Security Council meets to debate progress of UN mission in Kosovo
JUNE 9 -- The United Nations mission in Kosovo had made significant headway in its first twelve months of operations, but the task of building a society based on tolerance and democracy would take years to complete, the head of the UN mission told the Security Council today.Dr. Bernard Kouchner, the head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), briefed the Council this morning at the start of an extensive debate, in which all 15 Council members took part.
While UNMIK could not yet be called a triumph for the UN, the Mission was able to make real advances as it worked hard in an inhospitable environment, Dr. Kouchner stressed. Health care had improved, housing units were being built, and infrastructure rehabilitated and created. Five thousand children were now attending school, which they had not done for years, and universities and colleges were operating.
All parties, religions and minorities were represented in the Kosovo Transitional Council, Dr. Kouchner said. A "confidence zone" in Mitrovica had been established. More than 400,000 people had already registered for the October municipal elections, although the Kosovo Serbs as well as Kosovars in Serbia must still be convinced to register, he noted. For its part, Belgrade had not responded positively to requests for assistance with this process.
Nor was Belgrade cooperating with UNMIK in the search for missing persons, estimated at anywhere from 3,000 to three times that figure, Dr. Kouchner said. However, UNMIK was in regular contact with the Belgrade authorities, and a new joint consultative committee had been proposed recently to deal with issues of mutual interest.
Regarding the large numbers of people returning to Kosovo, Dr. Kouchner said this was a positive trend but it also imposed a heavy burden, as the unemployment rate was already high. At some point, it might be necessary to impose a moratorium, he said.
UNMIK also faced hurdles including the weak judiciary and crime rates that were still too high, particularly against the Serbs, the head of UNMIK said, underscoring the precarious security situation for non-Albanian people, particularly returnees. He called on Member States to provide international judges and prosecutors, well-trained international police and experts on investigations. Referring to the underlying Security Council resolution 1244 that had established UNMIK on 10 June 1999, Dr. Kouchner stressed that its language concerning the future status of Kosovo needed explanation and that the resolution's phrase "substantial autonomy" lacked clarity.
Secretary-General's report reviews year of UN in Kosovo
JUNE 9 -- Although reconciliation is far from a reality, Kosovo today is a far better place than the international community found it 12 months ago, according to Secretary-General Kofi Annan's latest report that marks the first anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).Twelve months ago, Kosovo had been "a scene of chaos, economic ruin, extensive destruction, lawlessness, widespread retribution and in many parts largely empty of its population," says the report released today at UN Headquarters in New York.
Today, the economy was remarkably vibrant, with 70 per cent of private enterprises now restarted, and the construction sector booming. Essential infrastructure such as the water system and electricity had been maintained, and 841,000 refugees had returned to Kosovo.
However, some aspects of Kosovo society had not changed, the Secretary-General said. Kosovo Serbs and other minorities continued to be attacked and murdered, and ethnic hatred had also led to the murder of UNMIK staff members. An upsurge of vicious attacks on Kosovo Serbs, which "appear to be part of an orchestrated campaign," marks a deterioration in the security situation and has undermined the confidence of Kosovar Serbs in the future, he said.
The international community's continued support for Kosovo was conditional on the full cooperation of all Kosovar political parties, he warned. "The international community did not intervene in Kosovo to make it a haven for revenge and crime," Mr. Annan states.
In Kosovo today, the leaders of the three main Kosovar Albanian political parties issued "very strong" statements denouncing the recent violence, a UN spokesperson in Pristina said.
The challenges in Kosovo were still immense, and "while much has been done, much remains to be done," the Secretary-General's report said. Unemployment remained at around 50 per cent, and all aspects of law and order needed to be urgently addressed. In order to remedy the partiality of the judicial system, more international judges and prosecutors were required. UNMIK's police needed to be reinforced, and the police training programme accelerated so that responsibility for law and order rested on the local population.
Greater efforts were needed to resolve the fate of missing persons and the detention of people from Kosovo in prisons in Serbia. The appointment of a Special Envoy for missing persons, detainees and prisoners was "under active consideration," the Secretary-General said. He also noted the importance of the upcoming municipal elections and urged the people of Kosovo to register and to vote.
The Secretary-General encouraged Member States to ensure that UNMIK was supplied with the necessary resources to meet the enormous challenges it faced.
Kosovo minorities continue to face lack of security, restricted movement, UN report
JUNE 9 -- Lack of security and restrictions on freedom of movement remain the overriding problems for minorities in Kosovo, says a report released today.To rectify this situation, the report, Update on the Situation of Ethnic Minorities in Kosovo, produced jointly by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), urges giving priority to strengthening the police force and improving the judiciary.
Although there had been notable progress in the functioning of the Kosovo Police School and in the recruitment of ethnic minorities to the police service, the service still lacked sufficient personnel to carry out its duties, the report said. It also noted that the quality of police was as important as the quantity, and that the investigative department particularly needed strengthening.
