News Coverage Archives - January 2000

UN officials meet with protesting Kosovo bank employees.
JANUARY 31 -- UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) officials today met with representatives of the newly established "Counsel of Protests", representing employees of the former National Bank of Kosovo, who allege that UNMIK has violated their rights to work.

A statement issued by UNMIK in Pristina said the Banking and Payments Authority of Kosovo (BPK) and the Bank Licensing, Supervision and Regulation Department was established to build a sound and stable banking system consistent with international banking standards. While former employees of the previous bank system, the SDK, were hired by the BPK, "the officers of UNMIK responsible for the banking sector never promised continued employment to personnel of the National Bank of Kosovo."

UNMIK officials advised the former employees to continue to seek out new employment opportunities, adding that many of the bank employees possessed the necessary skills and experience for jobs advertised by the Central Fiscal Authority. Officials told the former employees UNMIK was also planning to recruit senior and mid-level employees for the various departments of the BPK. The recruitment will follow employment practices "based on the principles of fairness and transparency," the statement said.

Vehicle registration in Kosovo to resume.
31 JANAUARY -- The temporary registration of motor vehicles in Kosovo resumes tomorrow, nearly six weeks after it was closed to assess the efficiency of the exercise and prepare the launching of registration centres outside the capital, Pristina.

Vehicle holders are now required to provide proof of payment of a 15 per cent customs fee and of the 10 per cent sales tax on their vehicle before they can be registered, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said today.

No insurance company has so far met the conditions set by UNMIK to be allowed to issue vehicle insurance. UNMIK expects to approve the first insurance companies sometime in February.

When the registration of vehicles closed on 18 December more than 3,000 had been registered.

UN mission in Kosovo reports progress in work on new administrative structures.
JANUARY 28 -- Kosovo's Interim Administrative Council today named a Kosovar engineer to co-head the Department of Post & Telecommunications with a United Nations official.

Post & Telecommunications is one of the 19 proposed departments of the Joint Interim Administrative Structure in which Kosovars share the provisional administration of the province with the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

A statement issued by UNMIK said Mr. Zef Morina, an engineer and member of Kosovo's Christian Democratic Party, will manage the department with Mr. Pascal Copin, head of Postal Services and Telecommunications in UNMIK.

The Council also discussed preparations for the establishment of the first four departments -- Health and Social Security, Education and Science, Local Administration, Budget and Finance -- which will become operational on Tuesday, the statement said.

"The co-heads are working well together on creating the regulations that will be needed in order to govern the work of these new departments, " said Jock Covey, Principal Deputy of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. "We were able to discuss these regulations briefly and will continue to work on them over the weekend."

Kosovo's wheat harvest expected to be lower than pre-1990 levels: FAO.
JANUARY 28 -- Kosovo's winter wheat harvest will be lower than the pre-1990 levels and similar to 1997/98 at 2.75 tonnes per hectare, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today in a report issued in Rome.

Wheat is the basic cereal staple of the province and planning relief assistance in 2000 will depend greatly on the outcome of the wheat harvest from July, the UN agency said.

An FAO crop assessment mission in Kosovo estimated that the area planted to winter wheat in 1999 is about 79,000 hectares, the bulk of which will be harvested in 2000.

But there is potential for increased yields if good applications of nitrogenous fertilizers can be assured in the spring, the mission noted.

The mission also found that farmers intended to plant about 100,000 hectares of maize -- Kosovo's primary feed cereal -- this summer. FAO said plans were in hand to supply seeds and fertilizers to a targeted group of the most vulnerable farmers.

Given the abundance of weeds in last year's harvested and unharvested cereal crops, reduced cultivation practices where tractors were in short supply, and the lack of herbicide use in the autumn, weeds are expected to be a major problem this summer, the FAO report said.

Excessive weed competition would reduce yields even lower than those currently estimated by the mission and international support for spring weed control on winter wheat and summer sown maize should be a priority for the coming months, the report concludes.

Expanded Kosovo Transitional Council to be inaugurated on 9 February. JANUARY 26 -- The new expanded Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC) will be inaugurated on 9 February, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) announced today. The KTC is the highest level political consultative group to the UN mission.

Meanwhile, the proposed list of new candidates is being discussed by the KTC which met today to discuss the expansion of its membership to include more minority representatives, political parties and members of the Kosovo civil society.

The KTC will resemble an "interim parliament" until elections are held, the head of UNMIK, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, told members.

