Day 33: July 13
In New York - The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), issued on 13 July, said that four international organizations and agencies will be working together in one operation under one leadership to create conditions of normalcy in Kosovo under which all peoples can enjoy the benefits of democracy and self-governance.
The Secretary-General strongly encouraged all ethnic communities and parties in Kosovo to demonstrate restraint and tolerance and fully cooperate with the international community in this endeavor.
Significant financial resources and personnel, including experts in various fields, will be required immediately, according to the report.
Citing other urgent needs in the aftermath of the Kosovo conflict such as the payment of local salaries in the public sector, the Secretary-General appealed to Member States who have not yet done so to make available the resources required. "If we are not able to meet this requirement, we will face a collapse of the public sector in Kosovo which will have tremendous implications for social order and jeopardize the success of the Interim Administration," he said.
Humanitarian - Louise Arbour, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, at a news conference in Pristina, said that she expects that the current work being done by the Tribunal teams will continue at least until next fall. She added that other indictments would be sent related to war crimes committed in Kosovo.
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reported that the refugee crisis has had little impact on food availability in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, but it has aggravated general economic instability there.
FAO blamed the precarious food situation in Albania on the country's overall economic and development difficulties, not on the extraordinary circumstances created by the crisis.
Day 34: July 14
Civil Administration - Amid increasing reports of attacks against Serbs and Romas, the acting Special Representative for Kosovo, Sergio Vieira de Mello issued a statement on behalf of all components of the United Nations mission, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Union, strongly appealing for an end to attacks and harassment of minorities. "Everyone who wishes to see his or her children to enjoy a prosperous and secure life in a new and democratic Kosovo has a duty to help end this violence now," he said.
Humanitarian - As the vast majority of the refugees have already gone home one month after the UN resumed operations in Kosovo, UNHCR is urging other agencies to begin immediate reconstruction of homes, apartment buildings and damaged infrastructure.
Information on mine and unexploded ordinance-related injuries and deaths in Kosovo between June 13 and July 12 has been released by the World Health Organization in Pristina. According the WHO, mines and unexploded ordinances caused an estimated 130 to 170 casualties during the 30-day period covered. The estimate is based on 97 confirmed cases.
Mines were responsible for 58 percent of the casualties while unexploded ordinances, including unexploded NATO cluster bombs, accounted for 40 percent.
Day 35: July 15
The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo Bernard Kouchner arrived in Pristina, accompanied by the newly appointed Principal Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Jock Covey (USA), Deputy Secretary-General for Reconstruction, Joly Dixon (Ireland), Kouchner's Special Advider, Eric Chevalier, and UNMIK's new Director of Information, Nadia Younes.
"I have an agenda," Kouchner told reporters at UNMIK's Pristina headquarters. "First to make sure that immediate humanitarian needs are met. Second to ensure essential public functions, specifically law and order. And third to lay the foundation for economic recovery and development ... It's simple, but ambitious. The job can be done."
Civil Administration - The acting Special Representative, Sergio Vieira de Mello, met with Kosovo Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova who returned to the province earlier today. A crowd of 3,000 to 4,000 Kosovars gathered around the UN mission headquarters upon his arrival chanting "Rugova, Rugova."
Day 36: July 16
Civil Administration - The United Nations brought together the political leaders of Kosovo's Albanian and Serbian communities in the first meeting of the Kosovo Transitional Council -- a critical first step towards the development of self-government in Kosovo.
The meeting, chaired by the incoming and outgoing Special Representatives of the Secretary-General in Pristina earlier today, was the highest political consultative body in Kosovo under the United Nations, which holds executive authority in the territory.
"In our hearts, we know this is about reconciliation. In our heads, we know that real peace takes time. But it is in our hands today to begin making Kosovo safe for all people. All decent people," the new Special Representative Bernard Kouchner said in his opening remarks to the Council.
Taking part in the meeting were six representatives of the Kosovo Albanian community, two Serbs, one Moslem and one Turk, in addition to the United Nations officials and Gen. Jackson representing KFOR. Absent were Kosovo Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova and his political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).
Kouchner said he was disappointed that the LDK chose not to participate in the first meeting, and expressed hope they would reconsider their position, saying, "The work of the Council is too important to wait."
The Council agreed to meet again in nine days. They also agreed to form sub-groups to tackle the issue of prisoners and detainees, conduct joint visits to flashpoints such as Orohavac, Mitrovica and Gnjilane, as well as make common appeals for restraint on television and radio.
In Kosovo, the recruitment of applicants into the police training academy being set up by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will begin Friday when forms for the future Kosovo Police Service will be distributed throughout the territory. Applications will be screened in Pristina. The plan is for the training to begin in August.
Humanitarian - As the refugee population in the neighbouring countries dwindles, former refugee camp sites in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania are being cleaned up and rehabilitated, and steps are being taken to repair environmental damage. UNHCR hopes to be able to close all the camps by early October.
Days 37 & 38: July 17 & 18
Over the weekend, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner traveled to Pec, Prizren and Mitrovica as part of his familiarization tour of the province.
In Prizren, Kouchner swore in seven new judges and three new prosecutors, bringing to 19 the total number of judicial officials appointed by the United Nations. Judges who are travelling around Kosovo as part of a mobile court has so far heard 90 cases involving 198 persons in detention --- 95 of whom have been released. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has interviewed 253 potential judicial candidates.
Kouchner also met with the Serb Bishop Artemije on Saturday and KLA leader Hashim Thaci on Sunday.
Humanitarian - As of Sunday morning, a total of approximately 685,000 refugees had returned to Kosovo. It is estimated that there are 87,000 refugees remaining in Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Returns are still averaging between 2,000 and 3,000 per day.
Day 39: July 19
Kosovo Police Service application forms were being distributed now and they were in circulation around Kosovo including KFOR brigade offices, United Nations International Police offices and UNMIK offices in the various districts. In Pristina they were available at the International Police headquarters building. The OSCE expects to have some 80 police instructors and the director of the police academy in place within the coming week. The first 350 recruits were expected to be selected and begin their training in mid-August. The initial training course will last for five weeks and will be followed by continued in-service training.
Humanitarian - The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the security situation in Kosovo leaves much to be desired. Many residents to whom UNHCR staff have spoken in Kosovo, especially in the western part of the province, increasingly blame the poor security situation on gangs from Albania.
On the shelter programme, UNHCR was still very concerned about how people were going to get through the winter. There could be as many as 300,000 to 500,000 people who are going to need help in regard to shelter, rebuilding at least one room in their houses to make it weatherproof. So far UNHCR has distributed such materials as tents, window plastic and plywood to help in weather proofing efforts.
The second report of the Rapid Village Assessment Programme will be released by the middle of this week. It is prepared with the cooperation of UNHCR's Coordination Unit, NGOs, KFOR and other United Nations organizations and it covers the level of destruction in 500 of the 2,000 villages around Kosovo.
A press conference will be held at 9 a.m. tomorrow by Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Programme at the WFP office in Pristina.
In New York - The report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) on the financing of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) supports the Secretary-General's request for $200 million to fund the Mission from its inception until a full budget is presented to the General Assembly this October.
Day 40: July 20
In Vienna, the Secretary-General reviewed the institution-building role the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is playing in the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
"Our aim is clear," he told the OSCE Permanent Council, "to help create a secure, multi-ethnic, prosperous and democratically governed society for all Kosovars, regardless of ethnicity."
He appealed to the OSCE to work closely with the United Nations to achieve this goal, saying, "we are in this together."
In Pristina, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Bernard Kouchner, met with Wesley Clark, the NATO Supreme Allied Commander.
Reconstruction - Tomorrow, Kouchner is scheduled to meet with World Bank President James Wolfenson and discuss the pressing needs for reconstruction the province.
A United Nations environmental assessment mission arrived in Pancevo, where an oil refinery and a petro-chemical plant were hit during the NATO air campaign. They will stay in Pancevo until Sunday and continue to visit other war-damaged industrial sites, primarily in Serbia.
Humanitarian - Meanwhile, with the campaign against the minority Serbs and Roma continuing inside Kosovo, UNHCR -- the lead agency in charge of refugee return and humanitarian assistance -- organized a reconciliation meeting in Prizren between the Albanian and the Roma communities.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which is focusing its efforts on education, immunization and mine awareness activities inside Kosovo, said it plans to launch a measles immunization campaign targeting 30,000 children between one and two years of age as part of its operation to re-establish and re-invigorate Kosovo's child immunization programmes, which were badly disrupted over the past year.
In New York - The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met in the morning to discuss financing UNMIK. United Nations Controller Jean-Pierre Halbwachs introduced the report of the Secretary-General, which was requesting an initial $200 million for the operation until a detailed budget could be submitted later this year.
Day 41: July 21
Civil Administration - an UNMIK Civil Administration official today met with senior Serbian and Albanian staff at Pristina University in an attempt to find an interim arrangement that would permit students to return to classes. Under the UNMIK proposal there wouldnot be separate Serbian and Albanian facilities, as was the case previously at the University.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General issued a statement setting out plans for revival and development of Radio-Television Pristina (RTP) and the independent media in Kosovo.
As follow-up to the first Kosovo Transitional Council, the Special Representative for the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, together with Kosovo Albanian leader Hashin Thaci and Serbian leader Momcilo Trajkovic visited several apartments this afternoon in Pristina that had been occupied by Albanians. They visited a Serb woman badly beaten by assailants in her apartment. In each case, Kouchner emphasized that the problem that led the Albanians to occupy the Serb apartment had also to be resolved -- to restore housing for Albanians. At the same time Serbs had the right to return to their own homes. He emphasized repeatedly that democracy had to be based on tolerance and a willingness to live together. His thoughts were echoed by Thaci and Trajkovic.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia now has a number of teams operating on the ground in Kosovo from the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Canada and Sweden. Two more, from Belgium and Germany, are expected by the end of the week. Three teams from the United States, Switzerland and the Netherlands have concluded their work and returned to their countries. They are now preparing reports on evidence that will be submitted to the Tribunal.
KFOR told the Tribunal that some 200 sites have been reported to them. The Tribunal expects to be able to investigate the majority of those reported sites in the coming months.
Meanwhile, a team from the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (HABITAT) is in Pristina today reviewing legal instruments available for Kosovars and all property registries in order to make recommendations for reconstruction.
Reconstruction and Development - World Bank President James Wolfensohn today toured heavily damaged areas of Kosovo and in a press release issued in Pristina called on the international community to be generous in their financial support for rebuilding the battered province.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said its second report of its most recent damage assessment showed that 60 to 65 percent of Kosovo's housing had been damaged. The information was based on a survey taken by U.S. satellite specialists.
In New York - the Secretary-General's Special Advisor, John Ruggie who was a guest at the noon briefing, gave an update of the UN mission in Kosovo, saying: "We've been at this for more than six weeks; it is an extraordinary challenge, but we are proceeding according to plan." In response to a reporter's question, Ruggie said that the United Nations had never planned to be fully operational within six weeks of the adoption of the Security Council resolution, adding, "that would have been humanly impossible."
Day 42: July 22
Civil Administration - Today, Special Representative for the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner was meeting with the LDK presidency as part of a continuing dialogue with all parties and urged them to take part in future sessions of the Kosovo Transitional Council, which is scheduled to meet again on Monday.
Meanwhile, recruitment for the Kosovo Police Service is going extremely well. There are very long lines for applications at sites in Pristina where they are being handed out. There is obviously a great deal of interest. A number of women have also been part of the applicant pool.
Humanitarian - The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that Pristina airport is currently receiving an average of 10 to 12 humanitarian flights daily, and that this figure was due to increase to 20 flights daily.
In New York - On funding for the UN mission, the Fifth Committee approved the Secretary-General's request for $200 million for UNMIK, with a detailed budget expected by the end of September or beginning of October and that the General Assembly will take up the draft resolution at a meeting tentatively scheduled for next Wednesday afternoon (28 July).
The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Balkans Carl Bildt was back in New York for two days of consultations with the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and other officials. Bildt will be heading to Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia next week before attending the Stability Pact Summit scheduled in Sarajevo at the end of next week.
"On the ground, we are slowly seeing the situation turnaround at the Municipal Building in Pristina," the Spokesman for the Secretary-General said. Today, 46 Serbs and 110 Albanians and 10 others returned to work at the municipal building after suspension of work last week.
Day 43: July 23
Reconstruction and Development - The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo Bernard Kouchner today went to Prizren where he met with visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Their discussions focused on rehabilitation and reconstruction of Kosovo and progress to date in setting up the UN mission. The German leader pledged an additional 100 police to some 200 his country has committed. Schroeder is the first Western head of government to visit Kosovo since NATO's bombing campaign.
Civil Administration - On Saturday, Kouchner is expected to make a trip to Gnjilane and Mitrovica with Albanian leader Hashim Thaci and either Bishop Artemije or Moncilo Trajkovic on the Serbian side. The trip follows a decision by the Kosovo Transitional Council to make places where tensions are running high.
Saturday evening, more judges are expected to be sworn in for Kosovo's interim judiciary system, bringing the total to some 37.
Kouchner has scheduled a joint press conference on Sunday with KFOR chief Gen. Michael Jackson.
Humanitarian - In Geneva today, the former Acting Special Representative for Kosovo Sergio Vieira de Mello, together with Dennis McNamara, who is also the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs in Kosovo, addressed a special session of the Economic and Social Council in Geneva this morning devoted to Kosovo and humanitarian issues.
De Mello briefed on the challenges facing the international community and its representative in Kosovo and on the manner in which the UN mission has begun to face these challenges. De Mello said that despite the difficulties that lie ahead, he was optimistic for four reasons, including the fact that both the United Nations and KFOR enjoy a huge amount of good will among the Kosovo population, both Albanians and Serbs. There is genuine desire to work with KFOR and UNMIK to build a better, more stable future, he said.
McNamara called the rapid return of more than 700,000 refugees to Kosovo an unequivocal vote of confidence in the future of Kosovo. He urged a reinforced effort to deliver materials for shelter repair in the province, where an estimated 70,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, and drew attention to the continuing need for food aid and for de-mining, as well as for assistance to mine victims. Most important, he said, is to stem the cycle of violence and revenge in Kosovo.
The U.N. will present to donor countries its revised consolidated appeal for humanitarian operations in southeastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (including Kosovo), and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) on Tuesday 27 July.
The first Donors' Conference for Kosovo -- to be co-chaired by the European Commission and the World Bank -- is scheduled in Brussels next Wednesday, July 28. This conference will address humanitarian and other emergency needs for Kosovo. It will also be an occasion to share information on recent developments in Kosovo and discuss the next steps in coordinating donors' efforts for Kosovo. A first overview of damages will be delivered at the meeting.
Meanwhile, the teams of scientific experts from the joint UNEP/Habitat Balkans Task Force are continuing their assessment of the environmental impact of the conflict. One team is now visiting sites in the southern part of Serbia, including Nis, and will travel to Pristina, Kosovo, on Saturday before returning to Belgrade. The other team will start work in Novi-Sad on Friday. The teams will leave the country on Tuesday, 27 July.
Day 44: July 24
Civil Administration - On Saturday, Kouchner named 11 new judges to the Pristina District and Municipal courts, bringing to 30 the number of justice officials in the new independent and multiethnic judiciary system created by the UN mission. So far, the judges and prosecutors have conducted hearings for 249 detainees.
Day 45: July 25
Civil Administration - SRSG Kouchner signed on Sunday morning and announced later in the day "regulation number one," the first regulation on the authority of the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK). According to the regulation, all legislative and executive authority with respect to Kosovo is vested in UNMIK. It is exercised by the Special Representative for the Secretary-General, who has the power to appoint any person to perform functions in the civil administration in Kosovo. All persons undertaking public duties or holding public office in Kosovo shall observe internationally recognized human rights standards.
Day 46: July 26
Civil Administration - The massacre late on Friday, 23 July of 14 Serb farmers as they worked in their fields outside the village of Gracko, near Lipljan, has been widely condemned. KFOR and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia have launched an investigation into the killings.
Throughout the province, Serb and Roma communities continued over the past week to be victims of violent acts, including theft, physical assault, arson, kidnapping and murder. As a result, Serbs and Roma have been on the move in search of safety, both within Kosovo and to Serbia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
On behalf of the Secretary-General, his Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, said that he expected an urgent and relentless investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice without delay. Accompanied by the Serb Archbishop Artemije, Kouchner spent more than four hours in Gracko, where he visited with the families of the victims, expressing his sorrow and compassion on behalf of the Secretary-General.
In the aftermath of the killing, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it relocated three Kosovar Serbs from the town. This was done in response to a request from them to be relocated to safer locations. There are 20 more Kosovar Serbs who are requesting relocation from that town.
Louise Arbour, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, has instructed the Tribunal's investigators to look into the recent killings of 14 Serb villagers. They will be working in cooperation with the investigation launched by KFOR military and UN civilian police forces. In a statement issued out of The Hague today, the Prosecutor recalled that her jurisdiction includes offences committed in Kosovo before and after the formal end of the NATO bombing campaign.
In New York on Monday evening, the Security Council issued a statement to the press in which it strongly condemned the massacre of 14 Serb farmers in Kosovo and called for a speedy and thorough investigation to bring those responsible to justice.
The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, is planning to attend the funeral for the 14 victims tomorrow, Wednesday, at 1 p.m. in the village of Gracko.
Carl Bildt, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Balkans, arrived in Tirana earlier today on a two-day visit to Albania. He had a working session with the Heads of the main UN agencies at the UNDP office. This was followed by a meeting with the Diplomatic Corps also at the UNDP office.
Mr. Bildt was then due to meet with Dr. Sali Berisha, leader of Albania's opposition Democratic Party, the Albanian Prime Minister, Pandeli Majko, as well as with the Albanian Head of State, President Rexhep Mejdani.
Reconstruction and Development - Shelter repair and reconstruction material remains in great demand in Kosovo. The second phase of UNHCR's "rapid village assessment" of the state of 500 villages has been completed and results will be published on 27 July.
Humanitarian - Today, 12 UN humanitarian agencies and the International Organization for Migration are asking donors for more than $400 million to continue to fund work in the Balkans this year. The appeal will be launched at a donor's meeting tomorrow (27 July) in Geneva.
In New York - A correspondent at today's press briefing asked if Bernard Kouchner would insist that Ibrahim Rugova participate in meetings of the Kosovo Transitional Council. "I think that more than ever," the spokesman replied, "he would want all groups to be present that should be present." All efforts for reconciliation must continue and must be strengthened, but reconciliation could only happen if people wanted it. "It is necessary that the leadership of the different groups - Albanians, Serbs, and other minorities - participates in order to start a new Kosovo."
Day 47: July 27
Humanitarian - On the eve of the first donors' conference for Kosovo to be co-chaired by the European Commission and the World Bank in Brussels, the European Commission and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at a joint press conference in Pristina announced results of damage assessments. Their findings reached similar conclusions on the extent of the damage.
The EC study surveyed 204,585 housing units in 1,300 villages in all 29 municipalities. It found:
119,500 houses were damaged, and 78,000 of those were completely destroyed; 534 schools were damaged and 189 of those were destroyed; 240 healthcare facilities were damaged, 83 were either destroyed or badly damaged; 617 villages had their electric supply damaged; 440 villages had damaged water supply.
The EC estimated total reconstruction costs at: housing - 1,116 million euros; schools - 20 million euros; health facilities - 7 million euros; local electricity distribution - 10 million euros; and local water supply - 5 million euros.
The second installment of the "Kosovo Rapid Village Assessment" survey covered 456 villages, 54% of which houses suffered severe damage or complete destruction (nearly 40% fall in the "completely destroyed" category). Severe damage or complete destruction was found to 32% of the villages' schools.
In Geneva, United Nations humanitarian agencies launched an appeal for $434 million to finance humanitarian operations in Kosovo and in neighbouring countries. Under-Secretary-General Sergio Vieira de Mello said in a statement that the amount sought by aid agencies was a fraction of the billions of dollars spent on military operations in Kosovo. The joint appeal was launched by agencies including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), as well as the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The amount includes assistance to the more than 170,000 Serbs, Romas and other minorities who have fled Kosovo since the international community established its presence in the province.
Other developments
The UN Environment Programme-Habitat Balkans Task Force has just completed the first part of its assessment of the environmental impact of the worst damaged industrial sites in Yugoslavia. These include the Pancevo industrial complex, the Nis transformer factory, the Bor copper factory and fuel depots in Kraljevo, Prahavo and Pristina, Kosovo. Two mobile laboratories (from Denmark and Germany) travelled with the group.
The 12 scientists had taken extensive soil and ground-water samples which will now be sent to independent laboratores for detailed analysis. In addition, they gathered information on earlier pollution incidents to build up a picture of the state of the environment before the conflict.
Further missions to the region are planned in August in order to assess the impacts of the conflict on the Danube River, on the region's biological diversity, and on human health. A final report will be submitted to the UN Secretary-General in September.
In New York - A correspondent at today's press briefing asked what the Secretary-General's acting Special Representative for Kosovo, Sergio Vieira de Mello, would do now that Kouchner had arrived in the region. The spokesman replied that de Mello would resume his functions as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. He was expected to return to United Nations Headquarters tomorrow.
Day 48: July 28
Civil Administration - In Kosovo, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernard Kouchner, today paid his condolences to the families of the 14 Serbs found shot dead in a field in Kosovo last Friday. Kouchner attended a funeral service for the Serbs at the village of Gracko south of the capital, Pristina. Several hundred Serbs attended the funeral, which was officiated by the Serbian Orthodox Church leader, Patriarch Pavle.
"We are facing a very difficult challenge in keeping the people united together. We don't want them to forget the past but to look to the future," Kouchner told Bishop Artemije with whom he met earlier in the day.
Kouchner told reporters, "We have to find a way to stop the cycle of violence."
In Pristina, UNMIK reported that some 18,000 applications have been distributed in the UN's efforts to recruit for the Kosovo Police Service. Nearly 6,000 have been returned and are now being entered into a database for the selection of the first class of trainees who are to enter the police academy in August. Preparations for opening the academy are going well - this is another initiative that the OSCE is responsible for within UNMIK.
"We remain extremely concerned about the attacks on minorities, which seem to be taking on a systematic pattern and are very discriminate in nature," the spokesman said.
UNHCR, together with OSCE, produced a preliminary survey of the status of minorities within Kosovo. The latest figures show that 734,000 refugees have returned to Kosovo, which includes about 25,000 coming from third countries outside the region. Yesterday, 275 refugees returned from the United States, the first to return from there.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, appointed William O'Neil as human rights advisor who will work directly with the Special Representative.
Mr. Carl Bildt, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Balkans, was in Tetovo this morning, near Skopje, in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where he met with with Dr. Arben Xhaferi, leader of the Albanian Democratic Party and member of the FYROM Parliament. He then flew to Sarajevo to make preparations for the Stability Pact Summit scheduled for tomorrow and Friday.
This evening in Sarajevo Mr. Bildt is due to have discussions with the outgoing High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Carlos Westendorp, the newly appointed High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, and the Special Representative and Coordinator for the United Nations operations in Bosnia Herzegovina, Jacques Paul Klein.
Humanitarian / Reconstruction and Development - The United Nations is represented by the heads of the humanitarian and reconstruction pillars of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) today at the first donors' conference in Brussels convened by the European Union and the World Bank.
Dennis McNamara of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which leads the humanitarian effort, was to stress that initial surveys indicate up to 500,000 Kosovars need proper accommodation before the onset of winter. UNHCR says it can only extend very basic, emergency shelter assistance, and its programme is intended to complement longer-term reconstruction to be done by other agencies.
Joly Dixon, who heads the European Union-led reconstruction pillar in the United Nations Mission, was to present a complementary analysis of the province, focussing on housing and essential services such as power, water supplies, sanitation and health.
The latest figures show that 734,000 refugees have returned to Kosovo, which includes about 25,000 coming from third countries outside the region. Yesterday, 275 refugees returned from the United States. They are the first to return from the United States.
Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs who acted as the Secretary-General's Interim Special Representative in Kosovo, is expected to arrive in New York shortly and will brief the press on Monday, 2 August.
In New York - The General Assembly, as scheduled, met in the afternoon to adopt the budget for the UN in Kosovo (UNMIK). It authorized the Secretary-General to spend up to $200 million for the Mission's operations, and noted his intention to submit a detailed budget to the Assembly at its next session.
Day 49: July 29
Civil Administration - The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, met today with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Gen. Michael Jackson of KFOR in Pristina.
After their meeting, Albright told reporters that she was encouraged by the cooperation between the UN mission and KFOR. She said they were working very well together.
Albright also said, "I have not been critical of the speed. I have understood that this is a very difficult mission." In comparison to other startups in other places, Albright said she thought this mission was "moving along very well."
"I respect what Kouchner is doing," she said. "He is not here alone. He has to be supported by the international community."
Speaking to several thousand Kosovars outside UNMIK headquarters, the Secretary of State asked the people of Kosovo "to help and cooperate" with KFOR, the United Nations and other agencies in support of reaching the goal of a democratic and peaceful Kosovo. She called on Albanian Kosovars to reject violence and acts of revenge.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General dispatched his Special Envoys for the Balkans, Carl Bildt and Eduard Kukan, to Sarajevo to attend the two-day Stability Pact Summit meeting that began in Sarajevo today to focus on peace and stability in the region. Bildt will deliver a statement on the Secretary-General's behalf Friday. Kouchner will also be attending the Sarajevo meeting on Friday.
The European Commission and the World Bank -- hosts of yesterday's conference for Kosovo gathering more than 100 donor countries and international organizations in Brussels -- reports that pledges made at the conference added up to $2.082 billion.
In Kosovo, the deployment of international police is underway as scheduled. On Tuesday, 37 Swedish police officers arrived. Yesterday, 101 Bangladeshi police arrived. And 52 German police were expected to arrive today.
Later today, Dr. Kouchner met at Pristina airport with Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain. He also discussed civil administration, police and refugees with a delegation of State Ministers of Internal Affairs from Germany.
Day 50: July 30
Civil Administration - In his message to the Stability Pact Summit meeting, which began yesterday in Sarajevo, the Secretary-General expressed his "fervent hope that these efforts will set the region as a whole on a path toward lasting stability, prosperity, democracy and respect for human rights."
Delivering the message on the Secretary-General's behalf, his Special Envoy for the Balkans, Carl Bildt, also said that "by focusing on the regional roots of the conflicts in the Balkans, by committing ourselves to ensuring the true integration of South Eastern Europe into the larger economies of the continent, by placing pluralism and respect for the human rights of both minorities and majorities at the core of our efforts at reconstruction, and by continuing to emphasize our role as that of enabling the peoples and parties themselves to build lasting peace and democracy, we will create a framework for lasting peace and stability in the region."
The two-day conference has been focussing on peace and stability in the Balkans. The Summit, which is chaired by President Martti Ahtisaari of Finland, is being attended by 40 heads of State and government as well as over 15 international and regional organizations. Specific issues being discussed are human rights and democracy, economic reconstruction and security.
Bernard Kouchner, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, also present at the Summit, in response to questions during a press conference, said that in Kosovo "the only government is UNMIK [the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo]. That is not to say that we are not going to work with the parties. On the contrary, we are not competitors."
Kouchner will return to Pristina this evening where it is planned he will meet with United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair tomorrow.
The United Nations now has over 350 civilian police in Kosovo, and some additional 240 from Canada, Russia, and the United Nations are expected to be on the ground early this coming week.
The future Kosovo Police Service continues to generate great interest among Kosovars. In addition to the 20,000 forms distributed recently, another 20,000 will be distributed. "That is because several hundred people everyday gather outside the UNMIK Police HQ hoping to be able to join the future Kosovo Police," the spokesman said.
Once the applications have been received by UNMIK, they will be compiled into a database. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and UNMIK will later interview qualified candidates, who must also undergo a medical check-up before a final decision on their entrance to the academy can be made by the Police Commissioner.
