Month of January 2001
Kosovo: UN mission chief urges local leaders to help bring calm to Mitrovica
31 JANUARY – The head of the United Nations peace operation in Kosovo has urged local leaders to take steps towards calming tensions in the divided city of Mitrovica, where 20 members of international and police security forces (KFOR) were wounded in grenade attacks today alone. FULL STORY >>
Security Council members condemn attacks by Albanian extremists in southern Serbia
30 JANUARY – Members of the Security Council today strongly condemned the attacks by ethnic Albanian extremist groups in southern Serbia and stressed the need to bring the perpetrators to justice. FULL STORY >>
New head of UN Mission in Kosovo announces priorities of his administration
26 JANUARY – Creating a legal framework for the forthcoming general elections and guaranteeing security are the top priorities of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), the new chief administrator told correspondents at a press conference yesterday in Pristina. FULL STORY >>
UN envoy urges on Belgrade to release all Kosovo prisoners
24 JANUARY – The head of the United Nations mission in Kosovo today demanded the immediate return of all Kosovo prisoners detained in Serbia. FULL STORY >>
UN health agency to send team to Kosovo to examine effects of depleted uranium
19 JANUARY – The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that it would send a team of experts to Kosovo in response to concerns over the possible effects of depleted uranium used during the 1999 Balkans conflict. FULL STORY >>
Top UN peacekeeping official briefs Security Council on Kosovo
18 JANUARY – The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has made "impressive progress" in many areas over the past 18 months, particularly in strengthening the local police and reconstructing homes and schools, a top UN peacekeeping official told the Security Council today as it met to discuss the situation in the province. FULL STORY >>
Kosovo: UN mission chief outlines priorities in progress towards self-government
16 JANUARY – In his first meeting with Kosovo's Interim Administrative Council (IAC), the new head of the United Nations peace operation there outlined today his main priorities for his tenure, including speeding up the work that will lead to the establishment of provisional self-government. FULL STORY >>
Uranium 236 found in ammunition tips at NATO-targeted sites in Kosovo: UNEP
16 JANUARY – Early laboratory results confirm that pieces of ammunition tips found at sites targeted by NATO during the 1999 Kosovo conflict contain Uranium 236, indicating that the uranium was reprocessed, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said today. FULL STORY >>
New head of UN mission in Kosovo stresses need to speed up election preparations
15 JANUARY – On his first day as head of the United Nations peace operation in Kosovo, former Danish Defence Minister Hans Haekkerup today highlighted the need to speed up the preparatory process that will lead to the territory's first general elections, which he said should happen "as soon as possible." FULL STORY >>
UN Kosovo mission approves new regulation on human trafficking
15 JANUARY – The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has approved a regulation making human trafficking a crime punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison. FULL STORY >>
Hailed for "tireless efforts," Kouchner steps down as head of UN Kosovo mission
12 JANUARY – The man who has led the United Nations mission in Kosovo for the past year and a half, Dr. Bernard Kouchner of France, stepped down today after making what Secretary-General Kofi Annan said was "extraordinary contribution" to the UN effort of rebuilding the conflict-torn land. FULL STORY >>
UN in Kosovo takes steps to thwart possible ill effects of depleted uranium
11 JANUARY – As the lead organization dealing with all public health aspects relating to depleted uranium in Kosovo, the United Nations has taken several measures to protect the civilian population against any possible ill effects from the ammunition used by NATO during the 1999 air strikes, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said today. FULL STORY >>
"Stop the killings," UN Kosovo chief says in farewell address
11 January – Bidding farewell to the people and leaders of Kosovo, the outgoing chief of the United Nations operation there has made a final plea to all Kosovars to renounce violence and strive to build a solid and long-lasting peace. FULL STORY >>
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9 JANUARY – The head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) today visited a site which was hit by ammunition containing depleted uranium during the 1999 Balkans conflict. FULL STORY >>
UN chief in Kosovo seeks health experts' opinion on effects of depleted uranium
8 JANUARY – Secretary-General Kofi Annan's chief envoy in Kosovo is seeking a team of health experts to assess the effects of depleted uranium resulting from the Balkans conflict of 1999, a United Nations spokesperson told reporters in Pristina today. FULL STORY >>
Depleted uranium samples from Kosovo analyzed in European labs: UN agency
5 JANUARY – The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced today that samples of depleted uranium (DU) from Kosovo were now undergoing rigorous analysis in five European labs to determine whether the use of the substance during the Balkans conflict may pose any risk to human health or the environment. FULL STORY >>
Kosovo: outgoing head of UN mission welcomes successor
4 JANUARY – Dr. Bernard Kouchner, the head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), welcomed today his successor, Hans Haekkerup, who arrived in Pristina for a series of briefings on the position he will assume on 15 January. FULL STORY >>
UN steps up efforts to seize illegal weapons in Kosovo
3 JANUARY – Responding to increasing incidents of gun violence around Kosovo, United Nations police stepped up efforts to confiscate illegal weapons in the Pec region, a UN spokesman said today in the province's capital of Pristina. FULL STORY >>
In New Year message, head of UN mission urges Kosovars to promote tolerance
2 JANUARY – Kosovo will have a "good year" in 2001 only if the recent upsurge in violent acts - primarily against Kosovo Serbs - comes to an end, the head of the United Nations peace operation there said in a statement marking the start of the new year. FULL STORY >>