He said the KTC will also serve as the popular "consciousness" of Kosovo, with the ability to take initiatives to be enacted by the Joint Interim Administrative Structure and to propose alternative solutions to decisions by the Interim Administrative Council with which it may disagree.

The Joint Interim Administrative Structure and the Interim Administrative Council were launched on 15 December to allow Kosovars to share in the provisional administration of Kosovo with UNMIK.

Kosovo's first tax inspectors sworn in.
JANUARY 26 -- The first 34 tax inspectors in post-conflict Kosovo were sworn in today after graduating from a rigorous one-week training programme.

The inspectors were selected from over 700 applicants from around Kosovo since recruitment began in November 1999, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said in a press statement issued today in Pristina.

The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Economic Development, Reconstruction and Recovery Project in Kosovo, Mr. Joly Dixon, told the new tax inspectors that their task would be extremely difficult as they will have to work hard to change peoples' views and thinking.

The first task for the new tax inspectors will be to educate owners of large establishments on their tax obligations. The tax on hotels and restaurants with gross revenues of over 15,000 deutsche marks (about $8,000) per month goes into effect on 1 February.

Meanwhile, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, the head of UNMIK, has signed two regulations on excise and sales tax collection which will authorize tax inspectors to collect taxes for imported goods at depots inside Kosovo. The sales tax will be equal to 15 per cent of the taxable value of all goods.

Kouchner to visit Japan.
JANUARY 26 -- Dr. Bernard Kouchner, the head of UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), leaves tomorrow for Japan to discuss additional funding for the budget.

UNMIK spokeswoman Susan Manuel said in a statement today that Dr. Kouchner will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Foreign Minister Yohei Kono and other political leaders.

En route to Japan, Dr. Kouchner will stop in Brussels where he will meet with the President of the European Commission, Mr. Roman Prodhi, and the European Union Commissioner for External Affairs, Mr. Christopher Patten, to discuss the Kosovo budget and fundraising.

In Japan, he will also visit the United Nations University and give a lecture at the Japanese Institute of Foreign Affairs.

Serbs could join Interim Administrative Council within 12 days: Kouchner.
JANUARY 25 -- Serb community representatives plan to join the Interim Administrative Council (IAC) in 10 to 12 days, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, the head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), told journalists today in Pristina.

Responding to questions from the media, following today's meeting of the IAC, Dr. Kouchner said that the representatives of the Serb National Council told him that they planned to join the Council in 10 to 12 days. They had indicated a wish to vote on the subject of joining the IAC in a meeting in Gracanica yesterday, he said. However, representatives of the Serb community in Mitrovica had been unable to attend due to heavy snowfall.

Today's IAC meeting discussed the subject of Serb participation on the Council. One of the four Kosovar seats in the IAC is reserved for a Serb, who has yet to be named.

"If the Serbs will participate, this will be a huge success," Dr. Kouchner said. "All those who have not been working together, should be together in the IAC and in the administrative departments. My wish is a united body representing all the communities of Kosovo going into elections."

Dr. Kouchner re-iterated UNMIK's invitation to the Serbs to co-head two administrative departments of the Joint Interim Administrative Structure and participate in other aspects of the provisional administration.

UNMIK plans to improve security and to locate essential services closer to minority communities. But this does not mean UNMIK is endorsing any form of local self-government or "cantonization", Dr. Kouchner stressed.

Co-heads for three more administrative departments in Kosovo named.
JANUARY 25 -- The Interim Administrative Council (IAC) today named co-heads for three more administrative departments in Kosovo, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) announced today.

The three co-heads are Dr. Pleura Sejdiu, a medical doctor and member of the PPDK (Democratic Party of Kosovo) for the Department of Health and Social Security; Mr. Hydajet Hyseni of the LBD (United Democratic League) for the Department of Non-resident's affairs; and Mr.Gjergi Rapi, a sociologist from the LBD, for the Department of Utilities.

The co-heads will share the responsibility of running the departments with counterparts appointed by UNMIK under the new Joint Interim Administrative Structure which allows Kosovars to share responsibility with the UN mission in governing the territory until elections are held.

The IAC also decided today that all co-heads for the 19 administrative departments so far agreed upon should be named by the end of this month, when at least four departments will be fully operational. These are Education & Science, Health & Social Security, Local Administration and Budget & Finance.