Humanitarian - On the humanitarian front, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that 737,000 refugees have returned to Kosovo. UNHCR is discussing the possibility of arranging a shuttle bus service between ethnic enclaves as a confidence building measure. The service is expected to begin soon in Gnjilane and later on in the Mitrovica area.
Days 51, 52 and 53: July 31, August 1 and 2
Civil Administration -- Bernard Kouchner, the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Kosovo, today reopened the post and telecommunications building in Pristina. Four hundred former employees returned to work, "in a major first step to restoring telephone and postal services to Kosovo, which have been largely dysfunctional since last March", the UN Spokesman announced.
In a related development, UNMIK Civil Administration officials and KFOR have been working with a team of former employees on plans to quickly restore minimal services and ultimately to restore a modern telephone system. The Joint Coordinating Commission on Telecommunications, chaired by UNMIK, will ensure that former employees will return to work regardless of their ethnic or religious background. The cost of restoring the telecommunications system will be between $1 million and $5 million, according to KFOR communications experts. The existing technology is largely obsolete and the complete modernization of the telephone network will be undertaken, based on an assessment and the availability of donor funds.
In an interview on 1 August with Reuters, Dr. Kouchner stated that mass graves in Kosovo could contain as many as 11,000 bodies, reflecting what many people believe to be the potential number of victims, based on reports of mass graves in Kosovo received to date from all sources. Most of these reports are, as yet, unconfirmed by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He did not intend to imply that ICTY itself had provided these figures, or that ICTY had completed its investigations in Kosovo, the UNMIK Spokeswoman said.
Also on 1 August, the SRSG went to the sight of the Serbian Orthodox Church that had been attacked overnight. He spoke with some members of the press, condemning the attack as unacceptable and launched an appeal to end the cycle of violence and revenge.
Over the weekend, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) took steps to restore normal customs functions at the international border. United Nations civilian police deployed at four border posts: two on the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and two on the border with Albania, and began tracking the flow of people and goods.
Dr. Kouchner planned to meet today with a team of experts from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), led by Richard Dill. The EBU team has been asked by UNMIK to take a close look at the Radio Television Pristina building to provide an evaluation and assessment of the equipment and facilities. The experts have already started some serious work in that regard. They will discuss with Dr. Kouchner some emergency measures that could be taken to jump-start Television Pristina.
To update figures for the deployment of UNMIK civilian police, the total number now stands at over 350. Today additional international police were expected to arrive in Skopje - 71 from the Russian Federation, 145 from the United States and 31 from Canada.
Humanitarian -- Speaking in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson pledged to ensure that human rights are at the core of humanitarian assistance to Kosovo, and are central to the rebuilding of democratic structures there. Robinson said her offices in Belgrade and Pristina will assist Yugoslavia's evolution towards proper respect for the rule of law and human rights, and added that she is working with partner agencies to examine long-range human rights issues in the Balkans as a whole.
Today, the first flight of returning refugees to Sllatina Airport from outside the region is expected. More than 160 people arriving from Switzerland will be put on buses and sent out to the regional centres UNHCR has established around Kosovo. From there they will be provided transport to their own villages.
There have been reports of ethnic Albanians leaving southern Serbia in the area around the town of Presevo. UNHCR on both sides of the provincial border of Kosovo and Serbia investigated the situation. It was found that some 4,500 ethnic Albanians from that area have crossed from Serbia into Kosovo. According to some of those internally displaced people, their departure has coincided with an increased deployment of Yugoslav military in that region. They have told UNHCR that Army and paramilitary groups have started an intimidation programme that included harassment, beatings, expulsions, looting and murder threats. Reports have also said that a majority of Albanians living in villages in this are selling their belongings in order to relocate to Kosovo in the coming weeks. The exact number that has fled Serbia is not available because many have gone to very isolated villages in Kosovo.
Reconstruction and Development -- Make-up classes will resume this week in schools in some municipalities around Kosovo supported by UNICEF, KFOR and NGOs to help students complete their school year, which was interrupted when NATO bombing began in March. This initial effort in August is being conducted mainly by local communities. UNICEF's back-to-school programme is focusing mainly on September, when the school year officially begins, and the agency hopes to have all children between the ages of 7 and 14 back in school by then. To accomplish this goal, about $3 million worth of desks, chairs, blackboards and other supplies will be needed. Demining, reconstruction and deployment of teachers, remain a priority in this effort. A damage assessment of schools in Kosovo has examined 649 schools and found that 25 per cent are damaged, 21 per cent severely damaged and 60 per cent were destroyed beyond repair. A total of 199 schools are currently slated for reconstruction.
Other developments -- On the local police, there are a few figures: 25,000 applications have been distributed; 10,003 were returned, of which 8,463 have been entered into the database.
Day 54: August 3
Humanitarian: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced today that nearly 90 per cent of the more than 850,000 Kosovo refugees who fled the province after fighting started in March have now returned. Around 30,000 Kosovars have returned home from abroad, half of them from Turkey and the rest from more than a dozen other countries. Over 710,000 Kosovars have returned from neighbouring countries.
The large number of returnees heightens the need for smooth delivery of humanitarian assistance to Kosovo. UNHCR is extremely concerned about problems arising from the imposition of a customs inspection fee on all goods transiting the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The fee, which was announced in mid-July by the Government in Skopje, has brought UNHCR's aid pipeline to a standstill, and is contributing to a backup of supplies. There are currently 86 trucks loaded with UNHCR supplies waiting in a parking lot in Skopje as well as 17 rail wagons carrying timber. These supplies are needed now to ensure that hundreds of thousands of people are able to repair their homes before winter.
Day 55: August 4
Civilian Administration - The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, today went to the site of a mass grave in Suvido, Mitrovica, where he was briefed by the doctor in charge of the investigation for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Dr. Dominique Lecomte, as well as her team of investigators, forensic experts and doctors. The site in question is the largest investigated by the Tribunal's team; 72 graves were uncovered in and around an existing graveyard there. The team has conducted autopsies on some 40 to 50 bodies in the past 10 days.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the site, Dr. Kouchner praised the team's work, saying it was an indispensable record for history and for the memory of the victims. "Their investigation is crucial in the fight for human rights and in order to prevent this from ever happening again" he said.
Dr. Kouchner described what he had seen as "unbearable and unbelievable", but added that it could not excuse those who were currently threatening the Serbs. "Even though the suffering we have witnessed today is unequal, the cycle of revenge and violence must stop", he stressed, adding: "UNMIK, together with KFOR, must try harder to protect the Serbs".
There are now 404 UNMIK civilian police in the province. Drawn from 21 countries, they are deployed throughout the province and at several border crossings into Kosovo. An additional 69 police from the Russian Federation were scheduled to arrive in Pristina today and 116 civilian police from the United States were expected to be there tomorrow, the UN Mission said. Some 20 more officers from Denmark are to arrive over the weekend.
Humanitarian - A spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told reporters in Pristina today that the situation of Serbs in certain villages in the Gnijlane area is becoming increasingly difficult. That area is comprised of both Serb and mixed villages. UNHCR is concerned that the mixed villages are slowly being emptied of Serbs, who then congregate in the totally Serb villages.
In coordination with KFOR, UNHCR and its NGO partners are trying to provide as much assistance as possible to the remaining Serb population in the area. There are at least 10,000 Serbs remaining around Gnijlane, in addition to the approximately 400 Roma people there. Over the long term, UNHCR fears for the futures of all minorities. Since the end of the bombing, between 4,500 and 5,000 Albanians have fled to the Gnijlane area, adding more pressure to an already tense situation.
UNHCR today announced that nearly 90 per cent of the over 850,000 ethnic Albanians who fled Kosovo during the war have returned to the Serbian province. Around 715,000 have gone back from neighboring territories to Kosovo. A further 30,800 have returned to Kosovo from third countries, through the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or directly by air to Kosovo.
At the UN press briefing in New York, a correspondent asked the Spokesman to respond to criticism by Human Rights Watch concerning protection for Serbs in Kosovo. "If 35,000 KFOR troops can't do it, how are 3,000 UN police going to?" he asked. The Spokesman said the United Nations had welcomed the Human Rights Watch observations about the need for greater protection of minorities, which was a major concern of the Mission.
"We realize that at present it is awkward to have KFOR responsible for policing duties; military are not trained in police duties, so it is an interim step until we can get the police fully deployed". The Spokesman expressed hope that the tension generated by the fighting would gradually diminish, and that the presence of the international community there could facilitate a return to normalcy, so that huge numbers of military and police wouldn't be required to maintain order.
The observations of Human Rights Watch were valid, the Spokesman pointed out, "but I don't think we want to attach blame, or say that it is the fault of KFOR or UNMIK. We are doing the best we can with a difficult situation. We feel it is moving in the right direction", he stated.
To another question, the Spokesman said that the Security Council had asked for KFOR troops to assume responsibility for security, including police functions, until the international police could be fully deployed and the training programme for the new, indigenous police force could get under way. "It is a judgement call as to when that date will be", he said.
In the UNMIK briefing in Pristina, the Mission expressed the hope that the issues raised by Human Rights Watch would speed up the response to requests for qualified personnel -- including police officers and civil administrators -- needed to establish rule of law and new institutions of self-government in Kosovo.
UNMIK and its component organizations, particularly UNHCR and OSCE, have repeatedly called on political and community leaders in Kosovo to refrain from revenge and other acts of violence against minorities. Dr. Kouchner has on numerous occasions condemned attacks against Serbs and appealed for an end to the cycle of revenge and violence.
KLA leaders joined other parties, including the representatives of Kosovar Serbs and independents, in a joint statement on security on 2 July and in subsequent confidence-building efforts, such as visits by the SRSG and Serb representatives to Serb homes occupied by Albanian families.
UNHCR's seven field offices in Kosovo are assigning top priority to minority protection. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has 25 human rights personnel in Kosovo attempting to prevent abuse and following up on incidents. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also announced today that it has 11 monitors in Kosovo who are gathering information to be included in the next report of High Commissioner Mary Robinson.
Other developments - The Deputy Prosecutor of the ICTY, Graham Blewitt, warned Kosovo's Albanians against waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against their Serbian neighbours in retribution for Serb crimes against them. Mr. Blewitt said the Tribunal still had jurisdiction over the province despite the end of NATO's bombing campaign and the withdrawal of Serb troops. "We are very alert to the possibility that KLA/UCK are themselves undertaking an ethnic cleansing campaign under the guise of revenge attacks", Mr. Blewitt said. "If that is an official policy of KLA/UCK, then clearly it falls within our jurisdiction and forms a part of our investigation. And I am saying that in the hope that it may act as a deterrent", he added.
Day 56: August 5
Civilian Administration - SRSG meets prominent Kosovo Albanian leaders: The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, yesterday met for the first time jointly with Kosovo's two most prominent ethnic Albanian leaders, Ibrahim Rugova of the LDK party and Hassim Thaci of the KLA.
Meanwhile, Kouchner's Principal Deputy, Jock Covey, met with Deputy Foreign Minister Nebojsa Vujovic, the head of Yugoslavia's Liaison Office in Kosovo, to discuss the continuing concern over the security of the Kosovo Serbs.
Other developments - Environmental damage from Kosovo conflict: The environmental impact of the recent conflict in Serbia was the subject of a news conference at UN Headquarters today. Pekka Haavisto, the leader of a team of scientists sent to Kosovo and Serbia at the end of July, urged action to redress the ecological consequences and potential health threats resulting from the conflict. His group has found toxic and hazardous chemicals, including mercury, at several locations in Kosovo and Serbia.
He stressed that immediate measures were needed to address possible groundwater and soil contamination, which also threaten the well-being of workers already rebuilding some facilities. When asked about the presence of uranium, Mr. Haavisto indicated that any evidence or technology that could help the team verify allegations were welcome.
The team from the joint Balkans Task Force of two UN agencies -- the UN Environmental Programme and the UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) -- visited some of the industrial sites hardest hit during the NATO bombing campaign.
Mr. Haavisto said international humanitarian assistance could be provided to address the pressing environmental concerns at locations inside Serbia, which was not receiving reconstruction aid. "It's common sense that efforts be made to avoid further environmental or human health problems, which could be totally separate from reconstruction", Mr. Haavisto said.
A second team of scientists will visit the area later this month to assess the condition of the Danube, the impact of the bombing on biodiversity, and long-term health consequences. The teams' official findings and recommendations will be submitted to Secretary-General Kofi Annan in September or October.
Day 57: August 6
Civilian administration - UN civilian police to address high crime rate says Police Commissioner Fredericksen: Announcing that the first priority for UNMIK is to station civilian police in Pristina's hot spots, with KFOR support, UN Police Commissioner Sven Fredericksen said today in Pristina that harassment of minority groups and capital crimes could only be contained by a greater law enforcement presence. He reported that 474 UN civilian police were in Kosovo with 200 a week undergoing an internal induction course.
UNMIK's two-fold mandate was for the UN civilian police to enforce law and order and to help establish the Kosovo Police Service and ensure that it is democratic, unbiased and ethnically balanced. UNMIK is working with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to ensure that the Kosovo Police Academy begins training core officers of the indigenous police force by end-August.
Meanwhile UNMIK police will be divided into three main groups: 1,800 to carry out normal duties such as maintenance of public order, traffic control and detective functions; a special force entrusted with public order, crowd control and, if required, riot control; a group of 205 border police at frontier crossings and Pristina airport when it becomes operational.
On questions as to whether the Kosovo Police Service would be ethnically mixed, Mr. Fredericksen said that was the goal, as well as having 20 per cent women. He also said that he was sure that there would be former KLA members in the force since applications were submitted on an individual basis. So far only 500 Serbs had applied, indicated Fredericksen, saying he would have liked to see more. At this point, of the 26,000 applications distributed, some 17,000 had been returned with just under 14,000 already entered in UNMIK's data bank. When first deployed, Kosovo Police would not be given law enforcement authority themselves; they would be in uniform and carry side-arms but work alongside UNMIK police. They were expected to be professional: If they can't handle this, they are not worth being police officers and they will be kicked out, stated Mr. Fredericksen.
Humanitarian - Aid pipeline resumes: The government in Skopje informed the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) this morning that it has decided to waive the fee imposed on humanitarian assistance transiting through the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia bound for Kosovo. In mid-July the government had imposed a fee on each truck or rail wagon bound for Kosovo. The decision to waive this fee for humanitarian assistance is commended and warmly welcomed by UNHCR.
UNHCR encourages the international community to respond favorably to requests from the Skopje government for support to defray the costs incurred by delivery of aid to Kosovo. Convoys of aid trucks began moving to Kosovo following the government decision announced at the Foreign Ministry during a meeting with representatives of UNHCR and major donors.
No major emergency intervention required in health sector: Fears of high mortality rates and severe malnutrition among displaced people in Kosovo due to lack of access to food were unfounded. This was the conclusion drawn by Dr. Serge Male, UNHCR's senior medical coordinator, at the close of a two-month assignment in Kosovo that found Kosovars who remained behind in the province to be generally in acceptable health.
Basic health care services have been re-established rapidly as well as essential referral services in hospitals. Animosities between Serb and Albanian workers remain a serious concern in the hospitals, however, in some cases preventing equal access to health care. The hospital in Pristina has become an almost pure Albanian operation, with Serbs abandoning their posts and the Albanians who lost their jobs in 1990 reclaiming their former positions. However, in Mitrovica and Gnjilane, despite ethnic pressures, Serb and Albanian workers are trying to work together.
Male said the challenge to the international community was not only to rebuild and re-equip the infrastructure, but also to help staff to acquire new administrative and technical skills. He urged efforts to bring medical care to the grassroots, in the villages, building upon the coping mechanisms that Kosovars themselves have put in place over the past decade, and opening doors to a balanced system, financed both publicly and privately.
Attacks on minorities continue: In a spate of ethnic violence, two Serbs and one Albanian were killed in Gnjilane on 4 August when a convoy of Serb vehicles came under fire in the Albanian village of Dobrcane (Miresh in Albanian). The attack prompted some Serbs to flee into Serbia. In Kamenica, the presence of Russian KFOR troops has sparked Albanian attacks against Serbian neighborhoods.
On Monday, 2 August, Serbs set up"flying checkpoints" in Kamenica; Albanians then established their own roadblocks. Several staff of the International Rescue Committee were trapped in the middle of the checkpoints for eight hours, raising concern among aid workers. Last Sunday, around 300 Serbs fled Zitinje village in Vitina following Albanian attacks against Serbs in mixed communities in the region.
Serbs in many enclaves in the eastern region have expressed willingness to enter into a dialogue with Albanians. However, the Albanians are increasingly reluctant to talk to them. In Vitina, Albanians failed to show up at a meeting arranged this week. There are even some unconfirmed reports that Albanians backing moderate leader Ibrahim Rugova have been prevented by the Kosovo Liberation Army from conducting a dialogue with Serbs.
Superman comics to spread the message about landmines: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is sending new Superman comic books to Kosovo. This edition was created specially for the province in order to teach children about the dangers of landmines. UNICEF landmine expert Tehnaz Dastoor stressed the need for Kosovo's children to be aware that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is littered with dangerous military devices.
Other developments - KFOR arrest top KLA leader: At the UN press briefing in New York, the Spokesman reported that KFOR announced yesterday the arrest Wednesday evening of Rexhep Sellimi, the self-styled "Interior Minister" of the "Provisional Government of Kosovo", who is a ranking officer of the KLA. He was stopped in Pristina by KFOR troops while driving in a car with a flashing blue light. Weapons were confiscated from him and his bodyguards until they produced identification cards entitling them to be in uniform and carry arms during a transitional period. Mr. Sellimi then loaded his weapon and made a threatening gesture to the KFOR patrol, which consequently arrested him and his bodyguards. He was later released, but his weapons were retained.
Days 58, 59 and 60: August 7, 8 and 9
Civilian administration - UNMIK begins paying local civil servants: At the UN press briefing in New York on Monday the 9th of August, the UN Spokesman announced that UNMIK has begun making ad hoc payments to local civil servants in Kosovo. "This is just the beginning of what will eventually have to be -- with the financial support of the international community if we get it -- payments to up to 50,000 civil servants," the spokesman said. "But we're starting slow," he added.
Thirty-nine judges, prosecutors and customs officials will be getting ad hoc payments, which are a kind of stipend pending the establishment of an establishment of a salary scale. The next payments, which should be made in about a week's time, will go to health workers, firefighters and teachers.
Asked for more details on the payments to civil servants, the Spokesman noted that the figure of 50,000 was an approximation that the Mission had come up with a few weeks ago. "This is a stipend pending the definition of a salary scale for these 50,000 people". The 39 judges, prosecutors and customs officials would initially be paid 14,000 DM.
The Mission appealed to the international community to contribute money to pay Kosovo's civil servants. Eventually, when the province is able to collect customs and duties, the civil service would be paid from those revenues. "The intention is not to ask the international community to indefinitely pay the Kosovar civil service, but for an initial period, they are being asked to pay", the Spokesman said.
While there were some "growing pains" at the beginning of the Mission, he added, it was hoped that the support would be there to pay the civil servants, and, eventually, to pay them out of public revenues instead of contributions by the international community.
Pensions to be resumed: The UN Spokesman also announced that five post offices have opened up in Pristina, mainly to facilitate the payment by Belgrade of pensions to the 25,000 pensioners in the greater Pristina area who haven't been paid since around March. Those payments were normally made through the post office, and now that they are open, Belgrade has the facility it said it needed to resume the payments, "so we hope that will happen normally", the Spokesman added.
UNMIK police begin patrolling with KFOR: The Spokesman fielded questions about the scope of UNMIK's engagement, expressing hope that the situation in Kosovo would calm down. "Three thousand international police monitors and a similar number of local police that still need to be recruited and trained may not be enough to deal with the kinds of law and order problems that we see emerging." But, he added, for the moment the United Nations had not considered any additional numbers for police. "We are grateful for the work KFOR has been doing in the security area, and as I say we hope things will start to normalize -- that's the whole purpose of our being there: to get Kosovo back to some semblance of civil order".
Responding to another question, the Spokesman clarified that the Mission's political objective was to try to get the Serbs and the Kosovar Albanians to live together peacefully. KFOR was in charge of peace and security in Mitrovica, where, in its judgement, the best way to do that was to limit the direct contact between the two communities to reduce the chance of incidents of violence. "We are grateful that KFOR is carrying out that security function. Over the longer term, we will have a political infrastructure in that area as in the rest of the country, and we'll be playing a kind of interlocutor role between the communities to try and reduce tensions." For the moment, he added, it was a security problem, which KFOR was handling.
Asked if police monitors were limited to strictly monitoring functions, the Spokesman noted that the international police in Kosovo had executive functions and were armed. "So they do have law and order functions", Asked to respond to criticisms that the 3,000 police monitors would not be able to maintain law and order, the spokesman said, "our hope is that things will calm down." He noted that while the police there now were not enough to deal with the situation as it existed today, it was hoped that in a month or two, things would settle down and the United Nations would not be so dependent on the KFOR troops, which themselves were not yet deployed to their full authorized strength. "It is going to be a struggle -- it's clear", he said. "But the hope is that between the military and the growing police presence, we will be able to re-establish law and order in Kosovo".
Other developments - Four Pillars brief press in Pristina: In a press briefing held in Pristina today, information was provided on what activities are being undertaken under the four main pillars of the international presence in Kosovo. On the civilian administration front, Deputy Special Representative for Civil Administration Dominique Vian reported progress with various elements of the mandate, such as normalization of administrative services, establishment of a judicial system, setting up a UN civilian police presence and helping to institute a Kosovo police force. UNMIK was to provide security through its own resources but also those of KFOR.
He pointed to specific achievements: About 30 judges are already working; Over 600 UNMIK police are already on the ground; Joint patrols with KFOR are being set up; for the Kosovo police force, more than 40,000 application forms have been distributed; over 18,000 have been received and 16,000 have been entered into the database; Stipend payments for civil servants hired by UNMIK have begun and should be broadened quickly to cover all public workers.
Daan Everts, the Deputy Special Representative in charge of Institution Building, cited the first priority for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in European in Europe (OSCE) as being the opening of the police training school and the induction of the first batch of trainees by the end of August. With a broad mandate, the OSCE has to pursue efforts in many different areas such as building democratic institutions, preparing for elections, restoring normalcy in education, development, human rights and media sectors.
Some of the other progress made includes:
Radio Pristina has been on the air since 28 July broadcasting in Albanian, Serbian and Turkish.
A Media Regulatory Commission will be established in the autumn. An interim media regulator will be appointed, with the OSCE responsible for all regulatory action such as licensing, frequency allocations and codes of practice. A Media Advisory Board will be established later in August.
A joint European Broadcasting Union/BBC team is assessing public broadcasting possibilities since the OSCE plans to resume Radio Television Kosovo (RTK) as a public broadcasting station.
In collaboration with the Council of Europe, the civil administration needs of each municipality are being assessed. Human rights officers have been deployed in all five UNMIK districts.
Preparations for elections are under way and elections are expected to be held in the first half of 2000.
Dennis McNamara, the Deputy Special Representative for Humanitarian Affairs, gave an overview of humanitarian activities, citing the figures that have been widely reported B some 750,000 Kosovars who had fled to the surrounding states and territories have returned more than 90 per cent of the total.
He also updated other activities:
Some 190 agencies and other organizations are working to help rebuild Kosovo.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has completed the first stage of a Rapid Village Assessment covering more than 450 villages.
The European Commission/International Management Group assessment of 1,383 villages showed that 78,000 were seriously damaged or destroyed.
UNHCR and other agencies are providing more than 78,500 shelter kits. These kits are aimed at allowing the repair and weatherproofing of at least one room in a house.
UNHCR is also bringing in at least 1.5 million pieces of timber for reconstruction. In addition to rebuilding, UNHCR is identifying potential community shelters in preparation for the winter for those who have nowhere to go.
Joan Pearce spoke on behalf of the European Union which is responsible for economic reconstruction and development with a few immediate tasks:
A public finance sector will allow the economy to develop soundly and can coordinate the efforts of the donor community until the economy generates revenue to complement donor funds.
Housing is a principal concern, as is water and power to meet short-term reconstruction needs.
A system for identifying and collecting revenue sources. Immediate expenditure priorities include education, health and public utilities. A central fiscal agency will be set up to perform basic treasury operations.
Establishment of a modern economy based on market principles with steps having already been taken to ensure safe cash management facilities and an effective supervisory regime for deposit-taking institutions.
Examples of cooperation between UNMIK and KFOR include:
KFOR soldiers have assisted, on and off duty, in helicopter delivery of World Food Programme flour stocks.
Rubbish clearance was carried out by civilians, with UNMIK providing salaries from the Trust Fund and KFOR lending the equipment.
UNHCR has given temporary shelter to a group of Roma gypsies at Obilic while KFOR and UNMIK police provided security for the camp.
Day 61: August 10
Humanitarian - Returnee rate is about 1,000 per day: At the UN press briefing in New York, the Spokesman said that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that over three-quarters of a million people have now returned to Kosovo, with returns from more than a dozen European countries continuing at around 1,000 per day. At the same time, non-Albanians continue to leave the province, mainly for other parts of Serbia and Montenegro.
The situation of displaced people from Kosovo who have moved into other parts of Serbia as well as into Montenegro is becoming increasingly difficult. The UN Deputy Special Representative for Humanitarian Affairs, Dennis McNamara, is travelling to Belgrade this week to look into the problem.
It is estimated that as many as 179,000 people have moved from Kosovo into other parts of Serbia and Montenegro. Most of them arrived after the end of the NATO air strikes and the deployment of KFOR in Kosovo.
The overall number includes 176,000 Serbs and Roma from Kosovo as well as 3,000 Croatian and Bosnian Serb refugees from earlier conflicts, who had been staying in Kosovo. The largest number -- according to the authorities more than 90,000 -- are in central and southern Serbia. In southern Serbia, in the Bujanovac area, for example, there are 3,000 displaced Serbs and Roma from Kosovo, more than 1,000 of them living in tents.
Other developments - UNMIK newsletter: The Spokesman also drew attention to "UNMIK News", a newsletter just published by the Mission, initially in English but soon to become available in Albanian and Serbian. It will cover such issues as the status of deployment of UNMIK and progress being made with the work of the "Four Pillars" responsible for civil administration, humanitarian affairs, institution-building and reconstruction. While not being an official document, it will serve as a source of information about UNMIK's entire range of activities.
Day 62: August 11
Humanitarian - UNHCR concerned about threats against Kosovo Serbs: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today expressed concern about intimidation of the Serb population of Kosovo. The agency estimates that the Serb population of Pristina is down to about 2,000 from a pre-war level of 20,000. In many cases, UNHCR says, Serbs are first sent a warning letter to leave their homes, then threatened in person and finally assaulted.
KFOR says they are doing all they can to protect Serbs, but cannot prevent them from leaving. The KFOR spokesman in Pristina said today that in some cases the Force even has soldiers posted in Serb homes to try to catch those threatening them.
Nadia Younes, the United Nations Spokeswoman for Kosovo, said that the number of UN police patrolling in Pristina would probably double today to over 60. The total number of UNMIK police in Kosovo today is 662.
Day 63: August 12
Civilian Administration - Revenge is not justice; a multi-ethnic Kosovo is required: Speaking in Geneva at a press conference in which he introduced the new Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Carla del Ponte (Switzerland), Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that all were committed to creating a multi-ethnic Kosovo and to encouraging both Albanian and Serb citizens of the province to live together. "Justice was required, but revenge was not justice", said the Secretary-General. Both sides should live together and reconciliation would be necessary.
The Special Representative, Bernard Kouchner, and his partners could not allow those who were trying to expel the Serbians from Kosovo to succeed. The help of all Member States was needed, and hopefully the leadership of the Kosovo Liberation Army would continue to work with Mr. Kouchner, added the Secretary-General.
