dismantle all parallel structures it supports in Kosovo, and send a clear signal to the Kosovo Serbs that they should commit themselves fully to the reconstruction of Kosovo;

7.  Calls on Albanians in Kosovo to allow their Serbian compatriots who fled to areas under KFOR protection to return safely to their homes;

8.  Calls on the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Harri Holkeri, UNMIK and KFOR to make further efforts to stabilise the situation, including measures to bring about the safe return of persons displaced by the recent acts of violence; underlines, further, that those communities engaged in coexistence and those NGOs which are making efforts to facilitate dialogue between the various minorities with a view to starting a real and effective reconciliation process should receive additional support;

9.  Urges UNMIK to start thorough investigations into these events and calls on the Kosovo authorities and the Kosovo police forces to cooperate fully and bring those responsible to justice;

10.  Welcomes the recent decisions to deploy additional KFOR troops in Kosovo, and calls for the troops on the ground to be given sufficient operational resources to enable them to perform their duty of maintaining law and order effectively, which includes protecting the cultural heritage of both communities;

11.  Calls on the Irish Presidency, the Council and the Commission to take the following measures, either unilaterally or in multilateral forums, notably the UN and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe:

12.  Calls on the Council, nevertheless, to embark on detailed consideration of the final status of Kosovo, involving politicians, intellectuals and NGOs from the region, with a view to defining a time-frame and finalising specific options;

13.  Warns that these events are a setback on the road to integrating south-eastern European countries into European structures, and calls on all the governments involved and the Council to adopt the measures needed to avert the destabilisation of neighbouring countries;

14.  Urges the Commission to go on with the Kosovo Stabilisation and Association process Tracking Mechanism, but stresses that it should be made clearly conditional on the PISG genuinely cooperating with UNMIK and on the Kosovo authorities showing complete respect for fundamental EU values;

15.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, Harri Holkeri, the Kosovo Provisional Institutions of Self-Government and the governments of Serbia and of the Serbia-Montenegro State Union.

(1) OJ C 276, 1.10.2001, p. 277.