A/64/159 mutual trust. On the contrary, hasty legislation on matters of religious rights often could become contentious and there was the risk that it might lead to polarizing society along religious lines. 3. Mission to the Republic of Serbia, including visit to Kosovo 47. From 30 April to 8 May 2009, the Special Rapporteur conducted a mission to the Republic of Serbia, including a visit to Kosovo. The Special Rapporteur is well aware of the painful history of the whole Balkans region and the deep suffering of individuals and communities on account of violence, atrocities and wars. She notes that, regrettably, racism as well as undertones of religion contributed to the recent conflicts. The Special Rapporteur notices that the scars of these conflicts remain and yet there is a yearning by all communities for sustainable peace and reconciliation. She underlines that interfaith consultations at the grass-roots, national and regional levels are vital to promote understanding, tolerance and respect between and among the various communities. 48. Concerning the status of freedom of religion or belief in Serbia, the Special Rapporteur referred in a press briefing to her visiting some smaller municipalities, which were multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multilinguistic, where an atmosphere of religious tolerance seemed to flourish. At the same time, the Special Rapporteur voiced her concerns about the discriminatory effects of the 2006 law on churches and religious communities. In that regard, she expressed the hope that the Government, and in particular the Minister of Religion, would reflect on the legislation and, at a minimum, streamline the registration process so that all religious communities in the country that so desired could be registered. She emphasized that the distinction in the law between traditional and non-traditional religious communities translated into a number of questionable practices, for example with regard to religious instruction in schools and representation in public bodies. She also noticed that the voices of those individuals who did not profess any religion or who were dispassionate about religions were being marginalized. The media, too, had a responsibility to report in a balanced manner, providing an opportunity to present their points of view also to those who were painted as members of “dangerous cults” or “sects”. In that regard, she also encouraged civil society to make more efforts to interact with the media and with mechanisms of media oversight. 49. With regard to the status of freedom of religion or belief in Kosovo, the Special Rapporteur in her press briefing pointed to the fact that the vast majority of the population was Muslim, mostly of Albanian ethnicity, who had suffered enormously, indeed as others, from the persecution of the Milošević regime in the 1990s. She stressed that healing came through justice rather than through revenge or reprisals. In that regard, the Special Rapporteur was disturbed by the reports of looting, arson attacks and violence against Serbian Orthodox believers and their religious sites in March 2004. Since her international and local interlocutors were unanimous that they had been caught by surprise in 2004 and had not seen any warning signs, the Special Rapporteur emphasized the importance of remaining vigilant in detecting any emerging religious tensions. One of the tools for promoting religious tolerance was a meaningful inter-religious and intra-religious dialogue, particularly in order to address contentious issues that religious leaders could resolve amicably through negotiations rather than confrontation. The Special Rapporteur underlined that the public position of religious leaders could have a 16 09-40869