UNMIK civilian police must meet high standards because of executive powers: At the UN press briefing in New York, the Spokesman responded to a question about a group of civilian police, including some from Bangladesh, who had not met the requirements to serve with UNMIK. The Spokesman clarified that civilian police serving with UNMIK had a new role in that their mandate gave them executive and enforcement powers. All contributing countries had been guidelines in writing spelling out the higher standards that need to be met, which were clearly different in Kosovo than in other peacekeeping missions because their responsibilities would be greater. UNMIK police were expected to carry arms and be skilled to use them and engage the population, if necessary, since they would be operating in tough urban areas. In some cases with previous missions, efforts were made to provide police with additional training, but in other cases, they had to be let go. Some of those who were not accepted by UNMIK had served in previous missions, but the standards were stricter in this instance, the Spokesman pointed out.
Day 64: August 13
Civilian Administration - UNMIK issues Regulation No. 2 aimed at securing public order: The Special Representative, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, yesterday issued Regulation No. 2 on the "prevention of access by individuals and their removal", to secure public peace and order.
The purpose of this Regulation is to provide KFOR and UNMIK police with a preventive tool to deter violence and public unrest. It is not meant to be a mechanism of criminal law enforcement.
Providing further clarification, Hansjoerg Strohmeyer, a legal adviser for UNMIK, explained that, in practice, the Regulation would allow UNMIK to deal with people who are instigating, through hate speech or other forms of provocation. This is a common practice in many countries, particularly European countries. The Regulation also means that a person would be removed beyond the city limits or in certain cases beyond Kosovo. In reponse to a question, Strohmeyer added that this does not create by any means a police state. It is a preventive tool, not an enforcement mechanism for criminal action.
UNMIK initiates waste collection and disposal project: At the UNMIK briefing in Pristina, Spokeswoman Nadia Younes announced that a waste collection and disposal project employing 300 people would begin on Monday, 16 August in Pristina. Initially planned for three months, UNMIK will supervise the project in which KFOR will also participate. Funding of about $200,000 will be provided by the UN Development Programme, with UNMIK allocating $50,000 out of the Special Representative's Trust Fund for the purchase of garbage bins to be labelled "I love Pristina". Garbage will be picked up from the five zones of Pristina and disposed at an ecologically suitable dump; waste materials such as paper, glass and metal will be sorted for recycling purposes.
The Spokeswoman emphasized that the project contributes to several of UNMIK's civil administration goals:
It will generate employment for local people;
It will lay the foundation for a self-sustaining system of garbage collection, an essential municipal function;
It will perform a public service and raise civic awareness on public sanitation standards.
Humanitarian - UN High Commissioner for Refugees marks two months of resumption of aid work in province: Today is the two-month anniversary of UNHCR's return to Kosovo. During the past eight weeks, three-quarters of a million Kosovo Albanians have returned. At the UNHCR briefing in Geneva, a spokesperson said the agency estimates that no more than 50,000 refugees remain in neighboring countries. Of the roughly 91,000 who were evacuated to 29 different countries, already nearly a third have returned. But during the same period, around 130,000 Serbs and Roma fled Kosovo to Serbia and Montenegro, joining the roughly 50,000 who had fled since the conflict started in spring of 1998, and bringing to 180,000 the number of non-Albanians displaced from Kosovo.
Deputy Special Representative for Humanitarian Affairs, Dennis McNamara, is in Belgrade today, after visiting displaced Serbs and Roma from Kosovo in the Kraljevo area of southern Serbia yesterday. There are estimated to be around 90,000 displaced people just in the Kraljevo region. Mr. McNamara met with Yugoslav authorities this morning to discuss the humanitarian situation in Serbia and Montenegro.
Days 65, 66 and 67 - August 14, 15 and 16
Civilian Administration - Review of legal framework in Kosovo: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of UNMIK, Bernard Kouchner, yesterday announced an all-new inclusive approach to reviewing the existing legal framework and the laws applicable in Kosovo. The aim is to purge it of all provisions which are inconsistent with the standards recognized in Europe and the rest of the world. It took place at a meeting held at UNMIK HQ with judges and prosecutors, drawn from both the ethnic Albanian and Serb communities, to hear the concerns of the legal establishment over the way in which new regulations were being promulgated in the region and over the question of whose law was applicable in Kosovo.
As a result of the meeting a special Advisory Group was set up. This includes 19 legal experts from around Kosovo who will work in consultation with UNMIK to refine the different areas of the law, such as property, customs, the judiciary, social welfare and the criminal code. Yesterday's meeting also resulted in the establishment of an Association of Judges and Prosecutors for Kosovo.
Missing and detained persons: Over the weekend, Dr. Kouchner reiterated the strong importance he attaches to the "fundamental and painful issue" of missing and detained persons. He made this statement following a meeting with representatives from an umbrella human rights organization dealing with the issue of missing persons. Dr. Kouchner also called for action to address the plight of some 5,000 Kosovar Albanians reportedly still being held in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Although the issue of prisoners is not directly linked to the mandate of the UN Mission, Dr. Kouchner has requested that the Kosovo Transitional Council create a special working group to follow-up on this issue. Furthermore, the SRSG's Office will continue to liaise with the organizations that met yesterday as well as with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Deployment of UNMIK staff growing steadily: In an update on UNMIK staffing, there are now 700 civilian police in Kosovo: 220 in Pristina, 300 in the regions. In Pristina, 170 are on the beat, patrolling with KFOR. It is expected that 57 new police officers will arrive this week.
As far as Civil Administration workers are concerned, UNMIK has confirmed that there is a presence in all five regions of the province. Of a total of 47 Civil Administration Officials in Kosovo, 24 are deployed in the field, 23 in Pristina.
Kosovo Transitional Council to meet on 21 August: UNMIK Spokeswoman Nadia Younes announced at the briefing in Pristina today that the next meeting of the Kosovo Transitional Council was planned for Saturday 21 August. The first meeting was held on 16 July.
Humanitarian - Minority Serbs and Roma under threat in Kosovo: On 16 August, Deputy Special Representative for Humanitarian Affairs, Dennis McNamara, indicated that some 180,000 Serbs and Montenegrins, Roma and other non-Albanian populations had left Kosovo, some 50,000 of whom had moved out before the arrival of KFOR. Of the 20,000 pre-war Serb population in Pristina, less than 2,000 remained. Meanwhile, announcing measures to protect Serbs and Roma including evacuation, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) remained extremely concerned at continuing attacks despite preventive efforts by KFOR and the UN, according to a spokeswoman in Geneva.
Day 68 - August 17
Civilian Administration - Health services to be upgraded: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, launched two important initiatives this morning from Pristina Hospital aimed at supporting the people in building better public services and a better Kosovo. Public health workers in Pristina are being paid, for the first time in months, through an UNMIK arrangement for public employees. Under the arrangement, UNMIK is making ad hoc payments from a UN trust fund to more than 2,000 health professionals. Judges, prosecutors, and customs officials are also included in the payment programme, which will be expanded to other parts of Kosovo in the coming days.
"Through your continued work in this hospital, each one of you is doing his or her part," Dr. Kouchner told health workers at Pristina Hospital this morning. "You are doing this work for the people and we at the United Nations want to show you that you are not alone in your efforts." Dr. Kouchner announced at the hospital that on Sunday he will start broad-based consultations involving representatives from all sectors of the health system on what they wanted to see in Kosovo health care in the future.
"Being a doctor myself, I fully understand how crucial a health system is for a society and how crucial it is that it truly reflects what the people of Kosovo want and that it meets its expectations," he said. "We will work together on this, as we are working together on other issues."
Beautification and garbage removal project gets off the ground: Dr. Kouchner also launched from the hospital the official opening of the "I love My City - Pristina" beautification project that will include garbage collection and cleaning of the city's green areas. With joint funding from UNMIK and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the project will create more that 300 jobs for people in Pristina. It will continue until 15 November when a more sustainable, self-financing operation can begin. KFOR will provide logistical support for the garbage disposal including dumping the waste in a landfill on the outskirts of Pristina. The programme will be accompanied by a media campaign that will include schools in order to involve all the people of Pristina.
Day 69- August 18
Security Situation - UNMIK and KFOR work to protect minorities in Kosovo: Today in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, a UN spokeswoman issued a joint statement concerning security on behalf of the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, and KFOR Commander Lieutenant-General Mike Jackson.
The UN and KFOR chiefs said in their statement: "The primary aim of the international presence in Kosovo is to provide a secure environment for all Kosovars, whatever their ethnic origin. At present, the Serbian and other minority communities clearly feel threatened. Certainly there are incidents of intimidation and murder which are unacceptable.
UNMIK and KFOR condemn the illegal and threatening activities which have been taking place. We are working closely together to stamp out this behaviour."
Outlining the extensive efforts to protect Serbs and other minority communities and individuals throughout Kosovo, the statement said soldiers are living in apartment blocks and at the Roma camp near Kosovo Polje to ensure round-the-clock protection. KFOR troops are escorting convoys of Serbs returning to work and accompanying doctors on their rounds in high-risk areas.
Also, the deployment of UNMIK international civilian police to Kosovo continued. Some 700 UN officers were now in the territory, with nearly 200 already conducting patrols in Pristina.
Dr. Kouchner and General Jackson emphasized that the international effort to generate a secure environment would only succeed with the full cooperation of the local population.
They welcomed the recent statement by Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander, General Ceku condemning those crimes, and instructing all members of the KLA to respect human rights.
Civilian Administration - Kosovo Transitional Council to meet 21 August: The next meeting of the Kosovo Transitional Council is scheduled for Saturday, 21 August, a UN spokeswoman announced today in Pristina.
The Council's composition will be the same as its first meeting, held 16 July. However, Ibrahim Rugova, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, who was absent in July, will attend the 21 August meeting.
Dr. Kouchner will chair the meeting. In addition to the Democratic League of Kosovo, participants will include political leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the United Democratic Movement, representatives of the Serb, Bosniak and Turkish communities and several independents.
The exact time and place of the meeting remains to be determined.
Advisory Council on legal affairs meets: The Joint Advisory Council on Legislative Matters set up by UNMIK and Kosovar legal representatives met for the first time.
The Council will review Kosovo's existing legislation and draft new laws that would eliminate discrimination. Specifically, the Council will advise UNMIK by identifying areas in need of legal reform and identifying discriminatory laws with a view to their immediate suspension. The Council, working with UNMIK legal experts, will draft new legislation.
It will break into working groups dealing with various aspects of the law, including criminal, administrative and civil matters.
WHO calls for build-up in Kosovo's public health system: The World Health Organization (WHO) today warned of the need to build Kosovo's public health systems so that they can contain communicable diseases.
In the past few days, one suspected case of polio and 24 suspected cases of hepatitis A were among the diseases registered in the province.
WHO, in a statement issued from Geneva, said: "Low vaccine coverage rates, poor water and sanitation, lack of proper waste disposal, continued mobility of the population and a weakened health system means the people are at serious risk of major communicable disease outbreaks."
HABITAT meets on housing and property rights in Kosovo: The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) is conducting a workshop in Pristina on the creation of an independent commission on housing and property rights under UN auspices. Habitat's Acting Executive Director, Klaus Toepfer, will meet with Dr. Kouchner in Pristina on Friday to discuss related issues.
Humanitarian - UNHCR will evacuate only as last resort: At a press conference in Pristina, a UNHCR spokesman said the UN refugee agency would evacuate people only as a last resort in urgent life-threatening situations. To date, the number of those taken out of Kosovo had been relatively small. In Pristina, for example, there had been 13 indivduals escorted out by UNHCR. Province-wide, the figure was about 400, half of whom were Croatian or Bosnian Serb refugees who had been resettled in Kosovo. Others were Roma or Serbs involved in family reunification.
The vast majority of the estimated 180,000 Kosovar Serbs that had fled the province departed on their own spontaneously, he said. Of the total, UNHCR estimates that 50,000 left before or during the NATO bombing, while others departed in mid-June just as KFOR was arriving.
Nearly 5,000 refugees return from outside region: Around 4,700 refugees returned to Kosovo last week from countries outside the Balkan region, UNHCR reported. Returns of displaced people and refugees from neighbouring countries in the region dropped sharply to 1,000.
Since returns began on 15 June, more than 761,000 Kosovars have returned home. Some 715,000 have returned from the countries in the region; another 46,500 have repatriated from countries in Europe, North America and elsewhere.
Day 70- August 19
Civilian Administration - Advisory Council on Legal Affairs convenes and decides its membership: The Joint Advisory Council on Legislative Matters adopted its terms of reference and elected a seven-member Executive Board during its first meeting at UNMIK Headquarters on 18 August. The Council was set up by UNMIK and Kosovar legal representatives to review and refine existing legislation in Kosovo.
Kosovar legal expert Blerim Reka and UNMIK Legal Advisor Hansjoerg Strohmeyer were elected co-chairs of the Council's Executive Board, which is made up of five Kosovar legal experts and two international experts. The other Kosovar experts are: Fazli Balaj, Nekibe Kelmendi, Ismet Salihu and Esat Stavileci. International expert Charles Rudnick was also elected to the Board.
The Council also decided today that it would be composed of no more than 25 local legal experts with extensive experience in the practice or administration of law. According to its Terms of Reference, the Council shall advise UNMIK on identifying areas for legal reform, including the identification of discriminatory laws with a need for immediate suspension. It will also focus on creating new legislation in cooperation with international experts, as identified by UNMIK.
Six working groups were established in the Council to address the following issues: criminal law, property law, economic and financial laws, administrative law, civil law and other matters. The Council will convene in its entirety every two months and the Executive Board will meet on a weekly basis.
Day 71 - August 20
Civilian Administration
Kosovo Transitional Council to hold second meeting on Saturday: The Kosovo Transitional Council will hold its second meeting tomorrow, Saturday, 21 August. The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, will chair the meeting. KFOR Commander Lieutenant-General Mike Jackson will attend. The heads of the four pillars of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) will also be present. The members of the Council attending will be the same as at their first meeting, with the addition of Kosovo Democratic League President Ibrahim Rugova. The agenda of the meeting will include the security situation, economics and reconstruction, and the future work of the Transitional Council.
Kouchner to meet with members of health community on Sunday: On Sunday, 22 August, Dr. Kouchner will meet with members of the health community in Kosovo. One hundred fifty-six medical staff members, including doctors, nurses, and technical and administrative staff -- of both Albanian and Serb origin -- will participate in the meeting. Among the issues to be discussed are the structure of Kosovo's medical care system, retraining of medical personnel, and the financing of medical care services.
Kouchner carries out personal assessment in field visits to Gnjilane and Urosevac: Special Representative Bernard Kouchner met yesterday with the top US military commander of KFOR, General Peterson , in Gnjilane to be briefed about KFOR's actions to address the security situation. He promised that, of the 200 international police officers due to arrive in the area next week, he would ensure that some would be sent to Gnjilane. In a visit to Urosevac, Dr. Kouchner congratulated Dr. Basim Oja, a surgeon, for his courageous work during the three months of war in the town's caves. Dr. Kouchner insisted that he wants to involve the people of Kosovo in decision-making and to work with them to arrive at a consensus in all fields.
OSCE moves ahead with Independent Media Board: As announced at the UNMIK briefing in Pristina today, the head of the institutional-building component, Daan Everts, after having consulted with Kosovar media experts, has proposed the following names to be members of the Independent Media Board, which Dr. Kouchner has accepted. They are Mahmut Bakalli, a well-known Albanian intellectual and former politician, to serve as Chairman; Lirije Osmani, a lawyer and human rights activist; Pajazit Nushi, President of the Council for the Defense of Human Rights; Shkelzen Maliqi, Publicist and Counsellor of the Open Society; and Aca Rakocevic, representative of Serb Intellectuals and activist of the Serb Resistance Movement. In addition, ex-officio members will be Mr. Everts, Nadia Younes, and Douglas Davidson, media advisor for the institution-building component. The institution-building component of UNMIK, which is led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has been entrusted with laying the foundation for a democratic and professional media in Kosovo. To create a framework for this purpose, Dr. Kouchner has established the Media Board that will, among other things, identify reconstruction priorities for media infrastructure.
Humanitarian
UNMIK to oversee voluntary resettlement of Albanians to northern part of Mitrovica: In an important development, Mitrovica, scene of recent tensions between the Albanian and Serb communities, saw the start of the voluntary resettlement of Albanians to the northern part of the town. The first group of seven families was to be moved back to their former homes. This UNMIK initiative will be implemented by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and KFOR. KFOR providing transport and security for the returning Albanians, while UNHCR ascertaining and providing assistance for the initial needs of these returnees.
Day 72, 73, 74 - August 21, 22, 23
Civil Administration
UNMIK Police takes over primary responsibility for law and order in Pristina: At the UNMIK briefing in Pristina, Spokeswoman Nadia Younes announced today that UNMIK Police had begun taking over primary responsibility for law and order in Pristina. The UN civilian police assumed investigative authority and jurisdiction for:
Enforcing criminal codes; conducting investigations; making arrests for criminal offences; and interfacing with the community.
UNMIK Police will continue to be supported by British KFOR troops, and the Royal Military Police will work alongside our police for as long as they are required. KFOR military police will continue to be responsible for policing tasks in the remainder of the Pristina region. Those arrested will be detained in the Pristina Holding Centre, which is behind the military police station. UNMIK and KFOR will continue to work in all communities in an effort to reduce violence and crime, the Spokeswoman added.
Kosovo Transitional Council focuses on security issues: The Kosovo Transitional Council met as scheduled on Saturday in Pristina. Speaking to the press following the meeting, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, said that discussions had focused on security issues. He cautioned against expecting quick-fixes to the security problems in Kosovo, saying, "There is a fantastic density of hatred here, but the answer is not the police, the answer is not soldiers, the answer is development, peace, democracy, the answer is jobs for young people." Asked about a Serb proposal on "cantonization", Dr. Kouchner confirmed that such an idea had been forwarded. While he did not favour it, the proposal would be reviewed by the Council along with all others.
Meeting with health workers: Over the weekend, the Special Representative met with some 120 doctors, nurses and other health workers from around Kosovo. The meeting was billed as the "first step towards the overhaul of the health system in Kosovo". There was a lot of very frank and open discussion among the participants and with Dr. Kouchner. Three working groups were to begin meeting from today on human resources development, health policy and transmissible diseases.
Yesterday, the Special Representative took a day-long trip to Mitrovica and raised the United Nations flag over the town hospital there. The hospital has been able to retain both Serb and Albanian staff and to ensure equal access to health care for patients from all over the district.
Humanitarian
Kosovars urged to prepare for winter with shelter kits: Emphasizing this may be the only reconstruction help they receive before the onset of winter, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pristina today urged Kosovars who are turning down shelter kits to make the best possible use of the materials to fix one warm and weatherproof room.
Reports have come in of a number of people refusing these kits in the hope that a more substantial package would become available later to totally rebuild their homes. The distribution of these materials is not meant as a permanent solution, but as a temporary measure to get people through this first difficult winter, UNHCR added.
UNHCR's shelter rehabilitation programme is now in full swing, with 5,800 basic shelter kits distributed so far aimed at the most vulnerable groups. These kits are designed to provide enough material to allow homeowners to temporarily weatherproof one room per house before winter.
Given an estimated 47,000 non-repairable homes, UNHCR is also mounting a programme of assistance to host families to encourage them to take in the homeless this winter, drawing lessons from the trend that refugees who fled to surrounding countries stayed with host families, not in refugee camps. For those who have nowhere else to go, UNHCR is also identifying temporary community shelters, to be used as a last resort this winter.
UNHCR places high priority on its shelter programme, a collective effort that includes major players such as the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Responsible for providing a third or less of the total volume of shelter kits, UNHCR is to distribute 16,000 basic shelter kits and another 4,400 roofing kits. ECHO meanwhile, is providing 20,000 basic kits, while USAID is contributing 19,300. In all, the kits from the three agencies will benefit an estimated 387,000 people. At least four other organizations have pledged kits or prefab houses, bringing the total number to more than 75,000 kits.
Other developments
War crimes arrests: Responding to questions that had arisen over the weekend, UNMIK Spokeswoman Nadia Younes said that, at the request of UNMIK, the German and Dutch contingents of KFOR arrested, on Friday morning, three Serb individuals on suspicion of war crimes in Orahovac. Immediately after the arrest of the individuals and the sealing of their houses, UNMIK police investigators from five different countries (Germany, the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Denmark) started to search the houses for evidence. In the course of their search, they seized a great amount of documents, photographs and other items that may serve as potential evidence in court. In particular, the police investigators found several weapons and hand grenades.
Since Friday, UNMIK police investigators and legal experts have been interviewing several witnesses from the region of Orahovac as well as suspects, under the supervision of the competent domestic prosecutors and investigating judges. The suspects are currently detained in a Prizren prison guarded by KFOR and will face trial before the District Court in Prizren. Although this will be a domestic war crimes trial, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia takes great interest in the case since the events in Orahovac are related to the Milosevic indictment.
The Spokeswoman added that today at 10 a.m., the competent investigative judges of the Prizren District Court were to hold a first hearing of the suspects to decide on the continuation of their detention. The UNMIK investigation team will remain in the region to continue reviewing the confiscated material and documents and to interrogate additional witnesses, in cooperation and under the supervision of the competent domestic organs.
Day 75 - August 25
Civilian Administration
First of regular weekly meetings of KTC has all major players at the table: The Kosovo Transitional Council this morning held the first of its regular weekly meetings, chaired by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner.
The question of the protection of minorities, particularly the Serbs, was discussed in light of a proposal on cantonization tabled at the previous meeting of the Council by the leader of the Serbian Resistance Movement. It was decided that the issue of the protection of minorities would be taken up at the next meeting of the Council, scheduled for 1 September 1999.
On the question of housing, the discussion centred on the emergency measures being taken by UNMIK to ensure a minimum of shelter for the people before the coming winter. Also covered during the two-hour session were reconstruction, economics, how to re-start schools and the university, the media and other matters.
In addition, the SRSG briefed the Council on his proposal for the creation of Executive Directorates to ensure the early and direct involvement of the people of Kosovo in executive decisions on practical issues of direct relevance such as housing, education, health and public utilities. He suggested that two co-directors, a technical expert from Kosovo and an UNMIK representative, be chosen to lead each of the four Directorates. He also asked the participants for their suggested lists for those positions.
Responding to the press after the meeting, Dr. Kouchner said that some proposals on protection of all minority communities were made and how to assure the safety of Serbs coming back and those already in Kosovo; he did not favour the word cantonization, which "takes us back ten years", nor the separation of communities in different areas. Despite the fact that it was a difficult meeting, lots of decisions were made on how to proceed. It was also important that all the major players took part in the meeting, added Dr. Kouchner. In attendance were Ibrahim Rugova, President of the LDK (Democratic League of Kosovo), Hashim Thaçi, Head of the Political Directorate of the UCK (Kosovo Liberation Army) and Rexhep Qosja President of the LBD (United Democratic Movement). Also represented were independents, minority communities and parties.
UNMIK Police makes first arrests: UNMIK Police has entered the third day of police duties for the city of Pristina. On 23 August, UNMIK Police made its first arrests. The suspects are being held in the detention centre at the Pristina main station. There are currently 744 UNMIK police deployed in Kosovo, with 663 deployed in Pristina and the other regions. This week, UNMIK anticipates the arrival of 172 new officers.
Police service within Pristina continues to operate from the main station. The sub-stations have been identified within their area of responsibility but are presently undergoing renovations to bring them up to an acceptable level to conduct police duties. The sub-stations are being assigned personnel as they complete their UN training. They will continue to operate from the main station for the time being but police patrols in UNMIK vehicles will also begin in the next few days.
Foreign Minister Visit: Special Representative Bernard Kouchner met with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine on 24 August for one and a half hours. The two ministers were on a daylong visit to Kosovo. They also met with Hashim Thaci and Ibrahim Rugova. They discussed issues of security, elections, and the workings of the Kosovo Transitional Council, including the proposal of the Serbian Resistance Movement leader Momcilo Trajkovic for the cantonization of Kosovo. Dr Kouchner and the two Foreign Ministers felt it was not the optimum solution and not an option they favoured, but that it should be discussed at the Transitional Council. Both diplomats said the Serb proposal for so-called cantonization of Kosovo ran counter to international efforts to create a unified, multi-ethnic Kosovo, not a segregated society.
Electricity: Tomorrow, UNMIK will begin chairing the Joint Civil Commission on Energy and Public Utilities -- taking that position over from KFOR, which did much of the emergency repair work on utilities in the immediate aftermath of the war. The Committee will be responsible for ensuring a multi-ethnic work force and for overseeing the management of utilities in three sectors: energy, water and sanitation. UNMIK will take over control of all utilities on 1 September.
Humanitarian
Security situation of Serb minorities: In response to a question about Serbs wanting to leave Orahovac, a UNHCR spokesman in Pristina clarified at the UNMIK press briefing that out of roughly 3,000 Serbs in Orahovac, two-thirds would like to leave, one-third said they would like to stay if the security situation allows -- so far they are happy to stay. To carry out a mass evacuation was not tenable. Right now the KFOR presence in the town is providing security and these communities are being given food and other assistance. Unless there are really extenuating circumstances, possibly family reunification, they are going to be staying there, he added.
As to whether Serb populations of Pristina would be moved to areas or an enclave where they could be better protected, the UNHCR spokesman said that there were no contingency plans he was aware of. KFOR, UNMIK and others were doing everything to make sure that people could stay in their homes. In eastern Kosovo, around Gjilane and Kamenica, there is some evidence of Serbs already congregating in their own majority areas anyway, leaving some of the mixed villages where they are the minority. But in general, UNHCR does not support cantonization.
Other developments
Balkans Task Force (BTF) moving ahead on environmental concerns: The joint BTF composed of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Habitat announced that, during this week, scientists - from the Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Germany, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden - will visit potential pollution "hot-spots" to assess the environmental health of the Danube before and after the Kosovo conflict, collecting sediment and water samples. They will also measure the accumulation of pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in living mussels, in order to get a picture of the possible toxic releases into the Danube in the hours immediately after the damage to industrial facilities.
Another BTF team, based in Pristina, is currently working in close cooperation with UNMIK on issues of urban management and rehabilitation, housing law, property registration and environmental management.
An inter-agency group involving UNEP, World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Swedish Radiation Institute began work on 3 August to look into the issue of depleted uranium. This group, working from Geneva under the BTF umbrella, is collecting and collating information from a variety of sources and a decision will be taken in early September on future BTF activity in this area.
August 26 - Day 76
Civilian Administration
Kosovars to begin UN-supervised police training: In a step towards building a multi-ethnic police force in Kosovo, the first group of 200 Kosovar recruits will start their training on Monday, 30 August. The first course, operated under the overall supervision of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), will run until October.
The course work will be conducted by international police instructors at a new police training centre established in Kosovo by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). OSCE is charged with carrying out UNMIK's institution-building activities. A second group of Kosovar recruits will begin training on 15 September.
Following the course instruction, each Kosovar officer will participate in 19 weeks of field training, under the supervision of UNMIK international civilian police. Each officer of the new Kosovar police force will be evaluated after the initial course, the field training and every 12 weeks thereafter, to ensure professionalism and impartiality. International personnel will monitor the behaviour of the local police throughout the term of UNMIK.
So far, some 19,500 Kosovars have applied to join the new force.
August 27 - Day 77
Civilian Administration
UNMIK will be throughout Kosovo in weeks, UN Balkans Envoy says: The United Nations was establishing itself throughout Kosovo at a very rapid pace, even under challenging circumstances, the UN Balkans envoy said at a press briefing in New York. The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Balkans Carl Bildt said the UN interim administration was stretching well beyond the capital of Pristina and would soon be in all 29 communes of Kosovo. Within the next few weeks, UNMIK will be covering the entire region of Kosovo," Mr. Bildt said.
