For more than a decade, Amnesty International has extensively documented and publicized its concerns about the systematic violations of human rights in Kosovo.

The failure of the international community to give adequate attention to these concerns provided the context for further gross violations of human rights and breaches of principles of refugee and humanitarian law. Indeed, human rights violations, which remained unaddressed for too long, are the cause and the effect of the current crisis in Kosovo, characterized by massive displacement, refugee outflows, and destruction of houses and essential infrastructure.

Now, after the political settlement has been reached, it is vital that the human rights causes of the political, humanitarian and human rights crisis in Kosovo are explicitly recognized. The basis for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Kosovo and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia must be the centrality of human rights, using the concept of "good governance" in its broadest sense which, among other things, includes the rule of law, an active role for civil society and a free press.

And I am talking about human rights of all ethnic groups, because human rights are universal and indivisible.

All human beings are entitled to have all their rights protected and promoted without distinction as to race, religion or ethnic identity. Any political settlement must ensure-whatever the shape of the final political landscape of Kosovo-that Albanians, Serbs and others are fully protected. Therefore, international human rights monitors should have full and unhindered access to all parts of Kosovo and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as a whole.

The observance of human rights and the protection of refugees and displaced persons are of vital importance to achieving lasting peace. Durable conditions should be created to permit asylum seekers and displaced persons to return freely to their homes in safety and dignity.

Furthermore, provisions should be made to ensure that those returning receive full redress and are effectively compensated for any damage to their homes and property. The international force in Kosovo should be able to protect all civilians from threats to and violations of their human rights.

It is important to remember that the human rights situation in Kosovo has not been "normal" or acceptable for many years now. Therefore, the creation of mechanisms and institutions that will guarantee human rights protection is going to be a long and difficult process. While many refugees are anxious to return home, some are not, and it is vital that there is no repatriation of refugees to Kosovo unless their return is voluntary and can be done based on safety and dignity.

Many of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) air strikes destroyed or damaged infrastructures essential to the well-being of the civilian population throughout Yugoslavia, and Amnesty International wrote to NATO to express concern that some of its military actions appeared to have been in violation of international humanitarian law. Where essential civilian infrastructures-hospitals, schools, roads, bridges, water facilities, electrical plants-were destroyed or damaged, it would be important to ensure their speedy reconstruction and rehabilitation in order to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population.

Without a crystal ball, it is impossible to say what the future for Kosovo and all of Yugoslavia will be. The only thing we can say is that the protection and promotion of human rights is a sine qua non for the achievement of a durable political solution and for a successful process of post-conflict rehabilitation and reconciliation in Kosovo and in the region as a whole. Failure to address impunity, particularly with respect to those indicted by the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, has led to continuing instability. The international community must address these human rights issues if there is to be peace, stability and freedom in the region.