At its regular meeting, the IAC also finalized the list of the expanded Kosovo Transitional Council -- an advisory body to UNMIK -- which will be made public once all the candidates have been notified. The expanded KTC should should also be in place by end of the month," Head of UNMIK Dr. Bernard Kouchner said.

Kouchner meets Kosovo local leaders to discuss security and reconstruction.
JANUARY 24 -- The head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr. Bernard Kouchner, has met with local Serbian and Albanian leaders and reassured them that steps were being taken to normalize life in Kosovo and make the territory a better place for all its inhabitants.

"Kosovo is for all the communities living here. They must all enjoy a future of freedom and a good life," Dr. Kouchner told he told Serb leaders in Orahovac/Rahovec, which he visited on Saturday, accompanied by the Commander of the international peacekeeping force (KFOR) General Klaus Reinhardt, Bishop Artemije and Momcilo Trajkovoic.

He also visited Velica Hoca where Serb leaders briefed him about their security concerns and the need for improving basic services, including utilities, water, health care and education.

Dr. Kouchner discussed with Albanian leaders ways of revitalizing the economy, improving utilities and reconstructing houses, 20 per cent of which were destroyed in the war.

"UNMIK and KFOR will work with you to make this region a better place for all those who live here," he told the leaders, adding that UNMIK has decided to look closer at the population's freedom of movement, transportation, job creation and industry building.

Orahovac/Rahovec has a population of 65,000, made up of 97 per cent Albanians and 3 per cent Serbs and Roma.

Over 130 judges and prosecutors sworn in by UN mission in Kosovo.
JANUARY 24 -- One hundred thirty-seven judges, prosecutors and lay judges were sworn in today by the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), in response to the urgent need of providing judicial services.

The officials will serve in the Pristina region and include representatives of the Supreme Court of Kosovo, the High Court of Minor Offences and other lower courts. They have been appointed for one year, effective from 1 January 2000.

"The opening and strengthening of the Judiciary brings about a new democratic era, where all Kosovo citizens stand to realize and enjoy their maximum rights to life, liberty, property and freedom," Pristina Regional Administrator Enrique Aguilar told the jurists, at a ceremony at UNMIK headquarters.

He said he was confident the appointments would help to uproot crime and foster multi-ethnic coexistence and a culture of tolerance.

The judiciary officials agreed to carry out their functions in an independent and impartial manner, while upholding the law and acting in accordance with the highest standards of professionalism.

Head of Human Rights and Rule of Law Division of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Rolf Welberts, said the swearing in of the judges and public prosecutors marked a step towards the reinstatement of the rule of law in Kosovo.

Kosovo budget for 2000 set at $299 million.
JANUARY 21 -- A budget of 562 million deutsche marks (about $299 million) in expenditures and revenues has been set for the calendar year 2000, the Chief of Kosovo's Central Fiscal Authority, Mr. Alan Pearson, announced today in Pristina.

The Kosovo Consolidated Budget for 2000 will cover the costs of general administration, municipalities and subsidies the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is making to public enterprises. Investment requirements and the costs of reconstruction are not included.

The budget will be financed by domestic revenues of some 362 million deutsche marks (about $193 million) and a contribution from donors of 200 million deutsche marks (about $106 million).

Some 20 per cent of the budget is earmarked for one of UNMIK's "highest priorities" -- assistance to the most needy, Mr. Pearson said. The distribution of assistance will begin in February.

The budget also envisages a shift away from paying stipends to public workers to wages. Under the budget, compensation to public sector employees will increase by nearly 50 per cent, to approximately 270 deutsche mark per month (about $144).

Mr. Pearson said the domestic revenue base would be strengthened to support the budget. The Hotel, Food and Beverage Tax will come into effect on 1 February and the tax base will be further strengthened later this year with the introduction of wage taxes and withholding taxes on business.

On the donor front, Mr. Pearson, said UNMIK currently has pledges of 135 million deutsche mark ($ 72 million) towards the 200 million deutsche mark target. He said UNMIK was talking to donor countries, including the European Union which has pledged some 70 million deutsche ($ 37 million) mark to date, and was confident or reaching the target.

"The sustainability component of the budget is critical; the objective is to develop a budget that has a capacity to remain in place when the donor community withdraws its funding," he said.

Kosovo Protection Corps leaders sworn in.
JANUARY 21 -- Top leaders of the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) were sworn in during a ceremony today at UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Headquarters.