Responding to questions from the press about the likelihood of Kosovo returning to a multi-ethnic state, Mr. Bildt said that the aim of the UNMIK - the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo -- was to improve the security situation so that minorities could return to their home. While at present the human right situation for minorities in Kosovo was not satisfactory, he said UNMIK and the KFOR international security force were doing their utmost to protect Serbs and other groups. The idea of creating cantons or "ghettos" for minorities was not the solution, Mr. Bildt said. Although it was natural for minorities to gather together into groups for protections, the international community must work to preserve an element of multi-ethnicity.
Parallel to efforts to enhance security, UNMIK civil projects, such as those to re-open schools and restore public services, would support the development of a multi-ethnic Kosovo, he said. In addition, the UN-supervised Kosovo Transitional Council had succeeded in bringing all the key political parties to the table to address security concerns and other vital matters, he said. While the Council had gotten off to a bumpy start, Mr. Bildt said, the recent agreement by Council members to meet once a week was an important and positive development.
Kouchner urges action to secure release of Kosovar Albanians held in Serbia: The head of the United Nations Kosovo operation, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, urged the international community to exert pressure for the release of political prisoners still being held in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Speaking in Pristina at a rally for more than 5,000 Kosovar Albanians still believed detained in Serbia, Dr. Kouchner also called on international human rights organizations to help seek information on those still missing. Dr. Kouchner told hundreds of demonstrators that he had received detailed information on 1,924 detainees held in Serbian jails whom representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC) had been allowed to visit. Most of them were being held without trial and have been charged with terrorism, he said.
Stressing that it was a violation of international law to hold prisoners without providing information to relatives, Dr. Kouchner said he was attempting to coordinate a high-level meeting of human rights representatives in Pristina to confront the matter of prisoners and missing persons. He also said the Kosovo Transitional Council B the highest Kosovar political body working with the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) -- would create a special working group, made up of the ICRC, human rights activists and family members, to address this issue.
UN pushes to restore rail service before winter; returning 1,000 rail workers: To help restore Kosovo's rail network before the onset of winter, the United Nations is bringing back to work more than 1,000 former railway employees, UNMIK Spokeswoman Nadia Younes said. Speaking to the press in Kosovo's capital Pristina, the UN spokeswoman said UNMIK is reintegrating some 800 Albanian former employees B many who lost their jobs in 1989 B with another group of 640 Serbs and Albanians who have already returned to the job.
The railroad system -- a vital transport means for food, shelter material and other critical supplies to Kosovo B was damaged during the NATO bombings that ended in June. Last week, UNMIK oversaw the return of more than 120 Serb rail workers who had fled to Serbia during the past two months. They joined another 220 to 230 Serbs who had remained mainly in Kosovo Polje, which is the site of a major railway station in Kosovo. UNMIK is now leading negotiations on how Serbs and Albanians will divide the railroad management positions, an issue hotly contested by the two communities. To that end, the UNMIK-supervised Joint Civilian Commission on Transport plans to appoint a committee on railways, with representation from both Serb and Albanian communities. In turn, the committee will manage the railway system under an international director yet to be appointed. Already, minimal rail service between Kosovo and Macedonia has been restored, with three trains running daily on the Skopje/Pristina line. However, due to a lack of trains and locomotives, only a limited amount of supplies are now being transported.
Plan to re-open universities to all students: After weeks of negotiations, the United Nations in Kosovo and Serb and Albanian academics have set a plan for re-opening universities to all students. The plan envisions a fair, secure and practical sharing of university public facilities, according to time-sharing arrangements to be worked out by the parties themselves. As a first step, the proposal outlines the conducting of "catch up" exams for students whose educations were interrupted last spring. Under the plan, faculty, administrative staff and students from both Serb and Albanian "language streams" would immediately gain access to all university facilities, so as to prepare for and conduct examinations for the disrupted 1998-99 school term. If successful, this plan will be applied simultaneously in all university branches around Kosovo. Due to the security situation in the territory, specific modalities for implementing the plan are still being worked out, UNMIK Spokeswoman Nadia Younes said. A working group of Serb and Albanian representatives, UNMIK and the KFOR international security forces has been established.
August 28, 29, 30 - Day 78, 79, 80
Civilian Administration
Kouchner and Holbrooke visit high-risk areas: The UNMIK Spokeswoman Nadia Younes announced today that Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernard Kouchner and Police Commissioner Sven Fredericksen accompanied United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke, to areas where UNMIK is patrolling on foot. They visited high-risk areas such as Ulpania; a complex of buildings with an ethnically mixed population and where incidents of harassment, especially against Serbs had occurred. An UNMIK police sub-station has been established there to provide security and protection for all inhabitants.
Dr. Kouchner and Ambassador Holbrooke had also met several times over the weekend; their discussions covered financial support to UNMIK, the police, the political process, elections, transformation of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and the destruction of monuments on both sides. Ambassador Holbrooke expressed the full support of his Government for Dr. Kouchner's efforts, adding, "In my mind, he is the right man in the right place at the right time".
Police Training Class to begin 7 September: The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has announced that the first training class, scheduled to begin on 31 August, has been postponed to 7 September. This is to enable the screening of applicants to be extended by one week and complete a thorough vetting process in order to ensure an optimal intake of candidates for the first training class of 200 Kosovo Police trainees.
Customs service to become operational: It was also announced at the UNMIK briefing today that, following registration of all forwarding agents and importers and exporters of goods to Kosovo which begins on 31 August, customs service would become fully operational on the borders of Kosovo and Albania, and Kosovo and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This would generate much-needed revenue for public administration in Kosovo.
Humanitarian
Press conference focuses on protecting rights of all citizens of Kosovo: Answering questions at a press conference on 29 August, Dr. Kouchner and Ambassador Holbrooke addressed concerns about what was being done to protect all citizens. Dr. Kouchner pointed out that UNMIK is actively providing such protection and security, even though it is hard to guarantee that Serbs, Albanians and Roma are all reassured. He also reminded correspondents:" We have to build a Kosovo from nothing, and we have been here for only two months". Ambassador Holbrooke stressed the immensity of the task facing the international community and the complexity of the problems.
In New York
Security Council President issues statement: The President of the Security Council made a brief statement to the press after the Council was briefed on the situation in Kosovo. Expressing support for the efforts of UNMIK and KFOR, and Special Representative Kouchner's actions, to implement Security Council resolution 1244, he said that the Council condemned violence against the civilian population, in particular against ethnic minorities, as well as against KFOR personnel. The Council also called on Member States to provide UNMIK with the resources necessary to carry out its functions.
August 31 - Day 81
Civilian Administration
Kouchner swears in judges in Mitrovica: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, went to Mitrovica today to swear in justice officials. Hailing it as "another step forward towards building a new, independent and multi-ethnic judiciary for Kosovo", Dr. Kouchner administered the oath of office to seven judges (5 Albanians, 2 Serbs) as well as two prosecutors for the District Court of Mitrovica (1 Albanian, 1 Serb). This brings the total number of officials in the fledgling judicial system to close to 40. The Special Representative said that "the text of the oath reminds us of the important adherence of the judiciary to two fundamental principles: upholding the law and non-discrimination", which would serve as the main pillar of Kosovo's judiciary.
Humanitarian
UNHCR issues shelter update: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has provided a further assessment of the humanitarian situation in Kosovo which covers more than 90 per cent of war-affected villages. UNHCR has delivered more than one-third of its target number of shelter kits, alongside efforts being made by several other international agencies. If all these kits are provided and distributed as planned, the programme would cover the needs of 380,000 people. The basic shelter kits are expected to be complemented by other assistance of prefabricated shelters and repairs to homes, reaching an additional 160,000 people.Since UNHCR believes that some 50,000 of the houses that are beyond repair cannot be reconstructed before winter, the agency estimates that a further 300,000 people will have to find accommodation with host families. Support for host families has begun and additional programmes are under consideration. Contingency measures are also being developed in case additional capacity is needed when the winter comes.
September 1 - Day 82
Civilian Administration
Kosovo Transitional Council agrees on new security measures: Stating that "tremendous progress" had been made, Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernard Kouchner briefed correspondents on the discussions that took place in the fourth meeting of the Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC). Among the topics discussed were measures to enhance security in Kosovo, as well as the Kosovo budget and further movement on the creation of a commission on detained and imprisoned persons.
The Council was briefed on the improved security situation in Kosovo and current deployment of UNMIK Police: 896 have been recruited and 748 are in the mission area. The UN civilian police presence is gradually establishing itself in sectors of Pristina, and by 9 September, it will take over responsibility for security for the entire town. The Police Academy is to open Monday, 6 September, with an initial class of 200 candidates for the Kosovo Police Service.
The Council agreed to set up a commission on security, composed of experts suggested by the KTC, which would advise and report to KFOR and UNMIK on issues such as priorities for police deployment and how to resolve specific security situations. The Council also agreed to send UNMIK Police to Orahovac to help defuse tensions and meet security concerns of the local population opposing KFOR deployment.
Special Representative Kouchner urged that the proposed commission on detainees and prisoners be named by the end of this week. Chaired by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the group will include representatives from families of detained or imprisoned people, the KTC, KFOR, UNMIK and relevant human rights NGOs.
Dr. Kouchner also proposed further movement on transforming the KTC into an "Interim Governing Council", with more executive responsibilities than the current council, which is the highest-level advisory body to UNMIK. Discussion on this proposal will continue in next week's meeting. The budget for Kosovo's administration was discussed, as well as what to do with the "Fund of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo," money raised over the past several years among Kosovo Albanian residents and among the diaspora.
The Serb delegation did not attend today's meeting due to technical reasons. Dr. Kouchner, in the name of the Council, sent letters of apology to the Serbs today for a misunderstanding on arrangements for reaching the meeting, which was held at UNMIK headquarters. Attending the meeting were Ibrahim Rugova of the LDK (Democratic League of Kosovo); Hashim Thaci of the UCK (Kosovo Liberation Army); Rexhep Qosa and Mehmet Hajrizi of the LBD (United Democratic Movement) and Independent Veton Surroi. Sezair Shaipi represented the Turkish people of Kosovo and Numan Balic, the SDA (Bosniaks).
Catch-up classes held as schools open: At the UNMIK briefing in Pristina today, Deputy Spokeswoman Daniela Rozgonova announced that more than 50 per cent of the province's 1,000 schools were to open today. She clarified that these were "catch-up" classes to complete the disrupted 1998-9 school year. The formal school year will begin in late October due to the need to repair damaged schools, and restore textbooks, furniture and supplies. UNMIK estimates that 130 schools were completely destroyed during the war; 151 severely damaged; 132 moderately damaged. Repairs to 190 schools are in progress. The Joint Civil Commission on Education did a rapid review of textbooks to vet them for hate language. Their next task is a complete review of the curriculum to produce an entirely new curriculum for the school year 2000-2001. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has pledged that every effort would be made to ensure that all children would be back in school by the autumn.
UNMIK Police establishing its presence: During last weekend's visit to Kosovo by United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke, a visit was arranged to familiarize him with the deployment of UNMIK Police. UNMIK Police Commissioner Sven Frederiksen explained that UNMIK is identifying hot spots where minorities are being threatened and attempting to ensure security and promote confidence through a physical presence and visibility of UN civilian police. For example, Police Commissioner Frederiksen mentioned that minorities have been afraid to come to Pristina Hospital - UNMIK Police is setting up a sub-station to be staffed 24 hours and spreading the word that they will be there to respond if required. Similarly, police containers are being set up in other areas to reassure civilians, especially minorities, to convey the message that it is safe for them to stay and for others to come back. In response to a question as to whether UNMIK could verify whether the minority outflow from Kosovo has been curbed, Frederiksen said that no mass exodus has been recently visible but UNMIK wants to see minorities return. Special Representative Kouchner showed correspondents a crime rate chart indicating that the crime rate in Kosovo is lower than Washington, Pretoria and other cities, stating that UNMIK is "making a difference".
Kosovo judiciary expanded: In a follow-up to the appointment by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of judges and prosecutors yesterday in Mitrovica, the UNMIK Deputy Spokeswoman provided the following breakdown of the 37 members of the Kosovo judiciary: 26 are Albanian, 7 Serb, one Roma, one Turk and one Muslim-Slav.
Customs regulation signed: A new customs regulation has been signed and customs collections will begin later this week at points on the border between Kosovo and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Kosovo-Albanian border. The regulation amends the previous law with all revenues collected to be allocated to the Kosovo budget.
Humanitarian
Refugee returns continue: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that more than 4,400 refugees and displaced people returned to Kosovo last week, about 3,100 of them from countries outside the Balkan region and the rest from Montenegro, Albania, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Of the returns from outside the Balkan region last week, 1,018 flew into Skopje in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and took buses to Kosovo and 1,296 took direct flights to Pristina. An estimated 800 Kosovars from other countries in Europe went back to Kosovo through Albania. Some 772,300 Kosovars have returned to Kosovo since the peace agreement in June - 718,000 from the region and 54,300 from other countries. Around 43,200 refugees and displaced people remain in the region, including 7,700 in Montenegro, 6,500 in Albania, 10,190 in Bosnia-Herzegovina and 18,800 in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Reports of attacks on minorities decreased last week: Reports of attacks on Serbs in Kosovo decreased for the first time last week, KFOR officials report in Pristina, despite several incidents of abductions and intimidation. The drop could be attributed to KFOR's success in establishing a more secure environment but it could also reflect a diminishing Serb population to target.
September 1 - Day 82
Civilian Administration
Kosovo Transitional Council agrees on new security measures: Stating that "tremendous progress" had been made, Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernard Kouchner briefed correspondents on the discussions that took place in the fourth meeting of the Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC). Among the topics discussed were measures to enhance security in Kosovo, as well as the Kosovo budget and further movement on the creation of a commission on detained and imprisoned persons.
The Council was briefed on the improved security situation in Kosovo and current deployment of UNMIK Police: 896 have been recruited and 748 are in the mission area. The UN civilian police presence is gradually establishing itself in sectors of Pristina, and by 9 September, it will take over responsibility for security for the entire town. The Police Academy is to open Monday, 6 September, with an initial class of 200 candidates for the Kosovo Police Service.
The Council agreed to set up a commission on security, composed of experts suggested by the KTC, which would advise and report to KFOR and UNMIK on issues such as priorities for police deployment and how to resolve specific security situations. The Council also agreed to send UNMIK Police to Orahovac to help defuse tensions and meet security concerns of the local population opposing KFOR deployment.
Special Representative Kouchner urged that the proposed commission on detainees and prisoners be named by the end of this week. Chaired by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the group will include representatives from families of detained or imprisoned people, the KTC, KFOR, UNMIK and relevant human rights NGOs.
Dr. Kouchner also proposed further movement on transforming the KTC into an "Interim Governing Council", with more executive responsibilities than the current council, which is the highest-level advisory body to UNMIK. Discussion on this proposal will continue in next week's meeting. The budget for Kosovo's administration was discussed, as well as what to do with the "Fund of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo," money raised over the past several years among Kosovo Albanian residents and among the diaspora.
The Serb delegation did not attend today's meeting due to technical reasons. Dr. Kouchner, in the name of the Council, sent letters of apology to the Serbs today for a misunderstanding on arrangements for reaching the meeting, which was held at UNMIK headquarters. Attending the meeting were Ibrahim Rugova of the LDK (Democratic League of Kosovo); Hashim Thaci of the UCK (Kosovo Liberation Army); Rexhep Qosa and Mehmet Hajrizi of the LBD (United Democratic Movement) and Independent Veton Surroi. Sezair Shaipi represented the Turkish people of Kosovo and Numan Balic, the SDA (Bosniaks).
Catch-up classes held as schools open: At the UNMIK briefing in Pristina today, Deputy Spokeswoman Daniela Rozgonova announced that more than 50 per cent of the province's 1,000 schools were to open today. She clarified that these were "catch-up" classes to complete the disrupted 1998-9 school year. The formal school year will begin in late October due to the need to repair damaged schools, and restore textbooks, furniture and supplies. UNMIK estimates that 130 schools were completely destroyed during the war; 151 severely damaged; 132 moderately damaged. Repairs to 190 schools are in progress. The Joint Civil Commission on Education did a rapid review of textbooks to vet them for hate language. Their next task is a complete review of the curriculum to produce an entirely new curriculum for the school year 2000-2001. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has pledged that every effort would be made to ensure that all children would be back in school by the autumn.
UNMIK Police establishing its presence: During last weekend's visit to Kosovo by United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke, a visit was arranged to familiarize him with the deployment of UNMIK Police. UNMIK Police Commissioner Sven Frederiksen explained that UNMIK is identifying hot spots where minorities are being threatened and attempting to ensure security and promote confidence through a physical presence and visibility of UN civilian police. For example, Police Commissioner Frederiksen mentioned that minorities have been afraid to come to Pristina Hospital - UNMIK Police is setting up a sub-station to be staffed 24 hours and spreading the word that they will be there to respond if required. Similarly, police containers are being set up in other areas to reassure civilians, especially minorities, to convey the message that it is safe for them to stay and for others to come back. In response to a question as to whether UNMIK could verify whether the minority outflow from Kosovo has been curbed, Frederiksen said that no mass exodus has been recently visible but UNMIK wants to see minorities return. Special Representative Kouchner showed correspondents a crime rate chart indicating that the crime rate in Kosovo is lower than Washington, Pretoria and other cities, stating that UNMIK is "making a difference".
Kosovo judiciary expanded: In a follow-up to the appointment by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of judges and prosecutors yesterday in Mitrovica, the UNMIK Deputy Spokeswoman provided the following breakdown of the 37 members of the Kosovo judiciary: 26 are Albanian, 7 Serb, one Roma, one Turk and one Muslim-Slav.
Customs regulation signed: A new customs regulation has been signed and customs collections will begin later this week at points on the border between Kosovo and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Kosovo-Albanian border. The regulation amends the previous law with all revenues collected to be allocated to the Kosovo budget.
Humanitarian
Refugee returns continue: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that more than 4,400 refugees and displaced people returned to Kosovo last week, about 3,100 of them from countries outside the Balkan region and the rest from Montenegro, Albania, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Of the returns from outside the Balkan region last week, 1,018 flew into Skopje in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and took buses to Kosovo and 1,296 took direct flights to Pristina. An estimated 800 Kosovars from other countries in Europe went back to Kosovo through Albania. Some 772,300 Kosovars have returned to Kosovo since the peace agreement in June - 718,000 from the region and 54,300 from other countries. Around 43,200 refugees and displaced people remain in the region, including 7,700 in Montenegro, 6,500 in Albania, 10,190 in Bosnia-Herzegovina and 18,800 in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Reports of attacks on minorities decreased last week: Reports of attacks on Serbs in Kosovo decreased for the first time last week, KFOR officials report in Pristina, despite several incidents of abductions and intimidation. The drop could be attributed to KFOR's success in establishing a more secure environment but it could also reflect a diminishing Serb population to target.
September 2 - Day 83
Civilian Administration
Customs Regulation enters into force: Today marks the establishment of a Kosovo Customs Service based on Regulation No. 3 signed by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernard Kouchner on 31 August. The new regulation sets up customs rates, excise duties and a sales tax on imported goods for the transitional period in which UNMIK holds executive authority in Kosovo. All customs revenues thus raised will be allocated to the Kosovo budget. Fees are to be paid in Deutsche Marks; another regulation is about to be issued stipulating that Deutsche Marks are the official currency for such transactions in Kosovo.
Humanitarian
UNICEF says Kosovo schooling faces great challenges: Aiming for the official opening of the 1999/2000 school year on 1 November, UNICEF cautions that much remains to be done to ensure normal schooling for some 300,000 children of Kosovo. According to a UNICEF survey covering all school districts, 668 of Kosovo's 1,000 schools were in need of repairs with 45 per cent severely damaged or destroyed. Rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts by UNICEF are under way -- work has already been completed on 34 schools and repairs are proceeding on 263 others. Reconstruction will begin soon on the remaining 371 facilities.
Other than physical repairs, UNICEF is shipping equipment such as 60,000 chairs and 30,000 desks for students, 2,000 desks for teachers and 2,000 blackboards. In addition, 135,000 "student kits" are being supplied, including school bags, writing tools and notebooks. UNICEF is also making preparations for temporary classrooms in communities where schools may not be repaired in time by bringing in 700 double-layered winterized and fire-retardant tents, with wooden flooring and stoves.
Kosovo faces food gap, UN agencies say: Even with 143,000 tons of emergency food aid planned for this year, Kosovo still faces a projected shortfall in available food supplies, two United Nations agencies report. A report released this week by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), projects an 85,000 ton import gap for wheat this year.
The agencies estimate that recent hostilities and mass displacement have disrupted agricultural production to such an extent that this year's wheat production will fall by 65 per cent from earlier years, to about 113,000 tons.
The 1999 maize crop will also be sharply reduced, to 20 per cent of normal production, and this season's vegetable production will be almost zero. In addition, widespread looting and slaughter of livestock have reduced Kosovo's cattle by half, and the small stock by roughly 25 per cent.
Since it may be a year before even initial recovery of the agricultural sector will be seen in Kosovo, FAO and WFP say, it is likely international food aid to Kosovo will be needed for the next six months, and possibly longer. During the next four months, WFP plans to help feed 900,000 people, or half the population in Kosovo. Its longer-term assistance programme will strive to reduce the risk of hunger and malnutrition, while replacing lost crops and livestock.
FAO and WFP, reporting findings of their joint Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission which visited Kosovo from 2 to 8 August, say also that Kosovo's rural economy, already depressed by a decade of restrictive policies, will suffer due to the absence of cash sales of surplus food products.
Last year, some 60 per cent of rural cash income was derived from the sale of crops, livestock and related products, the agencies' preliminary field data suggests. The strain of declining incomes will only be compounded by the fact that the Kosovar rural population will face greater expenditures, particularly on reconstruction.
September 3 - Day 84
Civilian Administration
First class of Kosovo Police selected for training to begin next week: UNMIK has completed the selection process for the first class of 200 students for the Kosovo Police Service School, marking an important step for local policing in the territory. "This is a building block for the future of policing in Kosovo," said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK Bernard Kouchner. "It shows how far we've come in working with Kosovars to rebuild institutions - institutions that will lead us to a stable and secure Kosovo."
More than 19,550 applications were reviewed through a screening and vetting procedure and more than 400 applicants were interviewed and backgrounds checked. From among these applicants, 200 were selected for the first class to enter the Kosovo Police Service School, operated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). UNMIK Police, in conjunction with the OSCE, evaluated the applicants based on a number of criteria, including their understanding of democratic and humane policing concepts, and their ability to be fair and impartial when dealing with police situations.
"The four-week vetting process was public and transparent," said UNMIK Police Commissioner Sven Frederiksen. "Candidates were considered on their individual merits to ensure the best possible quality of future police officers." He emphasized that the candidates and their backgrounds would continue to be scrutinized during the training process. UNMIK solicited comments on the list of candidates from many persons and interested groups. Concerns about individual applicants were addressed and many applications have been held for future consideration.
The first class of trainees range in age from 20 to 45; 20 per cent are female and over half have a university education. 83 per cent are Kosovo Albanian, 13 per cent are Kosovo Serb and 4 per cent are from other minorities. Twelve per cent of the trainees are former Kosovo police officers that were forced out of their jobs when the Yugoslav Government stripped Kosovo of its autonomous status. The geographical breakdown is: 27 from Gnjilane, 30 from Mitrovica, 28 from Pec, 89 from Pristina, and 26 from Prizren.
A substantial number of former soldiers from the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA or UCK) have qualified for the police force on the basis of their individual merit, added Commissioner Frederiksen. "That representation reflects highly on the qualifications and distinction of the UCK soldiers." Candidates will enter the Kosovo Police Service School next week. International OSCE trainers will conduct the course. The Kosovo Police Service will eventually number 3,100.
Customs Service begins operation: Today, Dr. Kouchner opened the first customs office at the border crossing point at Generala Jankovica/Hani I Elezit putting into effect the new regulation on customs. The UNMIK Customs Service will be collecting duties, excise tax and sales taxes at three border crossing points with The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and with Albania.
Deutsche Mark is legal tender for payments and transactions in Kosovo: The Special Representative today signed a regulation allowing the use of foreign currency for payments and contracts in Kosovo. "This is an important first step towards the creation of functioning banking, payments and fiscal systems in Kosovo," said Joly Dixon, Deputy Special Representative for Economic Reconstruction and Development. "The dinar is the currency of all of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. This regulation does not impose the use of the Deutsche Mark (DM). However, it recognizes that the DM has been the preferred currency in Kosovo for some time. It is now necessary to put this on a firm legal basis."
Residents of Kosovo have long been conducting business using foreign currency, particularly in DM. With the signing of the regulation, residents will have no legal restrictions on the possession or use of any foreign currency. UNMIK will keep its budgets and accounts in Deutsche Marks. Obligatory payments to authorities, such as customs duties, taxes and fines, can also be paid in DM. Anyone wishing to make such payments in other currencies, such as dinars, will be allowed to do so, but an administrative fee will be levied to cover administrative and handling costs.
Under the regulation, the Yugoslav dinar retains its legal status and will continue to be used to the extent that businesses and people in Kosovo so desire. Dixon said UNMIK is not considering creating or issuing a separate currency for Kosovo.
Humanitarian
Schools open in Kosovo: At the UNMIK briefing in Pristina it was announced that 383 schools opened around Kosovo on Wednesday, with more than 100,000 students showing up. This was basically an introduction to the new school system: actual classes begin Monday. In the town of Lipjan there are two mixed schools (Albanians and Serbs in one; Albanians and Croats in the other). UNMIK is working to arrange staggered use of the building.
UNMIK has received 5 million Deutsche Marks for the production of textbooks to be printed in Pristina, but there will be much discussion on the text, including revision to ensure there is no inflammatory content. UNMIK and local educators will design a complete new curriculum for the year 2000-2001.
September 4, 5, 6, 7 - Day 85, 86, 87, 88
Civilian Administration
Swearing-in of judicial officials: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, today swore in eight judges and three prosecutors at the District Court House in Pec, bringing the number of judges and prosecutors appointed so far to 48. Today's appointment included mostly Albanian judges and a Bosnian Muslim, with a seat reserved for a Serb judge to be appointed at a later date. The swearing-in ceremony of the new judges and prosecutors represented an important step towards a new, independent and multi-ethnic judiciary for Kosovo. The Special Representative then had a meeting with the newly appointed members of the judiciary of Pec before returning to Pristina.
UNMIK Police now tops 1,000 mark: With the arrival of additional UN civilian police, including an American contingent of 175 officers on Friday, there are now 1,024 UNMIK police officers in Kosovo. Currently, some 479 UNMIK police are deployed in Pristina, 35 in Prizren, 26 in Pec, 49 in Mitrovica, and 35 in Gnjilane. There are 78 police deployed at 4 border crossing points. UNMIK Police have made 23 arrests after taking over investigative authority for Pristina on 23 August. Outside Pristina, UNMIK police perform joint patrols with KFOR. While UNMIK police recorded a decrease in crimes during the last week of August, they are particularly concerned about the recent high numbers of bombs and explosions. Eight explosions have been responsible for 2 deaths and 8 injuries in the last week. These cases are under investigation by the Central Criminal Investigations Unit of the UNMIK Police, which deals with the most serious crimes. There are currently 148 cases under investigation.
New Deputy Special Representative for Civil Administration takes up duties: Mr. Tom Koenigs ( See bio) of Germany took up his post as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, heading UNMIK's Civil Administration component, on Monday, 6 September. Mr. Koenig's mandate includes overseeing municipal and district civil administrations, the judiciary, police, customs, taxation, banking, utilities, transport and all the basic functions involved in running a government. He replaces Mr. Dominique Vian who returned to duties in France.
