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13:17 GMT
UNESCO condemns attack against World Heritage site in Kosovo
PARIS, April 6 (KUNA) -- UNESCO condemned here the attack against a
monastery in Kosovo last week and affirmed its "continued support to ensure
the preservation of the edifice."
In a press release, Director-General of UNESCO Koichiro Matsuura condemned
the mortar attack launched against the Monastery of Decani, which is part of
the ensemble of Medieval Monuments in Kosovo, inscribed on the World Heritage
List in 2004 and put on the World Heritage in Danger List in 2006.
Matsuura said that "UNESCO and the whole international community recognized
the universal value of this property when they inscribed it on the World
Heritage List.
He added, "We at UNESCO remain committed to pursue the work undertaken to
ensure the preservation of cultural heritage in Kosovo and I urge the leaders
of all of Kosovo's communities to exercise restraint for the sake of a
heritage that is valuable to us all."
The monastery is the largest Medieval church in South-Eastern Europe,
featuring exceptionally rich Byzantine paintings and Romanesque statues and
has come under several attacks.
According to initial reports, the 14th century edifice sustained minor
damages in last week's attack and none of the monks living inside were
wounded.
The Director-General of UNESCO sent a mission of experts to assess damage
to cultural heritage in Kosovo following an attack in March 2004.
In this regard, Matsuura also convened a donors' conference, with the
support of the UN Secretary General, the President of Serbia and the UN
Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), during which three million
US dollars were raised for rehabilitation work on a number of cultural and
religious sites that form part of the cultural heritage in Kosovo. (end)
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