The 44 former freedom fighters took a pledge of honour committing them to serve Kosovo as a civilian emergency response agency. The KPC was established on 20 September as part of the transformation of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

"There is a time for everything. A time for arms and a time for tools. This is the time to build. You are now a civilian corps, proud and ready for all challenges," Head of UNMIK, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, told the new leaders.

The Commander of the international peacekeeping force, KFOR, General Klaus Reinhardt, and the European High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Mr Javier Solana, also attended the KPC inaugural ceremony.

The KPC will consist of 3,000 active members and up to 2,000 reservists. The remainder of KPC members will be selected in the coming weeks and the agency is expected to be fully operational by September 200.

The KPC has a budget for 2000 of 34 million deutsche marks (about $18 million), funded by UN Member States.

The KPC has no role in law enforcement, riot control, counter-terrorism or any other task related to the maintenance of law and order. Its immediate mission is to assist in the reconstruction and rebuilding of the civil infrastructure including de-mining, road repairs and house repairs.

UN refugee agency Chief of Mission in Kosovo dies.
JANUARY 21 -- The UN High Commission for Refugees Chief of Mission in Kosovo, Mr. David Riley died on Wednesday in his apartment in Pristina, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said today.

Mr. Riley, 50, was responsible for "much of the successes that Kosovars enjoy today", the Head of UNMIK, Dr. Bernard Kouchner said today in a tribute. He started as a UN volunteer and worked in every field and "his contributions were monumental."

UNHCR spokesman Mr. Peter Kessler said Mr. Riley was the man singly most responsible for the massive relief effort mounted in Kosovo in recent months, helping UNHCR and its partners assemble a rational, fast-response programme to help Kosovars through their first post-war winter.

Mr. Riley had worked in Bosnia in a similar capacity to his responsibilities in Kosovo. He oversaw relief programmes worldwide worth hundreds of millions of dollars, Mr. Kessler said, and played a lead role in organizing the return of nearly one million Mozambican refugees from their country of asylum, Malawi.

A former Peace Corps volunteer who served in Haiti and Togo, Mr. Riley joined the UN as a volunteer in Mogadishu in 1981 before joining UNHCR a year later.

He is survived by his wife and daughter.

Outstanding issues on Kosovo Protection Corps "ironed out": UN mission.
JANUARY 19 -- Outstanding issues on the establishment of the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) have been "ironed out", the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) said today.

UNMIK spokeswoman Nadia Younes also told journalists in Pristina that the formal ceremony establishing KPC, scheduled for today, has been postponed to Friday.

She said that during "technical discussions" held until late last evening among the Head of UNMIK Dr. Bernard Kouchner, KFOR Commander Klaus Reinhardt, and KPC Commander Agim Ceku, "all outstanding issues were ironed out".

The KPC senior corps will have no military ranks and will wear non-military insignias. Commander Ceku will have three deputies "who will divide the responsibilities among themselves". One deputy, who will be appointed on Friday, will be a non-Albanian, Ms. Younes said.

On Friday, approximately 43 senior corps leaders of the former Kosovo Liberation Army, which has been transformed into KPC, will be sworn in. The selection of the remainder of the corps, numbering about 3,000 active members and up to 2,000 reservists, will be completed by the end of January.

Interim Administrative Council allocates nine additional departments.
JANUARY 18 -- The Interim Administrative Council for Kosovo (IAC) today allocated an additional nine administrative departments to political parties and Independents, bringing the total number of departments allocated so far to 15 out of the 19 originally proposed.

The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said in a statement issued in Pristina that two departments were allocated to each of three political parties and three departments were reserved for Independents. The nominees will co-head the departments with representatives appointed by UNMIK.

The LDK (Kosovo Democratic League) will co-head General Public Services and Post & Telecommunications. The PPDK (Democratic Progress Party of Kosovo) will co-head Health and Social Security and Civil Security & Emergency Preparedness. The LBD (United Democratic League) will co-head Utilities and Non-Resident Affairs.

Democratization and Civil Society, Culture, and Youth and Sports were allocated to Independents, while the four remaining departments of Labour and Employment, Transport and Infrastructure, Agriculture, and Environment will be allocated to minorities.

In addition, the IAC appointed Prof. Musa Limani (PPDK) and Mr. Ian Fletcher (deputy to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the EU) to co-head the Department of Trade and Industry. This brings to six the number of departments to which co-heads have been named.