Advisory Board to help craft economic legislation: The Economic Policy Advisory Board will be the advisory body on economic affairs, acting in cooperation with the Kosovo Transitional Council. The Board will propose and advise on matters of importance for the functioning of the economic system in Kosovo. As part of this process, it will be the final filter where the systemic laws are examined before being signed by the Special Representative. The Board's suggestions will not be binding on the Special Representative, but they will have moral and professional weight.
The Board will have, at most, 11 members, consisting of both local experts, representing the political spectrum of Kosovo, and experts appointed by UNMIK. Those who are not part of UNMIK will receive compensation for their work. The Board will also constitute working groups to examine certain issues in detail, prior to consideration by the Board. The Board will be co-chaired by Joly Dixon, Deputy Special Representative for Economic Reconstruction and Development, and Arji Begu, a distinguished expert in economic and financial affairs with long experience as a professor of economics, public official and author. Other members already confirmed are: Zeki Bejtullahu, Adem Grabovci, Sabri Kadriu, Musa Limani, Isa Mustafa, Muhamed Mustafa, Nazim Mustafa, and Riza Sapunxhiu.
Humanitarian
Immunization programme resumes: Dr. Kouchner today re-launched the Kosovo-wide childhood immunization programme that was disrupted in March 1999. As a consequence of ongoing conflict, Kosovo has one of the lowest childhood immunization rates in Europe: only 53 per cent of the children have received regular vaccinations. The programme beginning today will cover 240,000 children in all areas of Kosovo. It will include both vaccinations they have missed and a regular vaccination schedule, inoculating against tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, and others diseases. It will be carried out by the UN Children's Fund and the World Health Organization in cooperation with the Kosovo Central Institute of Public Health and a number of non-governmental organizations, including Medecins du Monde, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Save the Children Fund and International Mercy Corps.
Other developments
OSCE Police School launches first training class: The first class of the Kosovo Police Service School began today at 8:30 a.m. with a batch of 200 trainees embarking on a five-week training programme.
Classes include crime investigation; defence tactics; democratic policing, in which loyalty towards democratic legal order will be the focus; legal affairs; police patrol duties; use of firearms; police skills, including first-aid, conflict intervention and handling refugees; forensics and evidence and traffic control. Upon successful completion of the initial training, candidates participate in 19 weeks of field training with a United Nations police officer. About 20 per cent of the recruits are former police officers in the region.
Training courses are being conducted by 150 international police instructors inducted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), seconded from 11 countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, Sweden, Norway and Canada. In addition, more than 160 local staff will also work at the OSCE training facility.
Human rights report on Kosovo pins responsibility for exodus of Kosovo Albanians on abuses: In a report submitted to the Commission for Human Rights, the High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson attributes human rights abuses as being among the root causes of the mass exodus of more than 1 million ethnic Albanians out of Kosovo. The report includes specific information on the killings which took place during the NATO campaign, when an estimated 10,000 Kosovo Albanians died, with several thousand more still missing. In addition, the report examines violations of the rights of minorities in today's Kosovo, including murder, eviction, rape and kidnapping. Among her recommendations, the High Commissioner calls on the people of Kosovo to refrain from violence and end attacks against minority groups. She also calls on the Belgrade Government to specify the charges against detainees transferred from Kosovo.
Special Representative to visit New York: Dr. Kouchner will arrive in New York tomorrow and is expected to brief the Security Council at length on Friday, 10 September.
September 4, 5, 6, 7 - Day 85, 86, 87, 88
Civilian Administration
Swearing-in of judicial officials: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, today swore in eight judges and three prosecutors at the District Court House in Pec, bringing the number of judges and prosecutors appointed so far to 48. Today's appointment included mostly Albanian judges and a Bosnian Muslim, with a seat reserved for a Serb judge to be appointed at a later date. The swearing-in ceremony of the new judges and prosecutors represented an important step towards a new, independent and multi-ethnic judiciary for Kosovo. The Special Representative then had a meeting with the newly appointed members of the judiciary of Pec before returning to Pristina.
UNMIK Police now tops 1,000 mark: With the arrival of additional UN civilian police, including an American contingent of 175 officers on Friday, there are now 1,024 UNMIK police officers in Kosovo. Currently, some 479 UNMIK police are deployed in Pristina, 35 in Prizren, 26 in Pec, 49 in Mitrovica, and 35 in Gnjilane. There are 78 police deployed at 4 border crossing points. UNMIK Police have made 23 arrests after taking over investigative authority for Pristina on 23 August. Outside Pristina, UNMIK police perform joint patrols with KFOR. While UNMIK police recorded a decrease in crimes during the last week of August, they are particularly concerned about the recent high numbers of bombs and explosions. Eight explosions have been responsible for 2 deaths and 8 injuries in the last week. These cases are under investigation by the Central Criminal Investigations Unit of the UNMIK Police, which deals with the most serious crimes. There are currently 148 cases under investigation.
New Deputy Special Representative for Civil Administration takes up duties: Mr. Tom Koenigs ( See bio) of Germany took up his post as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, heading UNMIK's Civil Administration component, on Monday, 6 September. Mr. Koenig's mandate includes overseeing municipal and district civil administrations, the judiciary, police, customs, taxation, banking, utilities, transport and all the basic functions involved in running a government. He replaces Mr. Dominique Vian who returned to duties in France.
Advisory Board to help craft economic legislation: The Economic Policy Advisory Board will be the advisory body on economic affairs, acting in cooperation with the Kosovo Transitional Council. The Board will propose and advise on matters of importance for the functioning of the economic system in Kosovo. As part of this process, it will be the final filter where the systemic laws are examined before being signed by the Special Representative. The Board's suggestions will not be binding on the Special Representative, but they will have moral and professional weight.
The Board will have, at most, 11 members, consisting of both local experts, representing the political spectrum of Kosovo, and experts appointed by UNMIK. Those who are not part of UNMIK will receive compensation for their work. The Board will also constitute working groups to examine certain issues in detail, prior to consideration by the Board. The Board will be co-chaired by Joly Dixon, Deputy Special Representative for Economic Reconstruction and Development, and Arji Begu, a distinguished expert in economic and financial affairs with long experience as a professor of economics, public official and author. Other members already confirmed are: Zeki Bejtullahu, Adem Grabovci, Sabri Kadriu, Musa Limani, Isa Mustafa, Muhamed Mustafa, Nazim Mustafa, and Riza Sapunxhiu.
Humanitarian
Immunization programme resumes: Dr. Kouchner today re-launched the Kosovo-wide childhood immunization programme that was disrupted in March 1999. As a consequence of ongoing conflict, Kosovo has one of the lowest childhood immunization rates in Europe: only 53 per cent of the children have received regular vaccinations. The programme beginning today will cover 240,000 children in all areas of Kosovo. It will include both vaccinations they have missed and a regular vaccination schedule, inoculating against tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, and others diseases. It will be carried out by the UN Children's Fund and the World Health Organization in cooperation with the Kosovo Central Institute of Public Health and a number of non-governmental organizations, including Medecins du Monde, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Save the Children Fund and International Mercy Corps.
Other developments
OSCE Police School launches first training class: The first class of the Kosovo Police Service School began today at 8:30 a.m. with a batch of 200 trainees embarking on a five-week training programme.
Classes include crime investigation; defence tactics; democratic policing, in which loyalty towards democratic legal order will be the focus; legal affairs; police patrol duties; use of firearms; police skills, including first-aid, conflict intervention and handling refugees; forensics and evidence and traffic control. Upon successful completion of the initial training, candidates participate in 19 weeks of field training with a United Nations police officer. About 20 per cent of the recruits are former police officers in the region.
Training courses are being conducted by 150 international police instructors inducted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), seconded from 11 countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, Sweden, Norway and Canada. In addition, more than 160 local staff will also work at the OSCE training facility.
Human rights report on Kosovo pins responsibility for exodus of Kosovo Albanians on abuses: In a report submitted to the Commission for Human Rights, the High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson attributes human rights abuses as being among the root causes of the mass exodus of more than 1 million ethnic Albanians out of Kosovo. The report includes specific information on the killings which took place during the NATO campaign, when an estimated 10,000 Kosovo Albanians died, with several thousand more still missing. In addition, the report examines violations of the rights of minorities in today's Kosovo, including murder, eviction, rape and kidnapping. Among her recommendations, the High Commissioner calls on the people of Kosovo to refrain from violence and end attacks against minority groups. She also calls on the Belgrade Government to specify the charges against detainees transferred from Kosovo.
Special Representative to visit New York: Dr. Kouchner will arrive in New York tomorrow and is expected to brief the Security Council at length on Friday, 10 September.
September 8 - Day 89
Civilian Administration
Kosovo Transitional Council: At the fifth meeting of the Kosovo Transitional Council which took place today, security and policing were on the agenda. The members of the Council agreed that the security situation continued to be worrying, particularly in the past week, even if the efforts of UNMIK and KFOR had led to some improvement. The Council concurred that a Joint Security Committee structure should be created, which involves KFOR, UNMIK and representatives of Kosovo national communities, in order to improve the security environment. Each Council member has been asked to nominate a representative for the work in this structure.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernard Kouchner will receive nominations for the sub-commission on prisoners and detainees. The Council agreed to hold the inaugural meeting of the Sub-Commission on Prisoners and Detainees as soon as possible. The Council asked the Special Representative to address this issue when briefing the Security Council.
Dr. Kouchner briefed Council members at length on the latest efforts of UNMIK to revive the economy in Kosovo. He elaborated on recent regulations, which had been adopted. Dr. Kouchner reiterated his offer to fundamentally reform the Council and to give it a truly executive role. All members agreed to quickly expand the scope of the Council's work.
The Council will go on to discuss economic developments and creation of executive directorates in health, housing, education and public utilities, for which Council members have submitted names.
Attending today's meeting were Xhavit Haliti and Hashim Thaci of the UCK; Ibrahim Rugova of the LDK; Mehmet Hajrizi of the LBD; Blerim Shala, representing independents; Sezair Shaipi of the Turkish People's Party; Numin Balic of the SDA (Bosnian Muslims) and Bishop Artemije, of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Debate with students: Dr. Kouchner yesterday participated in a two-hour debate with students at the University of Pristina. Also participating in the debate, attended by a full house, were the leader of the Albanian LBD (United Democratic Movement), Rexhep Qosja, and the political leader of the KLA, Bardhyl Mahmuti. In his keynote address, the Special Representative assured the students that he was there to build a new democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo with their participation and involvement. He appealed for a halt to the ethnic violence, in particular against elderly Serbs. He added that all political parties should work together towards free and fair elections.
In the animated discussion that followed, questions were asked of Dr. Kouchner on a wide range of issues. For example, he was questioned on the matter of the territorial integrity of Kosovo as set forth in the Rambouillet agreement. He explained that Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) superseded the Rambouillet agreement, which at any rate has not been accepted by Belgrade. Another student asked if UNMIK planned the suspension of discriminatory laws. The SRSG assured the audience that such laws would be suspended. Kouchner was asked about the "cantonization" of Mitrovica. He insisted that Mitrovica would not be divided along ethnic lines. He also denied the presence of Serb paramilitaries among Russian KFOR troops. When asked whether there would be a Kosovo army, Dr. Kouchner said that there would be a civilian force similar to the National Guard. The final question was about the future of the University of Pristina, to which he responded that the university would be open to all ethnic groups.
Customs revenues roll in: UNMIK customs operations have begun at the border with The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. As of two days ago, more than 1 million Deutsche Marks have been collected and will be allocated to the Kosovo budget.
Registration/Documents: UNMIK will begin registration of all people in Kosovo including Kosovar Albanians who have been abroad after 1989 and Serbs who have left recently, starting on 1 October. The registration will be conducted as the first step towards next year's elections. A verification of identity will follow once verification offices open around Kosovo. The first identification cards will be issued by the end of October. UN Volunteers, supported by local volunteers will conduct the registration and efforts will be made to reach remote areas.
Other developments
Demilitarization: At the UNMIK briefing in Pristina, a question was raised on reports that the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) would be transformed into a sort of protection force and how would that fit in with KFOR's role. The KFOR Spokesman explained that there are plans for the KLA to become a uniformed, civilian, non-military organization to be formed after the demilitarization process, which is to be completed on 19 September. This organization would be unarmed and its main aim would be to provide relief and emergency support to the people of Kosovo. KFOR's relation with that organization would be mainly monitoring and making sure that 100 per cent of the Undertaking and the spirit of resolution 1244 (1999) is respected. He clarified that this would be an organization that would belong to the people of Kosovo - to include not only KLA members but also other citizens of Kosovo. Senior officials of the United Nations and NATO are discussing the proposal for this transformation and further details would be premature.
Special Representative to visit New York: Dr. Kouchner left this afternoon for New York where he is expected to brief the Security Council later this week on developments in Kosovo.
September 9 - Day 90
Civilian Administration
Kosovo Transitional Council: At the fifth meeting of the Kosovo Transitional Council which took place today, security and policing were on the agenda. The members of the Council agreed that the security situation continued to be worrying, particularly in the past week, even if the efforts of UNMIK and KFOR had led to some improvement. The Council concurred that a Joint Security Committee structure should be created, which involves KFOR, UNMIK and representatives of Kosovo national communities, in order to improve the security environment. Each Council member has been asked to nominate a representative for the work in this structure.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernard Kouchner will receive nominations for the sub-commission on prisoners and detainees. The Council agreed to hold the inaugural meeting of the Sub-Commission on Prisoners and Detainees as soon as possible. The Council asked the Special Representative to address this issue when briefing the Security Council.
Dr. Kouchner briefed Council members at length on the latest efforts of UNMIK to revive the economy in Kosovo. He elaborated on recent regulations, which had been adopted. Dr. Kouchner reiterated his offer to fundamentally reform the Council and to give it a truly executive role. All members agreed to quickly expand the scope of the Council's work.
The Council will go on to discuss economic developments and creation of executive directorates in health, housing, education and public utilities, for which Council members have submitted names.
Attending today's meeting were Xhavit Haliti and Hashim Thaci of the UCK; Ibrahim Rugova of the LDK; Mehmet Hajrizi of the LBD; Blerim Shala, representing independents; Sezair Shaipi of the Turkish People's Party; Numin Balic of the SDA (Bosnian Muslims) and Bishop Artemije, of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Debate with students: Dr. Kouchner yesterday participated in a two-hour debate with students at the University of Pristina. Also participating in the debate, attended by a full house, were the leader of the Albanian LBD (United Democratic Movement), Rexhep Qosja, and the political leader of the KLA, Bardhyl Mahmuti. In his keynote address, the Special Representative assured the students that he was there to build a new democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo with their participation and involvement. He appealed for a halt to the ethnic violence, in particular against elderly Serbs. He added that all political parties should work together towards free and fair elections.
In the animated discussion that followed, questions were asked of Dr. Kouchner on a wide range of issues. For example, he was questioned on the matter of the territorial integrity of Kosovo as set forth in the Rambouillet agreement. He explained that Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) superseded the Rambouillet agreement, which at any rate has not been accepted by Belgrade. Another student asked if UNMIK planned the suspension of discriminatory laws. The SRSG assured the audience that such laws would be suspended. Kouchner was asked about the "cantonization" of Mitrovica. He insisted that Mitrovica would not be divided along ethnic lines. He also denied the presence of Serb paramilitaries among Russian KFOR troops. When asked whether there would be a Kosovo army, Dr. Kouchner said that there would be a civilian force similar to the National Guard. The final question was about the future of the University of Pristina, to which he responded that the university would be open to all ethnic groups.
Customs revenues roll in: UNMIK customs operations have begun at the border with The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. As of two days ago, more than 1 million Deutsche Marks have been collected and will be allocated to the Kosovo budget.
Registration/Documents: UNMIK will begin registration of all people in Kosovo including Kosovar Albanians who have been abroad after 1989 and Serbs who have left recently, starting on 1 October. The registration will be conducted as the first step towards next year's elections. A verification of identity will follow once verification offices open around Kosovo. The first identification cards will be issued by the end of October. UN Volunteers, supported by local volunteers will conduct the registration and efforts will be made to reach remote areas.
Other developments
Demilitarization: At the UNMIK briefing in Pristina, a question was raised on reports that the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) would be transformed into a sort of protection force and how would that fit in with KFOR's role. The KFOR Spokesman explained that there are plans for the KLA to become a uniformed, civilian, non-military organization to be formed after the demilitarization process, which is to be completed on 19 September. This organization would be unarmed and its main aim would be to provide relief and emergency support to the people of Kosovo. KFOR's relation with that organization would be mainly monitoring and making sure that 100 per cent of the Undertaking and the spirit of resolution 1244 (1999) is respected. He clarified that this would be an organization that would belong to the people of Kosovo - to include not only KLA members but also other citizens of Kosovo. Senior officials of the United Nations and NATO are discussing the proposal for this transformation and further details would be premature.
Special Representative to visit New York: Dr. Kouchner left this afternoon for New York where he is expected to brief the Security Council later this week on developments in Kosovo.
September 10 - Day 91
Civilian Administration
Kosovo Transitional Council: The Kosovo Transitional Council meeting next Wednesday has been, by mutual agreement of all parties involved, cancelled. The KTC meetings will be resumed on Wednesday, 22 September.
Kosovo economy: UNMIK has begun to put in place basic institutions and a legal framework for a well-functioning economy. The Kosovo Economic Policy Advisory Board was established this week and held its first meeting under the co-chairs from Pillar 4 (Economic Reconstruction and Development) and local experts representing the political spectrum in Kosovo. The local co-chairman, Mr. Arji Begu, is an eminent Kosovar economist. The advisory board will guide UNMIK on building the Kosovo economy so that ultimately UNMIK can transfer a functioning system to meet Kosovo's requirements. Specifically they will examine regulations on economic issues before being signed by the Special Representative. Yesterday the Advisory Board established its working groups on: Fiscal Policy, the Financial Sector and Enterprises and Property.
Power outage: For two days Kosovo experienced an unusual blackout, and subsequent interruption of water supplies because the water pumps are powered by electricity. UNMIK officials in charge of utilities were working yesterday to resolve the problem. Basically energy comes to Kosovo from a combination of sources: local power plants and loans from across the borders. On 8 September, the interconnection line linking Kosovo to Krusevac, Serbia, failed, probably due to a lack of maintenance. The failure caused Kosovo A, the only power plant operating within Kosovo except for a small hydroelectric plant in Gazivoda, to shut down. Efforts were made immediately to import electricity from Albania via a line from Prizren to Feronikel (Glogovac), however the current was let in too quickly causing the line to become overloaded and eventually to fail. While UNMIK attempted to repair the situation quickly, a lack of radio communication equipment made it difficult to synchronize the efforts of different repair teams working along the damaged lines. The good news is that UNMIK has secured financing for power sector operations through the winter. The physical state of the power, water and heating sectors remains highly precarious, but the most urgent repairs have begun.
Other developments
Secretary-General's Special Representative to brief Security Council: In New York, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, today reported on UNMIK to the Security Council.
September 11, 12, 13 - Day 92, 93, 94
Civilian Administration
UNMIK police take over duties in Pristina region: Today, UNMIK police took over policing duties in the entire region of Pristina - all four UNMIK police sub-stations are now operational with more than 500 officers deployed. The sub-stations are located in each major area of the Pristina region and are currently staffed with 60 to 90 officers each. Provision has been made for a 24-hour emergency number to report incidents to UNMIK police, with an emergency centre staffed by both Serbian and Albanian-speaking operators.
The UNMIK police traffic unit is up and running in Pristina - officers are directing traffic and stopping some motorists. While security remains the priority in Pristina, traffic safety is also a concern. For the time being, no citations are being issued, but police will soon start issuing fines to violators of internationally recognized traffic rules. Traffic police respond to accidents and make routine checks of vehicles that have been stopped for violations.
Kosovo Police School: At the Kosovo Police School in Vucitrn, the first training course for an indigenous police force is well under way, and the focus now is on preparations for the second course, due to start in five weeks. After various talks between the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe-appointed Police School Director, Steve Bennett, and minority students and community leaders, some students came back to classes. Seventeen students representing minorities are now at the school - among those, there are six Serbs.
World Bank studies economic needs: A large World Bank team is in Kosovo studying 15 sectors of the economy for the targeting of future investment requirements.
Humanitarian
Update on mine clearance: A briefing on the situation regarding landmines in Kosovo was given on Saturday, 11 September by the UN Mine Action Coordination Centre (UNMACC) which operates under the Humanitarian Affairs umbrella of UNMIK. Mr. John Flannagan of UNMACC reported that there have been some 233 recorded mine/UXO casualties since 12 June. Of those, 40 have been fatal. He also announced that some 1.2 million square metres have been cleared across the province, including more that 3,000 homes and 500 schools.
Other developments
Three months since KFOR enters Kosovo: At the UNMIK briefing in Pristina, KFOR Spokesman, Major Ole Irgens, pointed out that 12 September 1999 marked three months since D-Day, the day KFOR troops entered Kosovo. Its mandate was to restore law and order and to create a safe and secure environment for all the people of Kosovo according to Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). Since 12 June, almost all Kosovar refugees have returned to Kosovo, with only a few thousand still living abroad. The crime rate has dropped significantly; the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) has almost completed the process of demilitarization and it will cease to exist as an organization as of 19 September. There is still a lot of work to be done and the level of violence against minorities is still unacceptable, Major Irgens acknowledged. Even so, the overall situation has vastly improved and most people realize that Kosovo is very much better off with KFOR and UNMIK than without.
Major Irgens went on to say that several incidents over the last few days have shown growing indications of what seem to be organized Serbian attempts to deliberately destabilize the security situation in Kosovo. The disturbances in Mitrovica seem to have been carefully orchestrated and there are reports of Serb militia activity in the northern and eastern areas of Kosovo. These reports have been taken very seriously and will be followed up resolutely by KFOR. If threatened, KFOR troops will respond robustly and in accordance with the rules of engagement, using military force if necessary.
Major Irgens also refuted speculation in the Serbian press that Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) forces will be allowed to return to Kosovo next week once the UCK completes demilitarization. Eventual return of selected FRY forces will be conducted under the close supervision of KFOR. This will happen only when KFOR judges the time to be right, in consultation with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. The time is not yet right. Unauthorized return of FRY forces to Kosovo will be prevented by KFOR, by force if necessary, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1244(1999).
Minorities left in Kosovo: At the UNMIK briefing in Pristina, a question was raised as to whether the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UNMIK's Civil Administration were in agreement on the numbers of Serbs living in Kosovo. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernard Kouchner was quoted as having said that there are some 97,000 Serbs and some 73,000 other minorities in Kosovo. The UNHCR Spokesman, Peter Kessler, said that there are estimates of large numbers of non-Albanians in Kosovo. The figure that came out of Geneva earlier was based upon an estimate that came from the Red Cross in Belgrade. The Red Cross found that some 173,000 Serbs had fled Kosovo to Serbia. If that figure were accurate, it would indicate that the number of Serbs who left the province was far lower than earlier UNHCR estimates. KFOR has found that there were 97,000 Serbs in the territory, using some data provided by UNHCR here, he added.
UNMIK budget: At the press briefing in New York, it was announced that, as of today, contributions towards the UNMIK budget had been received from 21 countries amounting to $21.4 million out of a total approved amount of $125 million.
September 14 - Day 95
Humanitarian
More than 800,000 refugees have returned to Kosovo: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today reported that some 810,000 refugees have so far streamed back into Kosovo. Thousands more return each week on direct flights from third countries to Pristina or nearby Skopje airports, while others come back in their own vehicles.
UNHCR also says its winterization program is well under way. This is a critical time for the winter preparations, and a great many Kosovars living in mountainous regions are already feeling the autumn temperatures. According to UNHCR, some people living in tents up in the hills complain that they cannot sleep at night because of the chill.
The security situation facing non-Albanians has been a major concern for UNHCR. Violent attacks, particularly against Serbs and Roma, occur regularly. UNHCR and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have released a report on the matter, and they are calling for more outspoken attention to this issue not only by the international community, but by local leaders at all levels, as the message must get down to the community level that violence is unacceptable.
September 15 - Day 96
Civilian Administration
Radio-TV Kosovo to be launched on Sunday, 19 September: At the UNMIK briefing in Pristina today, Deputy Spokeswoman Elena Rozgonova announced that public service television will begin in Kosovo this Sunday. The service, which is called Radio-Television Kosovo (RTK), will initially operate via direct broadcast satellite to homes all over Kosovo. The television station employs both Albanian and Serb Kosovars and is operated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). This is an emergency service, which will enable people throughout the territory to receive vital information.
The broadcasts will be for two hours each night, from 7 to 9 p.m. and will include thirty minutes of news. The service will be provided via satellite to all homes equipped with satellite dishes. Households without a satellite dish can start receiving the programme once terrestrial transmission facilities are restored. The initial funding, which was made through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), is provided by the Government of Norway, but the OSCE will try to identify additional funding. One of the most renowned international news agencies, Reuters of London, is making its services available free of charge.
RTK has four priority aims: to bring programmes from and about Kosovo, produced by Kosovars, to the entire region of Kosovo; to distribute, making use of UNMIK-TV, essential information about the work of the international community in Kosovo; to lay the foundation for a future sustainable public service catering to the programme needs and expectations of the entire population; to train or retrain local staff in the use of modern broadcasting techniques so that the small number of outside experts presently assisting in the set-up of RTK can be replaced as soon as possible by a competent local workforce.
Judges appointed to Kosovo equivalent of Supreme Court: Yesterday, the Special Representative of the Secretary General Bernard Kouchner appointed five judges to the Ad Hoc Court of Final Appeal and two prosecutors to the Ad Hoc Office of the Public Prosecutor. The Ad Hoc Court of Final Appeal will have the powers of a Supreme Court in Kosovo and will play an important role in criminal cases, including hearing appeals referred from the District Courts. There were no Kosovo Serb candidates for these positions but Dr. Kouchner and UNMIK remain committed to finding qualified Serb candidates to sit on this court. Altogether there are now 52 judges and prosecutors serving throughout Kosovo, seven of whom are Serbs.
School year to start in October: The official school year of 1999-2000 begins on 25 October. By that time, UNMIK hopes to finalize plans for sharing arrangements between language streams and for sufficient sec
Responding to allegations from Belgrade that no schools exist for Serbs in Kosovo, the UNMIK Deputy Spokeswoman said that, in Pristina, all schools were open to Serbs and other minorities. So far the Serbs have not attended, citing security concerns. Local communities and Albanian school leaders have promised that schools will welcome minority students.
In Mitrovica, re-integration of the schools in the northern part of town has been postponed due to an extremely tense security situation, as well as logistical problems. UNMIK's Chief Civil Administrator in Mitrovica, Sir Martin Garrod, and local leaders on the Mitrovica Advisory Board will discuss the schools issue tomorrow. They still need to resolve matters such as finding enough space for several thousand students, defusing the strong Serb resistance to Albanians attending school in the north and easing the very tense security situation.
Humanitarian
Demobilization and formation of Kosovo Corps: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is to begin registration for the Kosovo Corps, which is being formed as a civilian emergency and humanitarian force. The Corps will be mobilized throughout Kosovo to assist in ongoing reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts and will also be trained to rapidly react to natural disasters and other emergencies. The IOM will begin processing applications for this newly created Corps on Monday, 20 September. An information campaign has begun today in the 49 official Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) assembly areas to inform former combatants of the application process and the possibilities that exist for them within the Corps.
