The Secretary-General stresses however, that the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) will not tolerate such acts which, if unchecked, could narrow the opportunity for mass participation in the 28 October municipal elections, he says, adding that UNMIK intends to use all its resources, with the assistance of KFOR (international peacekeeping force), to create an environment in which the people of Kosovo can vote freely and without fear.

At the same time, the Secretary-General emphasizes that final responsibility for deterring political violence rests squarely on the shoulders of local leaders. "A resurgence of violence risks jeopardizing international support and crippling Kosovo's economic and political development," he writes.

According to the report, the timely completion of the initial phase of the civil registration process marked an important milestone, but only the first step, on the province's path to self-governance. Noting that UNMIK will continue its preparations for holding free and fair municipal elections, Mr. Annan says that during this period, the international community "must remain focussed on the political process in Kosovo. But the real key to success on 28 October lies with the people of Kosovo," he says.

The Secretary-General goes on to call upon all registered voters to take part in the election process. "Their continued support in the coming weeks and participation on the day of the vote itself is a crucial element in Kosovo's transition to authentic autonomy and self-governance."

A spokesman of the United Nations Interim Administrative Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Nadia Younes, told journalists in Pristina today that UNMIK did not consider the FRY elections in Kosovo legal but decided to "witness" the elections.

Although UNMIK will not officially monitor any political facility, the UN Mission and the international peacekeeping force (KFOR), will "be in a position to assess the approximate magnitude of the activity in Kosovo."

" We will witness and watch what is happening at the polling stations and will be in a position at one point on Sunday to report on what happened during the day in Kosovo," she said.

UNMIK is present in all the municipalities in Kosovo. "We will be witnessing pretty much everything that is happening here in Kosovo," Ms. Younes said.

She said UNMIK will follow "very carefully" all possible activities on Sunday connected with the FRY elections in Kosovo and take necessary measures to prevent any security incidents.

Ensuring security and maintaining law and order in Kosovo will be "our guiding criteria" and security measures will be beefed up in high-risk areas, she said.

Formal charges have been prepared against the employee by the UN and a UN police investigation will proceed with a view to being handed over to the local justice system, a spokesperson of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Nadia Younes, said today.

She said UNMIK has recommended the strongest possible actions be taken against the staff member, and that he be summarily dismissed. In the meantime, the staff member has tendered his resignation, which has been accepted by UNMIK.

Refuting allegations in the Kosovo media, which it said undermined the civil and voter registration process, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) today said in a statement that no one disputed there were errors in the provisional civil and voter registers. However, it said, work was now under way in cleaning up those mistakes in order for the voters' list to be ready for the elections.

The statement went on to say that the majority of the remaining errors would not be relevant to the voting process. If a person's name is misspelled on the list, it would not affect their right to vote. If their name did not appear on the list, they would still be able to cast their vote by a conditional ballot, it said.

In addition, the statement said difficulties had been encountered in putting together identity cards because of problems with the information and with the technology being used. However, a team was being hired to work on them and every application will be reviewed for accuracy.

"UNMIK is striving with the Kosovars to build a civil society. The restoration of personal identity is a critical part of this. UNMIK is committed to providing accurate identity cards as soon as possible."

An international judge is yet to be appointed, Claire Trevena, spokeswoman of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) told a press briefing in Pristina.

The three men are suspected of planning to undermine security and the 28 October municipal elections in Kosovo on orders from Belgrade.

The men, believed to have been operating in Kosovo for some time, were arrested as part of an ongoing intelligence gathering operation, which culminated in the search of a house and their detention, KFOR spokesman Major Scott Slaten told journalists in Pristina today.

"Investigation is still being conducted into the situation," he said, adding that KFOR was targeting and hunting down extremists of all ethnicities that want to undermine the democratic system that is being developed in the region.

UNMIK police, who can detain suspects for 72 hours, are holding the suspects in Pristina. Some 300 KFOR British and Swedish troops and UNMIK police were involved in the search operation that led to their arrest.

UNMIK head Bernard Kouchner (right) with KFOR commander Lt. Gen. Juan Ortuno

The head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr. Bernard Kouchner, told a press briefing in Pristina today that two of the six individuals arrested in connection with the illegal explosives -- which included bomb-making equipment and detonators --were believed to be serving or former members of the Yugoslav Special Forces.

"This is very serious. It is an obvious attempt to destabilize Kosovo and to target democracy, peace and the security of Kosovo," Dr. Kouchner said. The operation, which he described as "brilliant", involved some 300 troops.

He told journalists that there was a plan not only to undermine the municipal elections planned by UNMIK for 28 October but also to keep Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in power by manipulating the elections Belgrade plans to hold on Sunday, including in Kosovo.

Dr. Kouchner described "the so-called FRY elections in Kosovo" as a provocation and promised to heighten security measures in high-risk areas.

At the time of the escape, "the inmates were not properly monitored, the security systems were not properly established, the control and management were breaking down," said Dr Bernard Kouchner, the head of UNMIK.

Extra guards have now been placed inside and outside the centre and there is increased surveillance within the prison, with checks every quarter of an hour, and daily inspections of the cells. The 32 detainees at present in the jail are now wearing uniforms and are subject to searches after they have received visitors.

The security measures include extra bars and security gates and a new management structure. The Mitrovica Regional Commander now has two new deputies including one for administration who will be personally responsible for the security of the detention facility until it is handed over in the coming weeks to the Kosovo Correctional Service, UNMIK said.

As a next step, UNMIK is working on removing the acid from the site, UNMIK spokeswoman Claire Trevena told a press briefing in Pristina.

The acid spill begun last week when a tank at the battery factory ruptured, forming a stream that reached the Ibar River, despite efforts to pump the acid from the leaking tank to other tanks. Acidity levels in the river, however are reported to be near normal, Ms. Trevena said.