Kouchner tells Interim Administrative Council that level of violence in Kosovo is "unacceptable".
JANUARY 18 -- Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Kosovo, Dr. Bernard Kouchner today told the Interim Administrative Council that the level of violence in the province continues to be "unacceptable".

Briefing the Council in Pristina on the security situation, Dr. Kouchner said despite the cold weather which normally decreased the incidents of crime, the past ten days had seen several violent incidents, especially targeting minority groups.

He noted cases of brutal murders, arson and bombings against various minority communities and called for more help from the local population and the local leadership to uncover information about these crimes.

"When the victims of crime are minorities, the police continue to receive little or no co-operation from the local population in identifying suspects and providing other information" he told the Council.

UNMIK calls for a common approach to housing reconstruction in Kosovo.
JANUARY 18 -- The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has strongly urged donors and agencies involved in the reconstruction of houses in Kosovo to adopt a common approach, so as to make the best use of limited resources.

In a statement issued today, UNMIK said that good co-ordination is critical to the success of the 2000 rehabilitation programme.

UNMIK said that it held a meeting last Thursday in Pristina with donors and agencies and recommended that agreements be reached on the selection criteria for beneficiaries, common standards of rehabilitation, mechanism(s) for implementation of donor-assisted rehabilitation programmes and overall co-ordination.

In identifying needy households, an assessment of the urgency of the situation of each household should be made, among other factors. Accountable local structures should also participate in the selection of beneficiaries, UNMIK said.

While the level of assistance to households will differ from case to case, common standards of rehabilitation should be adopted. UNMIK recommended, as a possible standard, sufficient materials and labour for the primary rehabilitation of a floor space equivalent to 75 square metres.

UNMIK said that while it does not propose any single implementation mechanism, emphasis must be on flexibility and maximum control by the beneficiaries.

Kouchner signs regulation setting up the Kosovo Joint Interim Administrative Structure.
JANUARY 17-- The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Dr Bernard Kouchner has signed a regulation on the Kosovo Joint Interim Administrative Structure (JIAS).

JIAS will assist in administering Kosovo until the establishment of genuine Kosovo institutions, according to the regulation signed on Saturday.

Representatives of political forces of Kosovo will share provisional administrative management with the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK). The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) retains legislative and executive authority.

All Kosovo structures of an executive, legislative or judicial nature will be transformed and progressively integrated into the JIAS and will cease to exist by 31 January 2000 when the JIAS will be operational.

The consultative role of the Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC) will be maintained, but its membership will be enlarged to better reflect the pluralistic composition of Kosovo. The Kosovo members of the Interim Administrative Council (IAC) are also members of the KTC.

The IAC will make recommendations to the SRSG for amendments to the applicable law and for new regulations. It will also propose policy guidelines for Administrative Departments in applying the applicable law.

Kosovo hit by power shortage, as Serbia cuts off supply.
JANUARY 17 -- Kosovo's electricity supply dropped to 205 megawatts -- just over a third of minimum requirements -- following a power cut last night by Serbia which lasted for only two hours but affected local production of electricity.

The Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said in a statement issued today that as a result of the power outage, power rationing has been changed to two hours on and six hours off.

The cut-off by Serbia, which supplies Kosovo with 60 megawatts, reduced local production of electricity to100 megawatts.

"We don't know why the power was cut from Serbia," said UNMIK spokeswoman Nadia Younes.

In addition to the supply from Serbia, Kosovo is importing 30 megawatts from Macedonia and 30 megawatts from Albania.

Last Monday electricity production in Kosovo fell to 110 megawatts, following a fire that stopped production at Kosovo B, the main power plant. A team of experts from Croatia has arrived in Pristina to assess the damage.

KFOR expresses shock over the murder of a Kosovo female child by one of its members.
JANUARY 17 -- The Commander of the international peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR), General Klaus Reinhardt has said he was "deeply shocked" that one of its members may have been involved in the murder of a young Kosovo girl whose body was found last Thursday in the town of Vitina.

An American soldier serving with KFOR, Staff Sergeant Frank Ronghi, was yesterday formally charged with "murder and indecent acts with a child", in connection with the murder. He is currently being held in the detention facility in Camp Bondsteel but will soon be transferred to the Mannheim Confinement facility in Germany.

In a statement issued yesterday, Gen. Reinhardt offered his "sincerest condolences" to her family and to all the people of Kosovo. "I say this because the very reason KFOR came here was to stop violence," he said. "To discover that one of our own members may have been involved in the ultimate act of violence -- murder -- fills me with horror and anger."