The creation and implementation of the Kosovo Corps is a collaborative effort of KFOR, UNMIK, and the UCK. IOM was asked to identify appropriate candidates for the Corps among former UCK members already registered under the IOM's Information, Counselling and Referral Service (ICRS) and to accept applications from other members of Kosovo society. Following individual interviews, IOM will then shortlist appropriate candidates, using guidelines established by KFOR and UNMIK and will register and document those chosen to participate. The application process will run from seven IOM field offices. Along with the civilian Kosovo Police Service and the Kosovo Corps, the ICRS programme is an essential part of the demobilization and transformation process, actively assisting former combatants in their successful reintegration into civilian and economic life. To date, 10,700 former combatants have been registered by IOM for the reintegration programme. The Kosovo Corps is expected to total some 5,000 persons, 3,000 of whom will serve as full-time members and the rest as part-time reservists.
Refuting rumours that a Kosovo Corps would be a Kosovo defence army, the KFOR Spokesman, Ole Irgens, speaking at the UNMIK briefing in Pristina, clarified that UN Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) clearly states that there is only one legal security presence in Kosovo and that is KFOR. Any other security presence is illegal. The resolution also demands that the UCK comply with the request for demilitarization and stated that the UCK has agreed with KFOR to carry out such demilitarization - which KFOR is confident will be completed on 19 September.
According to the plan worked out by UNMIK and KFOR, with input from the UCK, the KFOR Spokesman pointed out that the Kosovo Corps would be a civilian, unarmed and non-military organization. It will deal mainly with disaster responsibilities, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, demining and rebuilding tasks. Authority over the Corps will be exercised by UNMIK with day to day supervision by KFOR. This will not be a defence force, or an army, nor will it play any role in law enforcement. Any attempts by the UCK to form military or paramilitary groups will be seen as non-compliance, the KFOR Spokesman said, adding that Albanian and UCK leaders have been urged to exercise leadership, to stop the killing and intimidation of minorities.
Winterization: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) winterization project is under way with over half of the 16,000 shelter kits already distributed. The kits will ensure that families have at least one warm and dry room through the winter. UNHCR is also distributing 37,000 roofing kits that will include rafters, beams and plastic sheeting in order to help winterize more seriously damaged homes. This is a critical time for winter preparations - some people still living in tents are already feeling the initial cold of winter. More than 500,000 blankets have been distributed in the territory with another 300,000 still to be handed out. The winterization programme is proceeding but there are still many challenges especially in the countryside where homes are more severely damaged. UNHCR has also been cleaning wells throughout Kosovo. So far, more than 4,900 wells in 21 municipalities have been cleaned.
September 16 - Day 97
Civilian Administration
Dr. Kouchner visits the Russian Federation: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, met yesterday with Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov of the Russian Federation. Implementation of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) was the main topic of discussion, which also included issues such as protection of ethnic groups, particularly the Serbs, and the need to speed up the reconciliation process.At a press conference that followed, Dr. Kouchner responded to questions about demilitarization and protection of Serbs.
On demilitarization of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Dr. Kouchner clarified that responsibility lay with KFOR, not UNMIK. UNMIK would make proposals to ensure that a proposed Kosovo Civilian Corps would be composed of reconstruction, fire and environmental brigades, which would be supervised by UNMIK's Civil Administration. "On 19 September", said Dr. Kouchner, "I hope that in Kosovo no one will be wearing uniforms or bearing arms other than KFOR and UNMIK police". KFOR would have to closely monitor this operation so that it was not transformed into an army.
Dr. Kouchner went on to say that the security and protection of all ethnic minorities were constant preoccupations. "Although many Serbs have left and it may be a while before they come back", said Dr. Kouchner, "I hope that they will return at a later stage". He pointed out that there were approximately 45,000 KFOR troops and 1,200 UNMIK police; the judicial system was beginning to function again with the appointment of over 50 judges and prosecutors. Dr. Kouchner had also made an appeal to the international community to double the capacity of UNMIK police to 6,000. However, numbers alone would not solve the problem of years of hatred; it would take time to change attitudes in Kosovo. This, said Dr. Kouchner, was the immense task of UNMIK.
September 17 - Day 98
Civilian Administration
Utilities: At today's UNMIK briefing in Pristina, it was announced that UNMIK, KFOR and representatives of Kosovo’s local power company have reached agreement on a strategy for maintaining electricity and heat supply over the winter. On Tuesday, 15 September, a seven-month contract was signed with British Trade International, a consortium of companies from the British energy sector, which will manage Kosovo’s power sector through the winter.
Donors met today with UNMIK’s Reconstruction Pillar on financing the plan. The strategy, as approved, provides for production to be restored at the terrritory's two coal mines to meet the needs of the two power stations, "Kosovo A" and "B". The two units of Kosovo A will be kept running all winter, while the two units of Kosovo B will go through major repairs at staggered times. Kosovar power workers and managers, with the help of KFOR, have managed to restart both plants since the conflict, however they are both in extreme states of disrepair. Currently, Kosovo A breaks down every few days. Kosovo B was restarted only in the past week and needs major work.
Repairs will be carried out on the three major transmission lines. The district heating plant in Pristina will be repaired and supplied with fuel. The international management team will work closely with the Kosovars at the power station, and will ultimately turn it over to Kosovar management, which will be accountable to a supervisory board that includes UNMIK and major donors. Arrangements for charging customers will be set up in January.
UNMIK Police: In the region of Gnjilane, police responded to reports that there had been 12 consecutive mortar explosions near the Serbian Orthodox Church. At the time of this report, no injuries or damage had been discovered. UNMIK Border police reported stopping two occupants of a Jeep Cherokee as they attempted to cross the border at Vrbnica. Both suspects were carrying fake Joint Implementation Council cards and were in possession of weapons and ammunition. The suspects were turned over to KFOR for further investigation. There are currently over 80 UNMIK border police at Kosovo’s international border crossings.
Demilitarization: Also at the UNMIK briefing, KFOR Spokesman Roland Lavoie reported on the final Joint Implementation Council (JIC) meeting between the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) and KFOR held yesterday. General Agim Ceku submitted his report on UCK compliance to General Michael Jackson and announced that the UCK has handed in its weapons ahead of the deadline of Sunday, 19 September. There are now over 10,000 UCK weapons held in secured weapons storage sites in Kosovo. On Sunday there will be a final meeting between Generals Jackson and Ceku, where the latter will sign a declaration of the completion of demilitarization and support for the transformation process which will include the creation of the Kosovo Corps.
In response to questions, the KFOR Spokesman said that General Jackson has been satisfied by the cooperation shown by the UCK and that they have so far lived up to the demilitarization schedule. However, he conceded that there would still be considerable numbers of weapons in Kosovo and confiscating weapons would be a long-term task.
Humanitarian
Food aid: The Spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mr. Peter Kessler, reported that food aid supplied by the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners in the early stages of UNMIK deployment, served as many as 1.5 million people per month. This programme is undergoing a change, however, and it will now serve closer to 900,000 people across Kosovo due to decreased need and stabilization of the situation in the territory. Food aid will go to families without shelter or whose homes have been damaged, internally displaced persons and their host families, persons unable to generate income, single parent families without income, and similar cases. WFP warns that the supply of food might fluctuate at times and distribution will be prioritized according to needs.
September 18, 19, 20 - Day 99, 100, 101
Civilian Administration
Secretary-General warns Kosovo gains could easily be reversed: Cautioning that "Kosovo's future is not yet secured", Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a report to the Security Council, urged the international community to continue to provide political, financial and economic support for the UN's operation there. In the report (S/1999/987) released today, the Secretary-General observes that Kosovo today bears little resemblance to the territory in mid-June 1999: "Most refugees are home, the informal economy is thriving and efforts are under way to restore law and order throughout the province".
However, the report also argues that the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) must resolve three pressing challenges in the weeks and months ahead if this progress is not to be reversed. First, the rule of law and UNMIK's authority must be established and cemented; extremists have to realize that ethnically motivated murders and violence will not be tolerated. Security for all communities, especially for vulnerable minorities in Kosovo, has to be a priority. The deployment of UNMIK civilian police and the creation of the Kosovo Police Service, as well as the activation of the judicial and penal system, are all key factors towards achieving this end.
Ensuring temporary winterized accommodation for 350,000 people in need is a second major priority. Temporary housing until next spring will be a stop-gap solution. Restoration of public utilities, including electricity generation, must be addressed on an emergency basis along with long-term efforts at reconstruction, the report says.
Finally, the future stability of the territory depends on successful demobilization of the Kosovo Liberation Army and other armed elements. The 19 September deadline for completing demobilization has just been extended by KFOR for 48 hours. Clearly, there is a real threat that "former fighters may become an obstacle" to implementation of UNMIK's objectives, unless reintegration into civilian life is handled appropriately.
The international community's sustained support for the Mission, including contributions to fund salaries of Kosovo's public service employees, is of critical importance, the report urges.
Customs service to begin on border with Albania: The Deputy Spokeswoman for UNMIK announced the start of operations at the second crossing point of the United Nations customs service. As of this afternoon in Kosovo, duties were to be collected on goods imported into Kosovo from Albania, through the Vrbnica border crossing. The Djeneral Jankovic border crossing on the frontier with The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has been operational since 3 September.
Other developments
September 19 deadline extended: Intensive talks, related to demobilization and transformation of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), will continue for another 48 hours, as the deadline for demilitarization of the KLA passed last night.
Discussions are to continue between KLA leaders, Hashim Thaci and General Agim Ceku, KFOR Commander General Mike Jackson and Bernard Kouchner, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo to resolve the key issue of a weapons regime. A KFOR Spokesman clarified that the total number of weapons that KFOR is insisting upon for the Kosovo Corps to retain is 200, strictly for bodyguard functions and protecting vital locations, while the KLA is arguing in favour of a figure closer to 400.
The proposed establishment of the Kosovo Corps is also a key element in the return of former combatants to civilian life. Both KFOR and UNMIK recognize this and fully support the reintegration programme. "We all have the same aim", the KFOR Spokesman reiterated, "which is to ensure the security of everybody here in Kosovo".
September 21 - Day 102
Civilian Administration
With agreement reached on demobilization and transformation of KLA, Kouchner signs plan for Kosovo civilian corps: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, signed a regulation last night establishing the Kosovo Protection Corps as a civilian emergency service agency. "This is not an end, but a beginning," said Dr. Kouchner, stressing that demilitarization is an integral part of the Kosovo peace process. Meanwhile, in an agreement reached yesterday, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) submitted a declaration to NATO that it had complied with the 21 June Undertaking for Demilitarization and Transformation and completed the process of demilitarization. The leader of the KLA, Hashim Thaci, agreed to transform the KLA according to the terms of the new UNMIK regulation and the 21 June Undertaking. General Agim Ceku, former Chief of Staff of the KLA, was appointed Commander of the KPC. A transition period of at least 60 days will be required to establish the Corps.
The Kosovo Protection Corps will consist of a maximum of 3,000 active members and 2,000 reserve members. Members are to be recruited individually on the basis of professional criteria for the functions to be performed. At least 10 per cent of active and reserve members are to be chosen from minority groups.
At a joint press conference given by Dr. Kouchner and KFOR General Michael Jackson in Pristina today, details were announced of the weapons regime that was finalized yesterday, which had led to the extension of the demilitarization deadline beyond 19 September. According to KFOR, some 10,000 weapons and seven million rounds of ammunition have been handed in; 200 small arms will be available to Corps members for routine "site guarding", but the use of those weapons will be carefully controlled by KFOR and UNMIK.
UNMIK will have final authority over the selection and appointment of Corps members and the authority to dismiss members. KFOR will provide day-to-day supervision of the Corps under policies and priorities established by UNMIK.
Other developments
Reconstruction: Carl Bildt, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Balkans, is in New York where he is due to participate later today in the first meeting of an Independent Task Force on the Economic Reconstruction of the Balkans. Sponsored by the Council of Foreign Relations, the Task Force will focus specifically on how to create an environment conducive to investment and how to improve the prospects for private sector development as part of the overall reconstruction effort in the Balkans. The group will meet four times, over the next four months, twice in New York and twice in Washington.
September 22 - Day 103
Civilian Administration
Kosovo Transitional Council: At the weekly meeting of the Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC) earlier today, all parties were present. However, the Serb delegation stayed out of the meeting in protest at the creation of the Kosovo Protection Corps. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, and KFOR Commander General Michael Jackson were due to brief the KTC on the establishment of this civilian corps as well as the first meeting of the Commission on Prisoners and Detainees.
In remarks made later in the day, Dr. Kouchner described the Serb non-participation as a "temporary setback" and expressed hopes for an early return to the KTC by the Serb delegation. He said that UNMIK was trying to build a multi-ethnic Kosovo but "this does not come overnight". Dr. Kouchner added, "The people of Kosovo are not ready. We are. I regret it. The seats remain for them."
Joint Commission on Prisoners and Detainees: The Commission on Prisoners and Detainees created by Dr. Kouchner met for the first time yesterday. Participants include experts with a human rights law background nominated by members of the KTC, representatives of human rights NGOs, legal practitioners and family members of detained persons. The Commission is chaired by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Commission will seek information on all detainees from Kosovo in order to support or make interventions on their behalf. It will advocate on behalf of detainees and their families and it will keep the public and families informed of its work and recent developments.
UNMIK police: UNMIK police reported that the situation in the mission area remained calm. Only two cases of intimidation were reported from Pristina, the lowest rate for weeks.
Other developments
Livestock: As part of a Swiss government pilot project, some 70 cows are due to arrive in Pristina by air today. The project will import 500 milk cows to be distributed to farms around Kosovo, in areas selected on the basis of stock depletion and the availability of food and shelter for winter.
September 24 - Day 105
Civilian Administration
Kosovo Transitional Council: At the weekly meeting of the Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC) earlier today, all parties were present. However, the Serb delegation stayed out of the meeting in protest at the creation of the Kosovo Protection Corps. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, and KFOR Commander General Michael Jackson were due to brief the KTC on the establishment of this civilian corps as well as the first meeting of the Commission on Prisoners and Detainees.
In remarks made later in the day, Dr. Kouchner described the Serb non-participation as a "temporary setback" and expressed hopes for an early return to the KTC by the Serb delegation. He said that UNMIK was trying to build a multi-ethnic Kosovo but "this does not come overnight". Dr. Kouchner added, "The people of Kosovo are not ready. We are. I regret it. The seats remain for them."
Joint Commission on Prisoners and Detainees: The Commission on Prisoners and Detainees created by Dr. Kouchner met for the first time yesterday. Participants include experts with a human rights law background nominated by members of the KTC, representatives of human rights NGOs, legal practitioners and family members of detained persons. The Commission is chaired by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Commission will seek information on all detainees from Kosovo in order to support or make interventions on their behalf. It will advocate on behalf of detainees and their families and it will keep the public and families informed of its work and recent developments.
UNMIK police: UNMIK police reported that the situation in the mission area remained calm. Only two cases of intimidation were reported from Pristina, the lowest rate for weeks.
Other developments
Livestock: As part of a Swiss government pilot project, some 70 cows are due to arrive in Pristina by air today. The project will import 500 milk cows to be distributed to farms around Kosovo, in areas selected on the basis of stock depletion and the availability of food and shelter for winter.
September 28 - Day 109
Civilian Administration
Kouchner strongly condemns grenade attack: In Pristina today, Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernard Kouchner strongly condemned the "outrageous act" in which two grenades were thrown into a marketplace today in the predominantly Serb town of Bresje, close to Kosovo Polje and Pristina. Two people were killed and more than 35 others injured. Kouchner warned that it "puts in danger all efforts at democracy in Kosovo" and retaining a multi-ethnic society.
Four arrests have been made in connection with the attack. Two Kosovar Albanians were arrested by UNMIK police, and KFOR detained two others of undetermined ethnicity. Dr. Kouchner called for calm in the community, which lies just outside Pristina. Demonstrations erupted following the incident, and KFOR troops and UNMIK police moved immediately to contain the crowd.
"I plead with the people of Kosovo to put aside their weapons and their anger," said Dr. Kouchner. "We are helping you to build a system in which justice prevails." Dr. Kouchner also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and promised to work with the people of the town to "ensure that the assailants are prosecuted".
Other developments
Ronaldo in Kosovo to kick-start 10-year campaign against poverty: The Brazilian international football star Ronaldo is in Kosovo this week to launch "Teams to End Poverty", a UNDP global campaign that unites the worlds of sport, entertainment, media and the private sector in the cause of human development.
In Kosovo, Ronaldo will provide teaching materials for a primary school run by the NGO Caritas Belgium. He will meet with the director and students of a school in Gjakove. "No one should be doomed to a life of poverty, whether by birth or as a consequence of war", says Ronaldo.
September 29 - Day 110
Civilian Administration
UNMIK demands release of staff: UNMIK demanded release of three UNMIK staff being held by the Belgrade authorities in the central Serbian town of Krajlevo. The three -- an Australian, a Portuguese and a Kosovo Serb -- were detained Monday while travelling in a white UN vehicle from Mitrovica to survey communications installation sites. UN officials have received no explanation for why Serb police are detaining the three UN staff who were taken while performing official tasks inside Kosovo.
This is the third detention of UN international staff by the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in three weeks. Two weeks ago, five staff of the World Food Programme (WFP) were detained at a checkpoint installed inside Kosovo by police of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A week later a senior WFP official was held for several hours by Serb police.
Kosovo Transitional Council condemns grenade attack killing two Serbs: The Kosovo Transitional Council strongly condemned yesterday’s grenade attack on a marketplace in Bresje, near Kosovo Polje, which killed two Serbs and injured more than 40 others. In a statement issued during a meeting in Kosovo’s capital Pristina, Council members, including local Albanian leaders, said they were "determined to stop those cowardly acts of violence against civilians". Members of the United Nations-supervised Council, pledging their commitment to a multi-ethnic society in Kosovo, said those responsible for yesterday’s incident must be brought to justice.
Briefing members of the Council, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, who heads the UN in Kosovo, said the KFOR international security force was taking steps to further increase security in the area of the attack, although civilian police assigned to the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and KFOR were already "strongly positioned" there. Earlier in the day, Dr. Kouchner had visited victims of yesterday’s attack in a hospital in Kosovo Polje.
Updating earlier reports, an UNMIK spokeswoman said today that in addition to the two killed, 47 people had been injured during the explosion, six seriously. All victims were Kosovo Serbs and most were elderly. As part of the ongoing investigation, UNMIK police had detained two suspects for questioning over the incident, who were later released. Reports yesterday of four arrests were inaccurate, the spokeswoman said.
Kouchner reports progress in civilian registration and other areas: Briefing the Kosovo Transitional Council during its weekly meeting, Dr. Kouchner said that registration of Kosovo’s population would begin in late October, starting with the Pristina area and then moving to remote villages. Paving the way for elections, all Kosovo residents would be registered, and all those over 16 would get an UNMIK identity card. Also, UNMIK would begin issuing licence plates on 15 October, in conjunction with its motor vehicle registration programme.
Noting last month’s UNMIK regulation authorizing the use of all foreign currencies in Kosovo, Dr. Kouchner also reported that secure facilities were being prepared to safeguard cash revenues. Regulations on banking and payments were being crafted. By late October, branches of foreign banks were expected to be opened in Kosovo.
Humanitarian Assistance
McNamara urges international support through winter: International support for Kosovo must be sustained to prevent a worsening of the economic, humanitarian and security situation during the coming winter, the leader of the United Nations humanitarian effort in Kosovo said. Speaking to the press in New York, Dennis McNamara, UN Deputy Special Representative for Humanitarian Affairs, said the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and other international actors were racing against time to complete minimal housing repairs and provide material to civilians before the onset of the cold weather.
The continued goal of UNMIK’s humanitarian pillar was to ensure adequate housing for some 800,000 Kosovars who had returned to the territory in June to find their homes damaged or destroyed, he said. Responding to questions from the press, Mr. McNamara said the vast majority of Kosovar Albanian homes had been "systematically" damage by members of the Serb military and militia. Very little, if any, damage had resulted from NATO bombing. Subsequently, some Serb homes were destroyed in Kosovar Albanian revenge attacks, Mr. McNamara said, noting that violence attacks against minorities still continued. Due to the violence, he said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates some 100,000 Serbs and several thousand Roma have fled Kosovo, mainly to Serbia and Montenegro.
International Criminal Tribunal
UN Tribunal to vigorously prosecute Kosovo war crimes: The new Prosecutor of the United Nations Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia said she will vigorously prosecute those responsible for war crimes committed in Kosovo during recent armed conflict. Carla Del Ponte said her priority will be building cases against Yugoslav leaders. "The primary focus of the Office of the Prosecutor must be the investigation and prosecution of the five leaders of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia, who have already been indicted", she said in a statement released from The Hague.
Ms. Del Ponte said those investigations would focus on gathering additional evidence relevant to events on the ground, as well as substantiating the chain of command linking the accused to crimes committed during recent conflict in Kosovo.
Other high-level civilian, police and military leaders thought to be responsible for war crimes in Kosovo would also be investigated, said Ms. Del Ponte, who took over the post of Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia on 15 September. In further charting her efforts in Kosovo, Ms. Del Ponte said individuals suspected of "particularly serious crimes" in the territory could also be investigated and prosecuted, on a case-by-case basis.
However, she said the scope of cases pursued by her Office would be limited due to the jurisdiction of the United Nations Tribunal " established to prosecute individuals for grave breaches of international law and crimes against humanity " and resource constraints. Thus, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the newly established judicial structure in Kosovo would be responsible for investigating and trying others accused of criminal acts in the territory. She noted her Office would cooperate with UNMIK and judicial offices in Kosovo throughout the investigation of cases.
October 1 - Day 111
Civilian Administration
UNMIK staff held by Serbian authorities released: UNMIK reported the release of three United Nations staff held by Serbian authorities since 27 September. The three -- an Australian, a Portuguese and a Kosovo Serb - returned to Mitrovica on the evening of 29 September after being detained by Serb police for reportedly entering Serbia without Yugoslav visas.
A preliminary UNMIK investigation has determined that the UN staff inadvertently crossed out of Kosovo and into Serbia while conducting official communications work. When they crossed a bridge near the village of Vitkovici, they were detained by Serb police. After spending two nights in jail, charged with illegally entering the country, and paying a fine of 100 DM, the UN staff were escorted by Serb authorities to the border on Wednesday evening and crossed back into Kosovo at approximately 7 p.m. that night.
UN launches plan to strengthen health system in Kosovo: The United Nations presented goals and guidelines aimed at rebuilding an efficient and modern health service for Kosovo using international humanitarian aid. The six-month action plan -- developed by the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the World Health Organization (WHO) -- strives to guide immediate relief efforts, while also focusing international aid towards long-term development of a system to be sustained by a future Kosovo government.
"UNMIK is firmly committed to leaving behind a better system than it found when it assumed the responsibility for the interim administration in Kosovo," Dr. Hannu Vuori, UNMIK head of health and social services, said as Dr. Vuori introduced the programme. A key aspect of the strategy, crafted in consultation with Kosovar officials, is to reorient the current "hospital-driven" system towards one focused on family medicine and preventive care. It also lays out targets for improving children's services and maternity and mental health care.
Meanwhile, continued tensions between Serb and Albanian staff at the Mitrovica hospital led Albanian medical workers to leave the hospital on 29 September, taking the Albanian patients with them, UNMIK reported. Since August, UNMIK has attempted to maintain a multi-ethnic staff at the hospital. Responding to incidents during past weeks, UNMIK began providing armed escorts for some workers.
UNMIK Regional Administrator Sir Martin Garrod said the belligerence of key doctors at the hospital caused the deterioration of the situation and the breakdown of the multi-ethnic institution. Addressing a group of Albanian nurses who gathered outside the hospital yesterday, Sir Martin said UNMIK would work to restore the multi-ethnic character to the hospital.
UNMIK "Blue Sky" radio begins broadcasts: The United Nations "Blue Sky" public radio went on the air in Kosovo, with a 24-hour mix of news, music and features. News bulletins, produced entirely by local journalists, will be broadcast daily in Albanian at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., and in Serbian at 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. UNMIK news and features, in both Albanian and Serbian, will follow the news at a quarter to the hour.
"Blue Sky" radio - on 96 FM - is operating with mostly local staff, under the editorial supervision of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The Swiss Government has donated studio facilities and technical support staff. The station plans to expand news coverage to include debates, press reviews and phone-in programmes. Programmes will also cover women's issues, youth, culture and humanitarian topics. Programmes in various minority languages will be added, as will English lessons.
UN begins second round of stipend payments: The UN began the second round of payments of stipends to civil servants and public sector employees on 29 September, UNMIK reported. The 50,000 recipients of the payments include municipal civil servants, firemen, customs officers, public utility employees and teachers from all over Kosovo. Payments, totalling DM 7.68 million, are being financed by donor contributions to the UNMIK Trust Fund.
UNMIK began a first round of stipend payments in August, due to the absence of a salary structure in Kosovo. UNMIK plans to continue stipend payments until the end of December, when a proper civil service payroll system is expected to be in place as part of the regular budget of Kosovo.
UN tells donors of plans for economic renewal in Kosovo: Privatization of some publicly owned industries in Kosovo will help spur economic revival in the territory, the United Nations told major international donors gathered in Washington this week. In a report presented to finance ministers meeting on 28 September to consider reconstruction throughout South East Europe, Joly Dixon, who leads the UN reconstruction effort in Kosovo, said that the privatization of some small and medium businesses, notably food processing and construction, could contribute to economic growth by next spring.
The report, outlining a medium-term plan for economic renewal in the territory, highlights the need for private sector development to build the Kosovo economy constrained by restrictive policies for a decade and starved for international investment. In addition, development of the banking system and regulatory framework were vital to transforming the currently cash-based system, into a modern and thriving economy.
Mr. Dixon reported to the governments financing much of Kosovo's reconstruction that already public revenues, in the form of customs duties and tax payments, were flowing into Kosovo's coffers, thanks to the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) efforts since July to restart the Kosovo economy. While Kosovo will clearly remain reliant on international assistance for some time, public revenues, which are projected to be under DM 50 million this year, could next year jump to above DM 200 million, according to tentative budget figures in the report.
October 4 - Day 112
Civilian Administration
Kouchner visits Pec: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, visited Pec today to meet with the Bosnian Muslim community, who number some 4,500. The trip was aimed at building confidence among the Muslim Slavs in the Pec community who have recently been subject to acts of harassment. The trip is hosted by Numan Balic, a member of the Kosovo Transitional Council.
UNMIK police: UNMIK police report that the level of kidnappings in Pristina in general is high, with burglaries and house occupations also a matter of concern.
Humanitarian
Distribution of humanitarian aid: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has distributed close to 9,000 shelter kits out of a total of 16,000 in 29 municipalities. A UNHCR Spokesman expressed concern over the road blockades in Kosovo Polje and Orahovac where UNHCR has warehouses, cautioning that "this may slow down distribution of humanitarian aid". Serbs near Kosovo Polje raised roadblocks last week, following a grenade attack that killed several Serbs. Near Orahovac, Albanians have blocked roads for weeks to protest KFOR plans to deploy Russian Federation soldiers in the town.
KFOR voiced concern that a number of barricades around Kosovo were beginning to affect the ability of the international community to deliver aid. UNMIK police have been reinforced in the area of Kosovo Polje in hopes of stabilizing the situation there -- some six UN police units from the capital had been assigned to assist the 37 officers stationed there, with additional deployments expected within days.
October 6 - Day 113
Civilian Administration
UN deplores violence, killing of Serb man near Mitrovica; international police and troops injured: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, today deplored violence which erupted near Mitrovica yesterday killing a Serb man, and injuring three UN international police and 18 KFOR soldiers.
The "horrible incident" revealed that the security situation remained difficult in Kosovo, despite all efforts of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the KFOR international security force, Dr. Kouchner said, opening the weekly meeting of the Kosovo Transitional Council in Pristina.
Forty-seven UN police in Mitrovica, along with KFOR troops, restored order in Mitrovica yesterday after a funeral service for ethnic Albanians turned violent, UNMIK reported. Eleven Serb civilians were also injured during the incident.
