Attacks on Serbian Church cause for concern

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and Conference of European Churches (CEC) have condemned attacks against the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo, in a letter to the United Nations. Addressing the letter of protest to the special representative of the UN's secretary general and head of the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo, Rev Dr Konrad Raiser of the WCC and Rev Dr Keith Clements of the CEC also forwarded a copy to the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church. They expressed profound concern at the continued violence against members of the Serbian church, describing recent attacks on churches and holy place in Kosovo and Metohija as "a painful and scandalous manifestation of the extremism and instability still affecting parts of this region". Further stating that such acts of violence reflected an inadequacy in the international protection provided in Kosovo by interim authorities, the joint statement went on to appeal for better security for all of the peoples in Kosovo. "It is the firm belief of our organisations", they state, "that a lasting solution for peace in this region can only be based on a situation of tolerance and respect for all ethnic and religious communities".