Kosovo anticipates warmer weekend with planned start-up of power plants.
JANUARY 14 -- Kosovo is anticipating a warmer weekend with the planned start-up of Kosovo A power plant's Unit 3 which should start producing up to 110 megawatts of electricity sometime tonight, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said today.
Unit 1 of Kosovo B is also expected to go on line tomorrow, producing another 230 megawatts of power.

"This should give us a total of some 450 megawatts of power, produced locally over the weekend, in addition to imported electricity, which runs to a little over 100 megawatts," UNMIK spokeswoman Nadia Younes told journalists in Pristina.

Kosovo was plunged into a power crisis on Monday when a fire shut down the main power plant, reducing the power available to 160 megawatts, less than a third of the minimum requirements.

Experts from Zagreb, Croatia were scheduled to arrive today to assess the damage caused by the fire at Kosovo B power plant's Unit 2. Preliminary estimates are that between three and five weeks will be needed to repair the plant.

Technical experts are also expected to arrive from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to work on the modalities of using its grid to transmit power made available by Greece to Kosovo.

Meanwhile, Norwegian deminers are clearing the ground between Orahovac and the Macedonian border so that repairs can continue on that vital line. Another team from Zimbabwe, Mintech, is demining areas around power lines and pylons using mine-sniffing dogs. They are expected to complete the task in the next two weeks, according UNHCR spokesman Peter Kessler.

Nearly 300 judges to be sworn in next week in Kosovo.
JANUARY 14 -- The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) will next week swear in 297 judges and prosecutors, as well as 238 lay assessors.

A statement issued by UNMIK today said the first to be sworn in will be 44 judges and prosecutors in Gnjilane on 18 January. Others will follow in Prizren (48), Peja (58), Mitrovica (45) and Pristina (102).

The new judiciary in Pristina will include 10 Supreme Court justices and four officers of the High Court for minor offences.

A second round of recruitment for 100 more judges and prosecutors begins in March, UNMIK said. This will bring the total of appointed judges to 400.

The judiciary officials were appointed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, on 29 December after further screening by legal experts of those shortlisted by the Technical Advisory Commission on the Judiciary which is composed of Kosovar and international legal experts.

Kosovo Protection Corps to be formally established on 19 January.
JANUARY 14 -- The Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC), created as a transformation of the former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), will be formally established on 19 January when 43 senior Corps leaders will be sworn in, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said today in a statement.

The leaders will make a pledge of honour to commit themselves to the betterment of their community. Other members of KPC will be appointed by the end of January.

KPC, with 3,000 active members and up to 2,000 reservists, is expected to be fully operational by September 2000.

KPC was created by UNMIK and the international peacekeeping force, KFOR, to provide the former combatants with opportunities to contribute to the well-being of Kosovo as well as for meaningful civilian employment.

The International Organization for Migration, which coordinated the process of KPC testing and recruitment, screened more than 18,500 KLA fighters and continues to work on creating and identifying private employment for former combatants.

KPC commander, Agim Ceku, along with UNMIK Head, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, and KFOR Commander, General Klaus Reinhardt, will speak at the inauguration ceremony.

Over one thousand refugees return to Kosovo in the last four days.
JANUARY 14 -- In the last four days 1,008 refugees have returned to Kosovo via flights into Skopje airport, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said today.

The agency said it has organized the repatriation of refugees to Kosovo from Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands, which started on Monday with 144 persons from Switzerland.

"Over 125,000 refugees have taken part in organized repatriation since last year, some over land, but the vast majority by air, via Skopje and Pristina airports, " UNHCR spokesman Peter Kessler said in a press briefing in Pristina.

He said flights will resume on 18 January to Kosovo's Slatina Airport -- reopened to civilian aircraft on Tuesday -- with a German Government-chartered DC-9 flying in with an expected 102 returnees.

UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration expect some 5,200 returnees this month -- all refugees or asylum-seekers. Of the total, some 2,550 returnees are coming in from Switzerland and some 1,280 from Germany. Returnees from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, France, Finland, New Zealand, Austria, Spain are also expected this month.

Mr. Kessler also said this week a group of 45 refugee Kosovo are visiting from Sweden to look at the situation in Kosovo and then go back to Sweden to report to Kosovars there.

UN envoy, Kosovo Transitional Council, condemn murder of Bosniak family.
JANUARY 12 -- Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner and the Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC) today condemned the brutal murder of four members of a Bosniak family in Prizren on Monday.