Following Dr. Kouchner’s remarks, Transitional Council members, among them leaders of the Albanian community, discussed measures to address the continuing security concerns and ease tensions between the Serb and Albanian groups. Among issues discussed was the difficulties faced in establishing mixed schools in the climate of continuing ethnic tensions.
Dr. Kouchner told reporters following today’s meeting that although local leaders generally wanted mixed schools, it would take time to achieve. Long-term international assistance would be needed to help children overcome trauma suffered during the recent conflict in Kosovo, he said.
Meanwhile, UN-led efforts are under way to enhance security for Serbs and other vulnerable groups near Kosovo Polje, where several Serbs were killed when a grenade exploded in a market last week.
A working group of UNMIK, KFOR and local Serbs has been formed and plans set to establish a clearing house of information on food supplies, transportation and access to market places. Also, a regular bus line will link Kosovo Polje, Pristina and other towns. The bus, under KFOR protection, will also be used to transport school children.
By issuing a petroleum products regulation today in Pristina, UNMIK has cleared the way for the import, distribution and sale of oil and other petroleum products in advance of the cold winter months in the territory. The regulation requires individuals and companies wishing to deal in oil and other lubricants in Kosovo to be licensed by UNMIK. Those applying for licenses are required to indicate delivery capacity, sources of procurement, pricing structure and delivery quantity.
Dr. Kouchner also established a regulatory board that will supervise the flow of oil products into the territory. The newly created Fuel Supervisory Board is charged with ensuring competition in the market, fair pricing and product standards.
The new regulation does not apply to oil imported for use by UNMIK, KFOR and other international agencies in Kosovo.
Humanitarian
Release of detainees in Mitrovica welcomed: The Commission on Prisoners and Detainees met yesterday at UNMIK Headquarters and welcomed the release of 54 detainees from the prison in Sremska Mitrovica the previous day. The Commission will approach all governments and authorities for information on what they have undertaken to establish the whereabouts of detainees for whom there is no public record. Meanwhile, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, Mr. Jiri Dienstbier, is visiting Kosovo, looking into the pattern of violence and human rights violations, and concerns about security and law among Kosovo's inhabitants.
October 7 - Day 114
Civilian Administration
OSCE opens first political party centre: The first in a series of centres designed to facilitate the work of Kosovo political parties was opened yesterday by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). OSCE is responsible for the institution-building pillar of UNMIK. OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebeak, presided over the opening of the Kosovo Political Party Center, which offers local parties office space, basic infrastructure and communication services.
To date, 14 Kosovar political parties have been invited to set up offices at the Pristina Centre. OSCE estimates that as many as 20 political parties have been created in Kosovo representing a wide political spectrum, including Albanians, Serbs, Turks and Bosnians. Centres will be established through the territory in the coming weeks by OSCE.
Kosovo Transitional Council condemns abuse of free speech: The Kosovo Transitional Council, following its weekly meeting in Pristina yesterday, denounced "the phenomenon of abuse of the freedom of speech in media and public statements through threats and incitement of violence against individuals, institutions and communities". In a press statement, the UN-supervised political body also condemned abuses through misinformation, offences, insults and personal attacks. Calling for civility in public debate and respect for modern journalistic codes of conduct, Council members said abuses constituted an assault on freedom of press, on the process of normalization and on the development of democratic life in Kosovo.
October 8 - Day 115
Civilian Administration
World Bank gives $25 million towards $60 million strategy to rebuild Kosovo: The World Bank has approved $25 million to Kosovo to help rebuild the territory's shattered infrastructure and to foster development of a modern economy. The grant is the first tranche of a $50 to $60 million plan outlined in a Transition Support Strategy Paper approved yesterday in Washington by the Bank's Executive Board.
"This welcome new strategy allows us to help Kosovo with its reconstruction effort, and eventually pave the way for the province to embark on a transitional process towards a modern, market economy," World Bank Coordinator for Southeast Europe, Christiaan Poortman, said following the Board action.
The 18-month strategy -- based on the latest post-conflict assessment of damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure in Kosovo -- includes some direct funding for planning and implementing reconstruction projects. The Bank plans to continue its on-going effort to mobilize international aid for the territory and monitor its use. The Bank, along with the European Commission, is in the process of finalizing an overall programme to guide international efforts to support Kosovo's recovery. Bank monies will also be used to leverage funds received from international donors. In addition, the Bank will provide economic policy advice to the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and, in the future, directly to Kosovar authorities.
October 11 - Day 116
Civilian Administration
UNMIK assumes control of civil administration in Suva Reka: The UN has assumed control of the municipal administration in Suva Reka, in the area of Prizren, UNMIK reported. The transfer of authority, which occurred on 8 October, was the first transition of civil leadership to the UN from a self-appointed mayor and council in the Prizren region.
The new mayor - formally know as the UNMIK Mayor Ad Interim - has appointed a new interim council of 12 members. The former mayor and six other members of the self-appointed council are part of the new council.
UNMIK works to resolve problems with power supply: UNMIK reported that the power line linking Kosovo with Albanian, which had been disrupted for more than a week, had been re-established. However, faults in the systems at Kosovo's two electric power plants led to the plants being shut down last week. UNMIK is awaiting delivery of a large shipment of diesel fuel needed to restart one of the plants. The second plant is scheduled to be restarted later in the week. The Electricity Management Company, contracted by UNMIK to help mend and supervise the Kosovo's power facilities, is carry out repairs during the shut down to make the plants' function more reliably.
In a related development, UNMIK said that Kosovar electric officials have been invited by Greek authorities to join representatives of regional electric companies at a meeting in Athens this week that will discuss threatened disruptions in the region as a whole. Experts will also attend from Albanian, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Romania. Kosovo experienced power failures last week as a result of the problems at its plants.
Humanitarian
UNHCR winter emergency team operational: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has established a winter emergency team to focus pre-winter house-reconstruction efforts in outlying areas of the territory where damage to houses has been the greatest. The winter emergency team, which became operational last week, is working to direct assistance to villages in high altitudes or off-tarmac roads where snow and ice may soon hinder delivery of supplies.
However, concerns remain about the slow transport of winter emergency supplies into Kosovo, UNHCR said. Last week, only eight trucks with timber entered the territory. Nearly 200 truckloads of 6,500 metric metres of timber are scheduled for delivery in coming weeks.
October 12 - Day 117
Civilian Administration
UN Kosovo staff member killed in Kosovo's capital: The United Nations confirmed that an international staff member was killed last night in Kosovo's capital Pristina. Valentin Krumov, a Bulgarian national, who had just arrived to Kosovo yesterday, was walking with two other newly arrived UNMIK staff members in the centre of Kosovo's capital, Pristina, when he was shot and killed, just after 9 p.m., by an unknown assailant, a UN spokesperson said.
According to the UN, just prior to the incident, a group of young local people began following the UN employees. Mr. Krumov was asked the time by someone in the group and responded in the Serb language. Individuals from the group began to assault Mr. Krumov, kicking and hitting him, and a large crowd quickly gathered around the altercation. A shot was then fired which killed Mr. Krumov. UNMIK international police, who are investigating the shooting, are seeking five to six individuals between 16 and 17 years of age suspected of being involved in the incident.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for the killer to be brought to justice, in a statement released in New York and Sarajevo, where Mr. Annan was visiting.
Earlier in Pristina, the head of the United Nations in Kosovo expressed his deep outrage and strong condemnation over the murder of Mr. Krumov. "This innocent man who came here to help Kosovo achieve a democratic way of life was instead stopped by a crowd of thugs and an assassin's bullet," Dr. Kouchner said in a press statement released by UNMIK.
October 13 - Day 118
Civilian Administration
Secretary-General begins visit to Kosovo: Secretary-General Kofi Annan began a two-day visit to Kosovo. Holding a meeting with leaders of all local parties just hours after arriving in the capital city, Pristina, the Secretary-General warned them against a desire for revenge and urged them to show tolerance. Mr. Annan told representatives, including Serbs and Albanians, that the UN would continue to support the building of a pluralistic, democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo.
In an address to UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) staff later in the day, the Secretary-General said the level and nature of violence in Kosovo continued to be unacceptable. The goal of a multi-ethnic and peaceful Kosovo with substantial autonomy and meaningful self-administration could only be reached if all parties worked together and put the past behind them, he said. Calling for an end to the vicious circle of ethnically related violence, he said: "Without achieving this minimum level of civility, we cannot hope to achieve our larger aims." Mr. Annan called on UNMIK staff to redouble their efforts to ensure cooperation between all political and ethnic groups in Kosovo.
Mr. Annan later visited Gracanica and met with the Serb spiritual leader, Bishop Artemije of Paska and Prizren. He also met with leaders of civil society in Kosovo. Also during the day, Mr. Annan held meetings with his Special Representative, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, the Commander of the KFOR international security force, General Klaus Reinhardt, and other top international officials.
October 14 - Day 119
Civilian Administration
Secretary-General concludes two-day visit to Kosovo: Secretary-General Kofi Annan travelled by helicopter to the town of Pec, about 80 kilometres west of Pristina, where he viewed UN-sponsored programmes to rebuild the city and opened a school for 2,000 students. He also met with the five regional administrators of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). While reporting progress on establishing multi-ethnic interim municipal councils in the regions, the UN administrators told the Secretary-General that their principle concern was a lack of money available to pay local civil servants. They said that doctors, teachers and firefighters were already leaving public service for jobs in the private sector.
Upon returning to Pristina, the Secretary-General told a press conference he had witnessed something like a "miracle of return and rebirth in Kosovo". "I saw for myself life in the markets, in the streets, in the shops which have been opened and people rebuilding their lives," Mr. Annan. "But this is not just a matter of bricks and mortar," he said. "I hope we can also take into consideration democracy, good governance, human rights and, eventually, reconciliation and justice."
Responding to a question from a correspondent on Kosovar Albanians' aspirations for independence from the Federation Republic of Yugoslavia, Mr. Annan said the UN mandate was to administer Kosovo as an "autonomous region" within the boundaries of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. "We are not here to prepare the people for independence," he said.
Asked how UNMIK hoped to maintain multi-ethnicity in Kosovo, the Secretary-General said measures to protect minorities would continue. To counter what he referred to as "reverse ethnic cleansing", Mr. Annan said he hoped an environment would be created which would encourage Serb and Roma who had fled Kosovo to return. Mr. Annan confirmed that UNMIK was preparing for elections in Kosovo, but said that the timing of elections and the level at which they would be held was still to be determined.
OSCE opens new offices in Kosovo Polje and Dragas: The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has opened new field offices in Kosovo Polje and in Dragas, south of Prizren. OSCE, which is charged by UNMIK with building democratic institutions in Kosovo, has opened its new facilities to help develop political parties, facilitate human rights work and to assist non-governmental organizations in the area. There are now 10 OSCE field offices in Kosovo.
Criminal Tribunal
International war crimes investigators identify more than 400 sites of atrocities: More than 400 mass graves or scenes of crime have been found in Kosovo by investigators of the international war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Five teams of international investigators now in the territory are expected to finish gathering evidence at 150 of those scenes by the end of the year, spokesman for the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia Paul Risley said yesterday in The Hague. "The purpose of the work is to gather evidence necessary to indict particular individuals on charges of war crimes," Mr. Risley said. Efforts to review all 400 sites found to merit investigation by the Prosecutor would continue next summer, he said.
October 18 - Day 120
Civilian Administration
First Kosovar police cadets graduate UN-sponsored academy: The first class of Kosovar police graduated from the UN-sponsored academy on Saturday, following five weeks of training to become the first officers of an independent, indigenous police force. A total of 173 students of the Kosovo Police Service School were presented with graduation certificates by the head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr. Bernard Kouchner, during a ceremony at Pristina University.
The cadets will go on to 19 weeks of practical field training after completing two more weeks of coursework, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which operates the Police School. Only after successfully completing field training, focusing on community-oriented police service, will new officers be given executive authority, the OSCE said in a statement released this weekend in Pristina.
Speaking at the ceremony, the UNMIK deputy representative charged with developing democratic institutions, Daan Everts, commended the graduates for their dedication to fostering a new role for police in Kosovo. He reminded the graduates that their primary task was to serve the population of Kosovo in an egalitarian and unbiased way.
The first group of officers of the new Kosovo Police Service, which is set to number 3,500, was selected for training by the UN from among nearly 20,000 applicants. There are eight Serbs in the first class, among a total of 17 minority students. There are 39 women among the class. The second class of police cadets is scheduled to begin training in November.
People-centred development assistance needed in Kosovo: A new model of development assistance, focusing on the overall security of citizens, must be applied if post-conflict reconstruction and development is to be effective in Kosovo, according to a new study commissioned by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Social, economic and political security of the people must be the priority of international assistance, not the rebuilding of physical infrastructure, say the authors of the UNDP report released late last week in The Hague. "A better way to reduce conflict would be to invest less in roads and more in people," say the group of analysts from such nations as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.
The report, entitled "Human Security in South East Europe", argues that unless the "human security approach" is used, reconstruction of South East Europe is doomed to fail. "In the end, the major criteria for the success of reconstruction should be improvements in access to education, better quality of health care, less unemployment and guaranteed political, civil and cultural rights," says the report.
Earlier this year, UNDP launched a $5 million programme to create jobs in Kosovo using human security principles. The aim of the UNDP project, being undertaken in Kosovo in partnership with the European Commission, is to create some 10,000 labour-intensive jobs for unemployed youth, demobilized solders and others affected by the recent conflict.
UN Volunteers begin training to register Kosovars: UNMIK began training teams of UN Volunteers to register the population of the territory. More than 50 UN Volunteers started the three-day training programme covering Kosovo's history, politics, economics and aspects of the territory's new legal framework being established by UNMIK, a UN spokeswoman in Pristina said. UN Volunteers will work at some 120 registration centres to be opened throughout the territory.
All Kosovars 16 years and older will be given UNMIK identity cards and their names will be added to rosters for future elections, a UN spokesman said in New York. However, no date has been set to begin the overall registration process, due to a shortage in funds to buy necessary computers and cameras, the spokesman said.
October 19 - Day 121
Civilian Administration
UN and KFOR reject proposed Kosovo Serb security force: The United Nations and the KFOR protection force came out against the formation of a Serb security contingent in Kosovo to protect the territory's minority population. The UN and KFOR acknowledged deep concerns over the continuing ethnic tensions and the targeting of non-Albanian minorities in Kosovo, but reiterated that KFOR would remain the only security presence there.
"While we understand fully the fears of the Serbs in terms of security, particularly in light of recent incidents, the formation of any Kosovo Serb security force is unnecessary," the UN and KFOR said in a joint statement released in the capital, Pristina. Both the UN and KFOR pledged to enhance their security presence in Serb and mixed communities to improve daily life and encourage tolerance and integration.
Yesterday, leaders of the Kosovo Serb community announced their intention to establish a "Serb Protection Corps", parallel to the Kosovo Protection Corps which is being mustered by the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
The UN and KFOR statement noted that 16 prospective Kosovo Protection Corps members - 10 Albanians, three Serbs, two Bosniaks and Turk - are now in France to study the workings of the Securite Civile.
Two-thirds of Kosovo unemployed, says UN labour agency report: At least two-thirds of Kosovo's adults are unemployed, with the remainder working in a vast gray market devoid of legal protection, the United Nations labour agency said. Civil strife and warfare in the past decade, which have combined to cause a 50 per cent drop in Kosovo's gross domestic product (GDP), have also reduced basic labour market institutions to a catastrophic extent, according to a report of the International Labour Organization (ILO) released in Geneva.
The new report, entitled "Employment and Workers Protection in Kosovo", finds that out of a working-age population of 1.33 million, only 470,000 Kosovars are economically active. Many are men and nearly a quarter work in agricultural activities. The report emphasizes that the employment problem is not only due to declining economic performance and military action, but can also be traced back to discriminatory legislation and hiring practices of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the 1990s.
Along with the degradation of the employment system, ILO finds that the territory's wage system has collapsed and the administrative machinery has been greatly weakened. The result is that many who work are not being paid and those on pensions or unemployed are having their revenues cut, according to the author of the report Lajos Hethy, former Labour Minister for Hungary. "The current labour market and social systems must be turned around in order to provide badly needed jobs, income and social protection to a sorely affected population in a highly volatile situation," said Mr. Hethy.
Commenting on the report, ILO Director General, Juan Somavia, said social inequity that brought catastrophe to Kosovo had been deepened by decades of distortions in the labour market. "The social instrument of the labour market which once served to divide ethnic groups needs to be developed as a fundamental tool for healing the economic and social fabric of post-war Kosovo," Mr. Somavia said.
The report highlights the need to restart production in public enterprise, which had accounted for nearly 80 per cent of Kosovo's GDP. The ILO also urges direct job creation in the labour intensive reconstruction projects and assistance to employment generating small and medium size enterprises. A revival of unemployment benefits and pensions payments is also encouraged.
Already, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and other international organization are decreasing unemployment by hiring local technical staff, the report finds. The UN, as interim administrator of the territory, is also in a position to help fortify the labor protection system by enforcing labor laws and other regulations.
October 20 - Day 122
Civilian Administration
UN in Kosovo repeals discriminatory housing and property laws: The United Nations in Kosovo has abolished discriminatory laws relating to housing and property ownership, after determining they violated the human rights of people of the territory. Through a regulation enacted last week, the head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr. Bernard Kouchner, repealed two specific laws - one on real estate transactions; another on granting farm land to citizens.
Also last week, Dr. Kouchner signed a regulation authorizing UNMIK to use Kosovo's Public Payment Service, headquartered in the capital, Pristina, to collect and disburse public funds. Dr. Kouchner plans to appoint a supervisory board to oversee payments for public institutions, as well as public sector salaries and pensions.
Signing a third regulation last week, Dr. Kouchner authorized the Post and Telecommunication Enterprise of Kosovo (PTK) to provide mail and phone services to Kosovo, under the overall supervision of UNMIK. By the new legislation, PTK was given use of all public postal and telecommunication assets in the territory, including any future expansions.
Kosovo Transitional Council rejects formation of Serb protection force: The Kosovo Transitional Council firmly opposed the formation of a Serb force to protect the minority population, in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. Saying the idea of establishing a "Serb Protection Force" raised earlier this week by local Serb leaders was unacceptable, Council members emphasized that UN international police and the KFOR security force held sole responsibility for security and public order in the territory. The Council encouraged all minorities, in particular Serbs, to join the Kosovo Protection Force being mustered by the UN to help absorb demobilized Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) solders into a civilian service.
While various Albanian leaders and representatives of other groups attended the Council meeting, Serb leaders have been boycotting the Council to protest the formation of the Kosovo Protection Corps fearing that it will, in effect, be an instrument of the KLA.
Speaking to the press following the Council meeting, Dr. Kouchner reiterated the UN and KFOR statement yesterday rejecting the formation of the Serb force, saying other measures were improving security for minorities. Efforts to reduce tension between Serb and Albanian students which has prevented the opening of Pristina University were also discussed during the session, Dr. Kouchner said. A series of high-level meetings have been held between the UN, KFOR and student representatives from all sides. The immediate area of contention has focused on the campus in the already tense town of Mitrovica, where Albanians have sought access to the Technology, Metallurgy and Mining facility located in the Serb-dominated northern part of the city. While negotiations were ongoing, Dr Kouchner said that the UN's long-standing position on the matter was that all the University facilities must be open to all students.
UN human rights office asks Yugoslav officials for list of Kosovars detained: Acting on behalf of the UN-supervised civilian commission seeking the release of reportedly more than 5,000 Kosovar Albanians, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Belgrade has asked the Justice Minister for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for an accounting of all Kosovars detained in the territory before March 1999, those held in Serbia after that date and all who have been released from Serbian prisons. The Human Rights Office has also asked the Ministry of Justice to visit several Serbian prisons to ascertain the condition of women, children, elderly or sick detainees from Kosovo. Dr. Kouchner informed the press in Pristina that no reply had yet been received from the Yugoslav authorities.
Dr. Kouchner also visited a new facility providing medical and psychosocial support to victims of torture and others working to overcome the psychological trauma of war. Some 150 doctors, nurses and teachers will be trained at the Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims to deal with traumatic stress syndrome and other effects of torture and trauma. Satellite centres will be opened in several surrounding towns.
Dr. Kouchner appointed Douglas Davidson as the temporary Media Commissioner for Kosovo: Mr. Davidson has been serving in Kosovo as the Director for Media Affairs for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is charged by UNMIK with fostering democratic institutions. In his new role, Mr. Davidson is charged with formulating a plan for a licensing and regulatory authority over the media in Kosovo. In the interim, Dr. Kouchner has authorized Mr. Davidson to require existing and planned radio and television stations to apply for temporary licences.
International Criminal Tribunal
Prosecutor for Tribunal for former Yugoslavia plans to visit Kosovo: The Prosecutor for the Yugoslav International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia will visit Kosovo and other areas in the Balkans region next week at a critical time for the Tribunal's mandate and work, the Prosecutor's Office announced. A spokesman for Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte said her visit would come as the work of forensic teams in Kosovo amassing evidence of war crimes and atrocities was coming to a pause with the onset of winter.
In Kosovo, Ms. Del Ponte will meet with Dr. Kouchner to discuss how the Tribunal can help establish a local criminal justice system and assist with the local prosecution of war crimes suspects. She will also discuss the continuing cooperation between the Tribunal and the KFOR international security forces with its new commander, General Klaus Reinhardt. Ms. Del Ponte will then travel to meet with senior government officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.
October 21 - Day 123
Civilian Administration
Secretary-General tells Security Council UNMIK needs more resources: Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Security Council that the UN operation in Kosovo required more resources to fufil its mandate to administer the territory. "I made a plea to the Council that we need money", Mr. Annan told the press in New York after briefing the Council on his visit last week to the Balkans. "We had all the resources for the war, and we should have a similar determination when it comes to rebuilding peace," he said, noting "we will be knocking on all the doors of the governments who have given us the mandate."
Mr. Annan pointed to the considerable ambiguities in the Security Council mandate. While the Council had mandated the UN to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Mr. Annan said that the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), in its role as interim administrator, was faced with a large portion of the population clamouring for independence from the Yugoslav Republic. Its very nature created built-in tensions, he said
Although UNMIK was still racing against time to provide adequate housing before the onset of winter, he said all Kosovars would have a secure place to stay. Several hundred thousand people would be accommodated in shelters and others homes, until more complete reconstruction efforts could resume in the spring, he said.
Kouchner condemns attack injuring local UNMIK employee: UNMIK head Dr. Bernard Kouchner condemned a grenade attack last night which injured a local UNMIK employee in the southeastern town of Gnjilane. "It was a cowardly and disgusting act by criminals whom we will pursue relentlessly," Dr. Kouchner said. UNMIK international police and UN security are investigating the incident. According to a UN report, the Serbian interpreter working for UNMIK was seriously injured when a grenade was thrown into her apartment as she sat watching television with her aunt, who also suffered minor injuries.
October 22 - Day 124
Civilian Administration
UN opens way for micro-finance institutions in Kosovo: Dr. Bernard Kouchner, head of UNMIK, has signed new legislation authorizing lending institutions to make loans to individuals and small business in the territory. By the new regulation, institutions, other than banks, can now legally provide micro-credit up to 2,000 DM. UNMIK said the purpose of the regulation was to create a quick and simple licensing scheme for donors to channel funds to finance local projects. Commercial banks are also expected to soon begin operating in Kosovo.
UNMIK begins payments to teachers and staff: UNMIK started payments to 35,000 teachers and staff in Kosovo. This is the third round of stipend payments to be made by UNMIK, as interim administrator in the territory. The funds have been drawn from a UN trust fund established to support civil administration in Kosovo, which has already been used to pay civil servants and others, including doctors.
UN continues efforts to open Pristina University campuses to all students: In an effort to reduce tensions between Serb and Albanian students wishing to return to Pristina University, UNMIK took Kosovar Albanian students and University faculty to tour the Technology, Metallurgy and Mining facility in Mitrovica. The issue of Albanian students attending that campus, located in the Serb-dominated northern part of the city, has been a major issue of contention. Yesterday's visit was organized to allow the group of nine students and professors to see the condition of the facility, which is in serious disrepair, UNMIK said.
UN police report fires and other incidents: UNMIK police reported several fires being set during the night, one at a bar in Pristina, and others burning homes of Serbs and a Roma house near Prizren and Kosovo Polje. A hand grenade exploded last night injuring a Serb women in Gnjilane, and a young Albanian man was kidnapped in Pristina yesterday. The rape of an Albanian women in Prizren was also reported.
Humanitarian
UN agency races to prepare Kosovo for winter: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that deliveries of winterization supplies to Kosovo were being delayed due to rain in some areas. Saying that "a race is on" to help the territory's population prepare for winter, an agency spokesman reported roads were cut off due to heavy mud. Only wagons and horses could get to the hills above Mitrovica.
UNHCR has delivered two-thirds of the shelter materials it plans to provide to Kosovars before winter. More than 310,000 plastic sheets and 4,300 wood burning stoves have been distributed. Although truck and trainloads of supplies continued to arrive in Kosovo daily, there was no way that all 120,000 homes damaged during recent conflict would be repaired in 1999, the spokesman said. "People are being asked to practice 'winter solidarity' and take others in," he said.
UNHCR begins transportation programme: UNHCR has started a bus transportation programme allowing Serbs living near Grijilane, where ethnic tensions have existed, to safely travel around the area. The programme uses two buses to connects 14 Serb-populated villages and hamlets. Modelled on a project earlier used in Bosnia, the new programme will be expanded in coming weeks.
October 25 - Day 125
Civilian Administration
Majority of schools reopen throughout Kosovo without incident: The vast majority of public schools throughout Kosovo formally reopened without incident, UNMIK reported. "This is a big step towards the resumption of normal schooling for the 3,000 school children in Kosovo," UNMIK spokeswoman Nadia Younes told the press in Pristina. UNMIK head, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, attended the opening of the Elena Gjika Primary School in Pristina.
In a single instance, Dr. Kouchner ordered the temporary establishment of separate schools for Albanian and Serb children. After weeks of intense negotiations to resolve contention over opening the Plementina School in the Obilic district of Pristina to both Serb and Albanian children, Dr. Kouchner decided to accommodate children of the different groups at different school facilities. Stressing that the UN's ultimate objective was to create mixed ethnic schools throughout the territory, Dr. Kouchner chose to take this interim measure due to the "extremely threatening social situation", UNMIK said in a statement released in Pristina. Dr. Kouchner appealed to parents around Kosovo to rise above ethnic hostilities and political manipulation to create a safe environment for the children of the territory.
Pristina Council begins market inspections: The UN-supervised Municipal Council of Pristina started inspecting licences of vendors in Pristina's main market. During past weeks, some 850 shops and stalls in the Pristina markets have been registered, with 50,000 DM in registration fees collected. About 500 shops and stalls in the city still have to be registered.
UNMIK police report suspects in killing of UN staff member: As part of the ongoing UN international police investigation into the murder of UNMIK staff member Valentin Krumov on 11 October, the Pristina Regional Investigation Unit has received information regarding two persons who might be involved in the incident. One suspect is a male, 18 to 20 years old, with brown/gray short hair. The other is a girl between 17 and 18 years old, with curly long black hair. She is short in stature and thin. Both were reportedly seen running across Mother Theresa Street in downtown Pristina just after Mr. Krumov was shot there.
Kouchner meets with NATO chief: Dr. Kouchner met with the newly appointed NATO chief, Lord George Robertson, during his one-day visit to Kosovo on 22 October. Lord Robertson was accompanied by ambassadors of the 19 NATO countries, as well as the Chairman of the NATO Council's military committee and the Supreme Allied Commander. That day, Dr. Kouchner chaired a meeting with the NATO delegation and local political leaders from the Kosovo Transitional Council. The spiritual leader of the local Serb community, Bishop Artemije, was present at that meeting.
