Bennoune urges depoliticisation of Kosovo cultural heritage

BELGRADE - The cultural heritage in Kosovo must not be used as a "political football" and both sides must acknowledge the destruction of cultural and religious monuments in the past, Karima Bennoune, UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, told a press conference in Belgrade Friday.

She cited the destruction of 35 Serbian Orthodox monuments and churches in March 2004 and the attacks against the workshop of ethnic Albanian sculptor Agim Cavdarbasa in Pristina and two mosques in Nis and Belgrade.

During a 12-day visit to Serbia, Bennoune visited several cities and municipalities - Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis, Novi Pazar, as well as Kosovo-Metohija - meeting officials at various levels and speaking with artists, academics, representatives of the civil society and religious communities, human right activists and cultural heritage experts.