In a statement issued in Pristina, Dr. Kouchner described the attack as "an irreparable crime against a family, against the national community of the Bosniaks and against Kosovo itself".

He said if Kosovo is a land which tolerates violence "then we will fail in the eyes of the world", adding that everyone in Kosovo must unite to end this intolerance.

"Everyone must choose a less brutal path to resolve their differences. This is the only way that Kosovo can succeed," he said.

Expressing shock and outrage, members of the KTC strongly condemned the ruthless attack on the defenceless family in a statement issued after their meeting today in Pristina.

"The KTC uses this tragic occasion to renew its commitment to work to an end to violence in Kosovo and towards tolerance and the protection of minorities," the statement said.

The KTC called upon the people of Kosovo to act with tolerance and to assist the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) police and the international peacekeeping force, KFOR, in their investigation of the crime.

The Bosniak family was murdered when killers entered the family's home and shot everyone, including the husband and wife, their 20-year-old daughter and a 70-year-old grandmother. UNMIK Police are investigating.

Pristina airport reopens for civilian traffic.
JANUARY 12 -- Kosovo's Pristina Slatina airport reopened yesterday for civilian aircraft, nearly two months after it was closed following the crash of a UN chartered plane on 12 November killing all on board.

The first plane to land yesterday was an Albanian Airline plane which returned to Tirana with some 20 passengers.

The airport, operated by the international peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR), was closed on 20 November as a precautionary measure. The French team investigating the crash recommended that a review of the procedures and terminology in use at the military airfield and how they differed from the civilian equivalent. A team from the International Civil Aviation Organization carried out a full survey of the airfield.

"The airfield is open initially as a strictly daytime visual flight rules operations," KFOR spokesman Lieutenant-Commander Philip Anido said in a press briefing in Pristina today. He added that all users will operate within the rules laid down by KFOR military authorities.

Lieutenant-Commander Anido said the re-opening of the airport will allow the flow of humanitarian aid to resume directly into the territory thereby relieving the pressure on the main road from Skopje and the Kosovo-Macedonia border crossing point at Blace.

Kosovo Transitional Council discusses expansion of its membership.
JANUARY 12 - The Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC) today discussed its own expansion to include additional minority members, representatives of smaller Kosovo Albanian political parties, as well as members of civil society including women.

Head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Bernard Kouchner informed the KTC members that he would submit for their approval at their next meeting a list of potential candidates for the enlarged Council. KTC is the highest level advisory body to UNMIK.

Noting the important role that the KTC will be called upon to play, Dr Kouchner described the enlarged Council as akin to an interim parliament without legislative powers, which will function until free, fair and internationally supervised elections are held.

The 15 December Agreement, signed by three political parties, which established the Joint Interim Administration Council (IAC), foresees the KTC's enlargement in order to "better reflect the pluralistic composition of Kosovo". IAC was established to share the administration of Kosovo with UNMIK.

The Agreement also foresees the KTC proposing alternative solutions to the Head of UNMIK if a majority of its members disagrees with a decision of the IAC.

UN mission in Kosovo takes emergency measures as fire shuts down main power plant.
JANUARY 11 -- The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) today began taking emergency measures to deal with a power shortage following a fire last night that shut down Kosovo's main power plant.

UNMIK said in a statement issued today it was setting up emergency shelters and moving generators to key institutions, as the electricity available dropped to 160 megawatts, less than a third of the minimum needed to meet normal requirements.

Dr. Bernard Kouchner, Head of UNMIK, urged Kosovo residents to continue to conserve energy. In the face of continuing power-supply problems, UNMIK began operating an emergency energy situation centre on Saturday to act as an information-clearing house. The power company, KEK, had already drawn up plans for power rationing for when the electricity supply fell below 170 megawatts.

The energy crisis comes days after UNMIK began importing 100 megawatts of electricity from neighbouring countries to supplement power generated by Kosovo's two ailing power plants, Kosovo A and B, both of which have experienced frequent breakdowns following years of mismanagement and neglect. Before the fire, Kosovo B was producing 250 megawatts with only one unit working. Kosovo A has been shut down for repairs, although one of its units had been expected to restart later yesterday.

Kosovo council allocates administrative departments to political parties.
JANUARY 11 -- The Kosovo Interim Administration Council today allocated seven out of 19 proposed administrative departments to political parties which will co-head them with officials of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), as part of a joint interim administration.