October 26 - Day 126
Civilian Administration
Donor group supports textbook printing in Kosovo: International governmental and non-governmental organizations have formed a consortium of donors to support the publication of the textbooks needed this school year by Kosovo children. Printing is already under way and the first set of books is expected to be distributed to schools this week. With a view to developing indigenous capacity, 17 local companies are being contracted to do much of the printing.
Humanitarian
UNHCR extents bus service to Mitrovica and Pristina: Having successfully begun bus service in the area of Gnijlane last week, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has extended the routes to serve areas of Mitrovica and Pristina. The new routes service Serb, Albanian and Roma communities, UNHCR said. The original route, connecting minority Serb hamlets around Gnijlane, has proven very successful. Even with the recent addition of an extra day of service, buses run hopelessly overcrowded, UNHCR reported.
October 27 - Day 127
Civilian Administration
UN takes over police functions in Prizren region: United Nations civilian police in Kosovo took over responsibility for maintaining law and order throughout the Prizren region. A force of 313 UN police has been deployed to the area of Prizren to assume authority from the KFOR international security force, a UN spokeswoman said. UN police will continue to work closely with KFOR to monitor the security situation but will themselves carry out arrests, detentions and criminal investigations, the spokeswoman said.
Prizren is the second of the five Kosovo regions in which the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has taken over policing responsibilities. UNMIK police assumed those responsibilities in the capital and the surrounding region in late August.
UN to temporarily register vehicles: The United Nations in Kosovo has established a system for temporarily registering all vehicles and issuing interim Kosovo licence plates. Temporary licencing will not, however, determine vehicle ownership, under the terms of the new UN regulation signed by the head of UNMIK, Dr. Bernard Kouchner. A procedure for determining title to vehicles is pending. The process of registration will begin on 30 November, the UN also announced. Written proof of third party liability insurance will be required for registration.
October 28 - Day 128
Civilian Administration
UN condemns attack on humanitarian convoy transporting Serbs: The United Nations in Kosovo and the KFOR international security force strongly condemned yesterday's brutal attack on a humanitarian convoy which left 10 to 15 Serbs injured. In a joint statement issued yesterday in the Kosovo capital, Pristina, the UN and KFOR pledged to bring to justice those responsible for the attack on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) convoy carrying more than 150 Serbs. "KFOR and UNMIK cannot tolerate blockades that deny the citizens of Kosovo their fundamental and democratic rights of freedom of movement," they said.
The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) reported that a portion of a convoy transporting Serbs from Orahovac to Montenegro was attacked in the centre of Pec after being separated from the rest of the vehicles. Eight cars separated from the convoy were surrounded by a crowd of some 1,500 Albanians, who attacked the occupants and subsequently set the vehicles on fire.
The Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Norway's Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek, also strongly condemned the attack. Noting that sustainable development could not be achieved in Kosovo without reconciliation and peaceful coexistence, Mr. Vollebaek said today in Oslo that Kosovar Albanians held particular responsibility for safeguarding the rights of all inhabitants.
In a related development, OSCE human rights officers in the territory reported a pattern of increased murders, attacks and harassment against elderly Serbs. In a statement released in Pristina today, OSCE said the most frequent victims of attacks and intimidation are elderly Serbs singled out for property evictions or for helping other housebound friends. "Many elderly Serbs tell human rights teams they are too afraid to leave their homes for fear of being attacked or evicted while they are out," the OSCE reported.
Secretary-General recommends increasing number of UN police in Kosovo: Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended that the Security Council increase the strength of the United Nations international civilian police force in Kosovo by more than 1,600 officers. Following recommendation by his Special Representative for Kosovo, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, to significantly increase the force size now set at a total of 3,110 officers, the Secretary General suggests that the force be expanded to 4,718.
This increase is intended to ensure that the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has a fully functional international police service to both establish and maintain civil law and order throughout the territory, the Secretary-General says in a report issued on Tuesday. The enhanced UNMIK police force would provide a broad spectrum of basic law enforcement services, including patrolling, crime prevention, border police functions and security for at-risk populations, Mr. Annan explains. Currently there are more than 1,700 UNMIK police in Kosovo, with UN police units already responsible for full police functions in the Pristina and Prizren regions.
October 29 - Day 129
Civilian Administration
Top EU officials support increasing funds to rehabilitate Kosovo: Top European Union officials have expressed strong support for increasing funding to rebuild Kosovo. During a meeting yesterday with the United Nations mission in Kosovo, Javier Solana, the European Union's (EU) new representative for foreign policy, and Chris Patten, its commissioner for external relations, also pledged close cooperation with the UN Interim Administration Mission (UNMIK) on a budget for Kosovo.
"The fact they came on a joint visit illustrates the importance the European Union is giving to the rehabilitation of Kosovo," an UNMIK spokeswoman said today in the capital, Pristina. The remarks of the EU officials had added significance in light of the forthcoming donor's conference to raise monies for Kosovo, to be convened in Brussels on 17 November, the spokeswoman said.
In a related development, UNMIK said that $50 million has been committed and everything humanly possible was being done to fortify Kosovo's electricity supply system before the onset of winter. Only one of Kosovo's two power plants is presently functioning, with repairs of the second plan ongoing. However, decades of neglect and the unreliability of the regional electricity grid were complicating the work.
Pristina Airport resumes commercial flights: Commercial flights have resumed to the Pristina Airport, after a brief interruption. The airlines currently serving Pristina are ADA Air and Albanian Airlines of Albanian; CrossAir of Switzerland; Tyrolean Air of Austria; and Adria Airlines, based in Ljubljiana. Air Bosnia from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Deutsche BA of Germany, and Avio-Impex of The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will begin service out of Pristina in November.
Humanitarian
Serb and Albanian medical staff begins vaccination campaign: A team of Albanian and Serb doctors and nurses has begun a vaccination campaign in Kosovo. Working with UNMIK, KFOR and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the team began vaccinations in the areas of Gracanica, Suchica, Kisnica and Chaskovac yesterday.
November 2 - Day 130
Civilian Administration
Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE condemns attack on Kosovo Serb leader: The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Foreign Minister Knut Vollebæk of Norway, has joined other officials in condemning the attack on the President of the Serb Resistance Movement, Mr. Momcilo Trajkovic, who was shot and wounded by unknown gunmen in his apartment in Pristina on Sunday night. Mr. Vollebæk said the attack was on all those who seek peaceful co-existence and reconciliation in Kosovo.
He said he highly appreciated the contribution of Mr. Trajkovic towards increased tolerance and reduced ethnic hatred in Kosovo. He has displayed considerable moral courage in his commitment to dialogue with other communities in the province, Mr. Vollebæk said.
The Chairman-in-Office called upon the Kosovo Albanian leadership to condemn openly the attack and contribute to decisive, visible action to put an end to violence and harassment against non-Albanian communities in Kosovo.
November 3 - Day 131
Civilian Administration
Human rights
Situation of ethnic minorities in Kosovo remains extremely precarious: A report, which has just been completed, says the situation of ethnic minorities in Kosovo remains extremely precarious. The report, the third review carried out by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the territory, notes that while the number of violent incidents has declined, there is a climate of violence and impunity as well as widespread discrimination, harassment, and intimidation against non-Albanians.
Deputy Special Representative for Humanitarian Affairs (UNHCR), Mr. Dennis McNamara expressed serious concern about the situation and renewed calls on Kosovo's leaders to improve the security situation and to speak out against the violence. Mr. McNamara chaired the Ad-Hoc Taskforce on Minorities, which produced the report, undertaken as part of a joint UNHCR-OSCE monitoring and reporting initiative.
The report, however, pointed out that KFOR, the international peacekeeping force, has deployed troops which are playing a preventive role and giving rural minorities more confidence. Other methods aimed at increasing security and access to humanitarian aid, health care and education are being pursued, including the startup of UNHCR inter-regional bus lines. The UN Civil Administration has also deployed Civil Affairs Minority Officers in selected communities to improve security and facilitate contact among the various actors.
"This report is a disheartening account of ethnic violence continuing to take place against ethnic minorities everyday", said Mr. Daan Everts, the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, in a report read on his behalf in Pristina. "The situation calls for a massive, joint, Kosovo-wide effort by the international community and Kosovo's leaders to end this cycle of violence. The international community intervened in Kosovo to protect human rights and not to pave the way for a new wave of ethnic harassment and violence."
Two Serbs killed by unidentified armed gangs: Unknown assailants killed two Serbs, a man and a woman, in two different locations. The man, who was driving towards Serbia in the region of Gnjilane, was shot in the head by four men armed with AK-47s and handguns near the village of Dobroane. He died on the scene. The woman, aged 70, was killed by three unknown suspects while outside her residence in Donji Streoc. She received multiple gunshot wounds. KFOR, the international peacekeeping force is investigating.
Civil Administration
Kosovo Transition Council condemns attack on Kosovo Serb leader: The Kosovo Transition Council strongly condemned Monday's brutal attack on Kosovo Serb leader, Mr. Momcilo Trajkovic, who was shot and wounded by unknown assailants.
The Council, currently meeting at the Headquarters of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), is discussing other security issues and the subject of missing and detained people. It welcomed the detailed investigation of the attack on Mr. Trajkovic that has been initiated by the UNMIK police.
"The perpetrators of this crime must be brought to justice," the Council said. "Terror against members of any ethnic community is unacceptable."
It called on all people of Kosovo to help end such attacks immediately and to work for a Kosovo where members of all ethnic communities can live together in peace and security.
Reconstruction and development
Kouchner and European Foreign Ministers discuss Kosovo funding: Head of the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr Bernard Kouchner and foreign ministers of the member states of the Council of Europe met in Strassbourg to discuss funding for the rehabilitation of Kosovo. A pledging conference for Kosovo is scheduled for 17 November in Brussels and UNMIK is preparing a detailed document on funding needs.
UNMIK and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo officials expressed concern that violence against members of the minority communities in Kosovo might affect donor sympathies. A report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the OSCE notes that the overall situation of ethnic minorities in Kosovo remains extremely precarious. The violence "jeopardizes the international standing and reputation of Kosovo" and "is likely to affect door sympathies and support at a time when important donor meetings are coming up", said Mr. Daan Everts, the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, in a statement read on his behalf by Sandra Mitchell, Head of OSCE Human Rights Section in Pristina. Daniela Rozgonova, deputy UNMIK spokeswoman, said the negative reports "certainly do not help" or "inspire confidence for future investments by governments or private institutions".
November 4 - Day 132
Reconstruction and development
UN agricultural agency completes major project to help farmers: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported an early completion of a major project to assist farmers in Kosovo. The Rome-based agency said that the $6.7 million project to supply seeds and fertilizers to help farmers restart agriculture in Kosovo had been completed ahead of the coming winter. Some 14,500 metric tonnes of winter wheat seeds and 9,000 tons of fertilizers have been handed out to more than 70,000 farming families.
"The distribution of seeds is the first step for farmers and their families in Kosovo to become self-sufficient again. This will finally start to reduce the dependence on external aid," said Daniele Donati, FAO Emergency Coordinator for the Balkans."
FAO said strengthening agriculture is one of the best options for a quick recovery in rural areas of Kosovo. "We expect the number of farmers in need to be reduced by half to 35,000 in a year's time," said Donati.
FAO will establish a laboratory for seed quality control and plans a vaccination campaign in order to reduce and limit further losses of livestock. In addition, the agency will start a programme to renovate and repair agricultural machinery in Kosovo and has launched an emergency appeal for $25 million. More than 50 percent of the tractors in the province were stolen or destroyed during war.
November 5 - Day 133
Civilian Administration
Head of UN mission in Kosovo appeals for more funding: Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) appealed to the Security Council for more funding for the administration of the province, warning that without money stability could not be achieved.
Briefing the press after his address to the Security Council in New York, Dr. Kouchner said he needed an additional $25 million before December this year to pay salaries for Kosovars working in public administration and a further $110 million for next year. "Without this money it is impossible to convince the people not to go back to the black market or to the Mafia", he said. The appeal for more money was his main message to the Security Council and it was "very well perceived" and all members of the Security Council, including China and the Russian Federation, "supported our efforts" in Kosovo, he said.
Dr. Kouchner said "the spirit of revenge is very high in Kosovo" and security could not be achieved without resolving the issue of missing persons, estimated at between 3,000 and 6,000.
He noted the successes achieved by UNMIK, including the opening of virtually all the schools in Kosovo last Monday. "Ninety per cent of all schoolchildren and teachers are working," he said. Another achievement, he said, was securing peace in certain areas, including the area controlled by the American force, where 700 Serbs have returned.
Kosovo police reports three killings and a grenade attack: Two people were killed last night in Pristina and one in Mitrovica, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) police said. In the Pristina area police found two bodies -- one of an Albania male -- with gunshot wounds to the head and the other of a Serbian male who had been reported missing but whom police believe was murdered. In Mitrovica, an Albanian male was shot and killed by an unknown suspect.
Reporting "a very active period overnight", the police said also on Thursday a grenade was thrown by an unknown suspect at a group of five Serbs in Gnjilane, injuring one person. UNMIK is also investigating the burning of six houses set on fire in Kojlovica in the Pristina region on 3 November.
The Principal Deputy Special Representative, Mr. Jock Covey, on Wednesday urged the Kosovo Transitional Council to use their influence to stop the violence, which includes increasing threats and harassment of UNMIK staff and police.
Repairs on Pristina airport begins: Repairs on Pristina's Slatina airport taxiway began today and will continue for five days, preventing large aircraft such as airbuses from landing. For this reason, several flights to Tirana and Zurich have been cancelled. Regular air traffic will resume on 10 November.
Humanitarian activities
Most of the shelter and winterization materials transported to Kosovo: Most of the winterization materials supplied by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are either in Kosovo or within a two-hour drive of the province, the agency reported. However, due to difficulties with logistics, many of UNHCR's partners have yet to get all their materials into Kosovo.
UNHCR said it has 75 per cent of the 16,000 shelter kits already gone out and as of Thursday it had distributed over 622,000 blankets in Kosovo, 353,000 mattresses and 300,000 sheets of plastic and 12,000 stoves.
UNHCR working with local women to build women's roles in Kosovo: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it is working with local women's groups to build women's roles in Kosovo. The Kosovo Women's Initiative Programme, currently funded by the United States with a budget of $10 million, focuses particularly "on helping those women-headed households that have found themselves in a situation they have not been in before", UNHCR spokeswoman Paula Ghedini said. "The intent is to create a network of support for women in need. So far 30 projects have been signed with local NGOs".
November 8 - Day 134
Civilian Administration
$66.5 million budget approved for Kosovo: Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr Bernard Kouchner approved the 1999 budget for Kosovo totalling 125 million deutsche marks (approximately $66.5 million), nearly 70 per cent of which is financed by international donors. The Central Fiscal Authority (CFA), created by regulation signed by Dr Kouchner, also came into effect. The CFA gives the administration the legal right to collect revenues and make expenditures.
The CFA is responsible for the overall management of the Kosovo budget and the budgets of the municipalities that together form the Kosovo Consolidated Budget. UNMIK plans to develop a Kosovar component of the CFA, whose functions will remain long after UNMIK ends its civil administration responsibilities.
The approval of the budget makes it possible for UNMIK to use local revenues from customs, excise and sales taxes as well as donor grants to provide major public services such as health, education, police and fire services, water and assistance to the needy. The budget funds will be used only for the benefit of Kosovar people and money from the budget will not be spent on UNMIK or international personnel, said Mr. Alan Pearson, the newly appointed head of the CFA.
Other developments:
Russian Ambassador urges more consultations on Kosovo: The Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Sergei Lavrov, urged that there be more consultations between the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the United Nations Headquarters in New York. During a two-day visit to Kosovo, where he met the heads of UNMIK and local political leaders, he told a press conference in Pristina that it was "very difficult to act in a situation where you don't have consultations with the United Nations".
Ambassador Lavrov said that Russia was concerned to make sure that UN Resolution 1244, which established UNMIK, "is fully implemented", including maintaining the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia and the creation of conditions of safety and security for all people. "I would certainly be unfaithful to the facts if I would say that all these issues are being resolved," he said adding that, "It's a very tough job".
Some of the actions taken by the international peacekeeping force, KFOR, and UNMIK's leadership "were not entirely helpful regarding the creation of better security and safety, from the point of view of keeping the multi-ethnic nature of this place, " he said. However, he said he was "gratified" that representatives from all communities in Kosovo spoke about the same goals -- "a multi-ethnic, democratic Kosovo, which will be able to enjoy the assistance of the international community under the goals of Resolution 1244."
The United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) police reported several incidents from the weekend, which included the discovery on Saturday, in Beleg in the region of Pec, of the body of a male Roma, who had been shot several times. Police investigations indicated the victim had been abducted from his residence the day before. Also on Saturday, a grenade exploded at a house owned by Romas in Lipljan and one female Roma was injured. On Sunday, approximately 1,000 people created a disturbance near a KFOR checkpoint in Kosovo Polje, as members of a wedding motorcade began firing in the air in the presence of UNMIK police. KFOR and UNMIK police arrested three individuals and confiscated their weapons.
Kosovo experiencing power outages: Kosovo is experiencing power outages due to the fact that two units of the Kosovo B power plant are out of operation and under repair, reported Daniela Rozgonova, spokeswoman for the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK). Repairs on one unit should be finished on 23 November. But further power and water cuts are expected over the next few weeks, as Kosovo is currently dependent upon the old and erratic Kosovo A power plant. UNMIK plans to make the most crucial repairs in the power sector before the onset of winter.
November 10 - Day 135
Civilian Administration
KTC demands from Yugoslavia information on missing persons: The Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC) demanded from Yugoslavia information on the whereabouts of missing persons. The Council said in a statement following its weekly meeting that the KTC Commission on Prisoners, Detainees and Missing Persons would submit a list of missing persons to the authorities in Belgrade.
KTC also urged the release of all Kosovars held as political prisoners in Serbia, including Ms. Flora Brovina, a well-known humanitarian activist. It asked the international community, in particular the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe summit to be held in Istanbul on 18-19 November, to call on Yugoslavia to report on the whereabouts of missing persons, stop political trials immediately and release all political prisoners.
Humanitarian assistance
Aid agencies express alarm over delays in getting aid through: Humanitarian agencies expressed alarm on the long delays they are experiencing getting food aid and shelter supplies to Kosovo through the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Last week the Macedonian police began requiring that all humanitarian traffic join the line of commercial trucks at the main border-crossing with Macedonia, causing lines stretching up to 10 kilometres, Mr. Peter Kessler, spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pristina said.
The drivers are also being required to pay a fee of 200 deutsche marks on top of the 0.1 per cent fee on the cargo value. "This presents another delay at the border," Mr. Kessler said. "Normal delays at the border for trucks has been five to seven days." He said the Head of the UN Interim Administration for Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr. Bernard Kouchner, is following the situation very closely and other diplomats are working with the Macedonian government to address these concerns.
Mr. Kessler said UNHCR and the World Food Programme are exploring possibilities of getting food aid in by rail but this will take time.
UNMIK makes emergency plans for electricity and water: UN Interim Administration for Kosovo (UNMIK) has developed contingency plans for emergencies during power outages in the month of November, as repair work continues on Kosovo B power plant in preparation for winter, spokeswoman Daniela Rozgonova said. The plans include installing generators in hospitals and at water pumping stations and identifying vulnerable groups in order to take steps to protect them during water or power cuts. Plans also include providing alternative sources of water and warmth, such as water tanks and wood-burning stoves, for use in an emergency.
In the meantime, UNMIK is trying to accelerate the maintenance work on the second unit at Kosovo B, so that it may be back on line before the 23 November scheduled completion. It is also purchasing diesel fuel so that another unit at Kosovo A can be used, and repairing railway sidings at the power stations so that the delivery of fuel can be speeded up.
Other activities
UN war crimes prosecutor reports 2,108 bodies exhumed in Kosovo: Investigators have exhumed 2,108 bodies from gravesites in Kosovo, said Carla Del Ponte, the newly appointed Prosecutor for the United Nations Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. She told the UN Security Council that this figure did not necessarily reflect the total number of actual victims from the sites so far investigated because there was evidence of tampering with graves. There were also a significant number of sites where the precise number of bodies could not be counted. Ms. Del Ponte said in the sites that were examined, "steps were taken to hide the evidence" and "many bodies have been burned."
After five months of investigation by forensic specialists from 14 countries, the Tribunal has received reports of 11,334 bodies in 529 gravesites, including sites where bodies were found exposed. Approximately 195 of those sites have been examined to date. Ms. Del Ponte also stressed the importance of the Council's support for the Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda "The effectiveness and strength of international criminal justice ultimately lies in your hands," she told the Council. "I therefore urge the Council to put its full weight behind our efforts when we ask for your assistance, and to be creative in finding ways to bring to bear the sort of pressure that will produce results."
Citing Yugoslavia's "total defiance" in surrendering indicted accused persons, Ms. Del Ponte said she feared Serbia was becoming a safe haven for indicted war criminals who have been accused of serious crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo. "This situation cannot be allowed to continue," she said.
November 11 - Day 136
Humanitarian assistance
New York students launch programme to "adopt" students in war-damaged Kosovo: Students at a small private international school in New York have launched a programme to "adopt" students and teachers, in war-damaged Kosovo.
With help from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), students at the Dwight School plan a first winter emergency shipment of coats and computers for Thanksgiving (25 November) to the Gjin Gazulli electro-technical school, just outside Pristina, UNDP said today in a press statement.
The statement said the school is struggling to provide an education for almost 1,100 young Kosovars aged 14-18. As winter closes in, there is no money for fuel to heat the school building, insufficient clothing for the students and teachers shivering inside and almost no library books. Laboratory equipment is in short supply and there are no computers.
"The school, like others serving ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, was neglected for more than a decade by Serb authorities," UNDP said.
The UN agency said many of the teachers at the school have not been paid for more than two years. "This has forced some of them to abandon teaching and work as translators or interpreters for the international organizations that have recently arrived in Kosovo."
November 15 - Day 137
Civil administration
Investigations begin into cause of Kosovo plane crash: Investigations have begun in to the cause of Friday's crash of a UN plane in which 21 passengers and three crewmembers perished. Investigators from France -- where the plane was registered -- arrived in Pristina on Saturday and will be joined by a team from the Italian civil air administration and two officials from the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said today. The plane, an ATR-42, chartered by the World Food Programme (WFP), was on a flight from Rome when it crashed on a mountain near Pristina, just before it was about to land. Those on board included three WFP staff, members of the UNMIK police, a Canadian official and representatives from non-governmental organizations working in Kosovo.
"It is our understanding that there will be a preliminary report of the investigation within one month and that a final report will be ready sometimes within the first half of 2000," said Ms. Maryan Baquerot, chief of staff to UNMIK head Bernard Kouchner.
Dr. Kouchner, along with KFOR Commander General Karl Reinhardt, visited the crash site on Saturday. "The loss of all these people, who were coming to help Kosovo, is a terrible tragedy for all of us," Dr. Kouchner said. "We needed people who were so committed to come to a place that has experienced so much torment. A place that is still in a state of turmoil," he told families of the victims.
Bodies of the victims were flown to Rome on Monday where the Italian government was to organize an airport ceremony attended by family members, the Italian Prime Minister and WFP Executive Director Catherine Bertini, WFP Deputy Director Jean Jacques Graisse said in Pristina.
Provisional registration of vehicles begins 30 November: The UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) will undertake a provisional registration of vehicles in the territory beginning 30 November. Speaking in Pristina, the UNMIK Head of Civil Documents and Registration, Mr. Albrecht Conze said the move was to help meet law and order needs. "Police have difficulty doing their jobs when cars have no number plates," he explained.
Under the new system, UNMIK will provide "a certificate of possession, not ownership", as many cars circulating in Kosovo were "unlawfully" acquired, Mr. Conze said. However, drivers will have to show insurance to acquire the licence plate.
A more permanent system will be established in the second half of 2000.
Plans to provide a mobile telephone system announced: The UNMIK Head of Post and Telecommunications, Mr. Pascal Copin, announced further plans for enhancing communications in the territory, with the signing shortly of an agreement with Alcatel to provide a mobile telephone system. The network will operate in the seven main cities of Kosovo as well as in the airport within 12 weeks of the signing of an agreement and will be extended to the whole of Kosovo within one year, Mr. Copin said.
Democratization and institution building OSCE holds round table discussion for political parties: The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe today held a round table discussion for all political parties of Kosovo. The discussion, organized with the support of the Swiss government, focused on capacity building for political parties in the territory. Two Swiss democratization experts chaired the discussions.
November 16 - Day 138
Civil administration
Registration of Kosovo population to start before end of the year: Registration of the Kosovo population will start before the end of the year, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said today in a statement issued in Pristina. Identity cards will be issued and a voters' list prepared in order to hold elections as soon as possible.
In registering the population and providing them with identity cards, UNMIK will "re-establish the public order that was seriously disturbed by the systematic destruction of identity cards during the recent conflict," the statement said.
The registration, which will take four to five months, will start in Pristina and then be expanded to the rest of Kosovo in January. So far, 90 registration centres, to be managed by UN Volunteers and local staff, have been identified. In addition, there will be 30 mobile centres.
KTC told of decreasing violence and crime: Violence and crime in Kosovo decreased during the past week, security officials told the Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC), the highest-level advisory board of Kosovars. The officials, from the Kosovo international peace-keeping force (KFOR) and UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Police were addressing the regular meeting of KTC in Pristina today.
The past week had been the most stable period since KFOR arrived in Kosovo on 12 June, Head of UNMIK, Dr Bernard Kouchner, told the KTC. "It's not enough but it is better than before," he told the media after the meeting.
Dr. Kouchner, who was leaving for a European donors conference on Kosovo in Brussels, said the continuing problem of violent crime in Kosovo would be an issue at the conference. "The donors must understand that if they want us and the Kosovars to decrease the level of violence, we need money for salaries, money to re-establish the administration and money to re-establish industry," he said.
In Brussels, Dr. Kouchner would be seeking some 200 million deutsche marks (about $106 million) for the 2000 Kosovo budget, to make up for an expected shortfall in domestic revenues.
More than 390 million deutsche marks (about $207 million) will be needed for the 2000 budget, according to the European Union representative who briefed the KTC. Salaries, for 64,500 people expected to be employed in public administration, will take up much of the expenditure.
Habitat and UNMIK agree to work together until end of 2000: The UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) have agreed to work together in rebuilding the territory until the end of 2000. The two organizations agreed to establish mechanisms for mapping and recreating land registration and tilling systems to facilitate investment, reconstruction and rehabilitation, according to a statement issued in Nairobi by Habitat on Monday.
During this second phase of their collaboration - which will require less than $10 million - Habitat also hopes to provide direct technical assistance to re-establish municipal administrations and to set up the necessary legal and institutional structures to ensure the property rights of all citizens in Kosovo.
Laws discriminating against the housing rights of ethnic Albanians were repealed last month as a result of the work of Habitat. "Peace building in Kosovo involves more than rebuilding damaged houses and re-housing returning families. For economic recovery, municipal administrations must be re-established and property rights restored so that people can be given security of tenure," said Mr. Klaus Toepfer, Acting Executive Director of Habitat said on a recent visit to Pristina.
UN police arrests 11 people suspected of kidnappings: The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Police officers have arrested 11 suspects for three kidnappings which occurred in the last 24 hours. In the early hours of today, police arrested two people in Pristina suspected of kidnapping a 17-year-old girl, UNMIK Police said in a statement issued in Pristina today. The girl was found in the suspects' car and was unharmed. Also this morning in Pristina, police arrested two men suspected of another kidnapping case.
In the village of Slatina Mala in the Kosovo Polje area, an UNMIK Police officer, assisted by a KFOR patrol, arrested seven people suspected of recently kidnapping an Albanian man. The police are also investigating a kidnapping case, which occurred last evening in Pristina.