Montenegro, SPA -- The head of Europe's foremost human rights watchdog and Kosovo's top U.N. administrator signed two agreements Monday, calling for the protection of minorities and prevention of torture in the ethnically tense province. Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer and U.N. administrator Soren Jessen-Petersen signed the documents, which apply the council's human rights treaties in Kosovo. The agreements also foresee monitoring the implementation of the council's human rights principles in Kosovo, officials said. The agreement on the prevention of torture will allow an independent committee of experts to examine the treatment of prisoners by the U.N. mission in Kosovo. "The signing of the two agreements is of highly symbolic value," Schwimmer said. "It confirms that the people of Kosovo must enjoy the same rights and protections as all European citizens."