The report welcomed moves to increase the size and ethnic composition of the judiciary, as well as the introduction of more international judges and prosecutors. Nevertheless, it identified the flawed judicial system as a major obstacle to the rule of law and the protection of minorities.
UNHCR and OSCE asked donors to recognize that costly measures were needed to ensure that minorities had full access to public services while their freedom of movement was constrained. Minorities should be not be expected to adapt to public service systems designed to function under normal circumstances, the report said.
Other measures called for in the report include: a common policy on official languages, with penalties for failure to comply; efforts to get enterprises to employ acceptable numbers from minorities; a common curriculum for all schools encompassing aspects of tolerance, peace and human rights; ethnically mixed schools wherever possible; more teacher training facilities; increased education for Roma, Egyptian and Ashkaelia communities; and priority for telephone improvements in minority areas so as to improve security and reduce isolation.
The report said that the degree to which minorities could exercise their rights was the primary measure of success for the international stewardship in Kosovo. Kosovo was an opportunity for the United Nations to set an example for governments around the world by giving human rights top priority in all aspects of the administration.
Kosovo trial postponed due to technical problems
JUNE 7 -- The first trial at the Mitrovica District Court in Kosovo, due to start yesterday, was adjourned soon after it began because of technical difficulties involving translators.All parties had brought independent translators, which resulted in confusion, said Susan Manuel, spokeswoman for of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The court decided it would need its own coordinated translation service, and proceedings were adjourned until Monday, Ms. Manuel said.
Serb prisoners awaiting trial in Mitrovica went on a hunger strike for more than three weeks in May to protest against trial delays. They ended their strike after meeting with Dr. Bernard Kouchner, the head of UNMIK, who told them that trials would begin in the District Court on 6 June, and in the Municipal Court by 26 May. Proceedings in the Municipal Court began as scheduled.
Kosovo leaders condemn violence against Serbs
JUNE 6 -- The Kosovo Interim Administrative Council (IAC) today issued a statement condemning "in the strongest possible terms" the recent spate of violence against Serbs in the territory, which it said was playing into the hands of extremists on all sides."The IAC calls upon the people of Kosovo to contribute actively to the co-existence of communities and support the investigations of the police and KFOR [the international security force]," the statement said.
The Serb National Council (SNC), Gracanica, which normally participate as observers in the IAC, as well as in the Kosovo Transitional Council, are boycotting this week's meetings in protest at the violence. However, representatives of the SNC plan to travel to New York with the head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr. Bernard Kouchner. Dr. Kouchner will be addressing the Security Council on Friday, the anniversary of resolution 1244, by which UNMIK was established. The Serb delegation will also get the chance to meet with members of the Security Council.
In the latest incident of violence, a grenade was thrown from a car in the town of Gracanica. A number of Serbs were injured in an ensuing melee.
Kouchner regrets Serb boycott of Kosovo councils
JUN 5 -- Dr. Bernard Kouchner, head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), yesterday expressed his regret over the decision by the Serb National Council (SNC) to boycott this week's meeting of Kosovo's premier administrative and advisory councils.The SNC said Sunday that it would absent itself from this week's meetings of the Interim Administrative Council and the Kosovo Transitional Council in protest at the recent spate of violence against Serbs in Kosovo which has resulted in a number of deaths. While regretting their absence, Dr Kouchner said he understood the decision as a protest and a sign of outrage, and himself condemned the violence.
"We anticipated a possible increase in tension at this particular period, which coincides with the anniversary of our arrival in Kosovo. Yet we cannot let this throw us off course," Dr Kouchner said in the statement released yesterday. He also said he would facilitate the efforts of the SNC to present their case at UN headquarters in New York.
In a related development, Dr. Kouchner ordered the temporary closure of a newspaper which had published an article that had put at risk the life of a Serb UNMIK staff member, who was subsequently founded murdered.
Petar Topoljski was murdered not long after the publication of his address and photograph together with an article accusing him of crimes against Albanians in the newspaper 'Dita'. UNMIK spokeswoman, Nadia Younes, told journalists in Pristina today that UNMIK police had closed down the newspaper's offices on Saturday, and it would remain closed for a total of eight days.
Ms. Younes said that the newspaper's editor had said in an open letter to Dr. Kouchner on 19 May that his paper would continue to publish the names of those it considered to be "involved against Albanians," a threat which he had since repeated. Dr. Kouchner had concluded that this was a violation of Security Council resolution 1244, and ordered the temporary closure of the newspaper, Ms. Younes said.
Resolution 1244 gives Dr. Kouchner, as the head of UNMIK, the power and a duty to maintain civil law and order, and to protect human rights, including the right to life, Ms. Younes said.
"Our rationale for invoking resolution 1244, was that there was no legislation available in the books specifically dealing with this sort of case," said Ms. Younes. She said that UNMIK was in the process of finalizing some limited and temporary emergency legislation to ensure that the media refrain from publishing details that could put people at serious risk from vigilante violence.