A statement issued by UNMIK in Pristina said the Kosovo Democratic League (LDK), represented on the Council by its president, Ibrahim Rugova, will co-head the two departments of Budget & Finance and Justice. The Democratic Progress Party of Kosovo (PPDK) led by Council member Hashim Thaci, will co-head Local Government and Trade & Industry. The United Democratic League (LBD), represented on the Council by Rexhep Qosja, will co-head Education & Science and Reconstruction. Democratization & Civil Society will go to an independent, while three of the remaining 12 departments will be co-headed by national communities.

The personnel who will head the allocated departments will be named by next week, UNMIK said. The departments will be operational by the end of this month.

The departments form part of the Joint Interim Administrative Structure, established on 15 December to enable Kosovars to share the administration of the territory with UNMIK until elections are held.

Head of UNMIK, Dr. Bernard Kouchner said after the Council meeting that this was the first time in the history of the UN system "we are sharing the administration and working directly with the local people."

UNESCO donates 11 tonnes of toys and educational materials for Kosovo children.
JANUARY 11 -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has donated 11 tonnes of toys, sport equipment and educational materials to children in Kosovo, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said today.

Head of UNMIK, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, along with a group of children from the Centre for Traumatized Children of the Municipality of Glogovacin the Pristina region, received the gifts.

"These children of Glogovac represent all the children who were victims of different kinds of trauma during the war in Kosovo," said Marie-Josee Lallart, coordinator of UNESCO's Sport Development Programme.

Dr. Kouchner said the children represent the future and "they give us the joy to rebuild Kosovo." He said the children would share the material with all children from all communities in Kosovo.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the international peacekeeping force, KFOR, will assist in the distribution of the materials to 4,000 children throughout Kosovo.

The materials were purchased by donations made by the people of Paris and collected by Monoprix supermarkets. Three hundred Monoprix supermarkets participated in the collection of money from 42,500 individuals, who earmarked their donations for the children of Kosovo.

Kosovo importing more electricity to meet power shortfall.
JANUARY 10 -- Kosovo yesterday began importing about 100 megawatts of electricity from Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece and Serbia to help meet continuing shortages. Greece alone is supplying 60 megawatts a day.

Kosovo's ability to import more power is expected to improve at the end of January when repairs to a major 400-kilovoltage transmission line is completed, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said in a statement today.

Discussing the power crisis last Friday, the Interim Administrative Council noted that the current situation was a consequence of decades of mismanagement and neglect of the power plants, further complicated by the fact that several kilometres of high voltage cables are in heavily mined areas.

UNMIK is spending some 149 million deutsche marks (about $79 million) from donors to rehabilitate and maintain Kosovo's power system. But despite extensive repairs, frequent breakdowns of the two main power plants have continued. As of early today, only one unit of Kosovo B power plant was functioning, producing 250 megawatts, about a third of daily needs, while the other was undergoing repairs. The Kosovo A power plant also shut down yesterday for repairs, although one unit was expected to restart later today.

On Saturday, UNMIK begun operating an emergency energy situation centre to act as an information-clearing house. The power company, KEK, has drawn up plans for power rationing when the electricity produced falls below 170 megawatts. Hospitals will not be affected by the rationing.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has identified 20,000 places in temporary shelters across Kosovo for people unable to stay on their property due to the cold or damage to their homes and unable to find alternative accommodation with family members. Some 6,000 persons have taken advantage of these facilities.

UN agency operates inter-community bus shuttle in divided Kosovo city.
JANUARY 10 -- The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) staff in the divided Kosovo city of Mitrovica operated an inter-community bus service over the holiday weekend, giving more than 500 Albanians and Serbs a chance to attend religious services and to visit Muslim and Christian graveyards on opposite sides of the River Ibar.

UNHCR spokesman Peter Kessler said today that the special Serbian Orthodox Christmas and Muslim Bajram bus shuttle, with Danish drivers and the international peacekeeping force KFOR escorts, took place without a hitch. UNHCR had received commitments from leaders of both communities that the bus service would operate in safety over the three-day holiday.

Elsewhere in Kosovo, the holiday was observed without serious incidents. However, police reported that on Sunday a Serb man was shot dead in Gnjilane in front of his house by unidentified suspects speaking Albanian. Several suspects were detained. Also yesterday, a grenade was thrown in Pristina, in the Dardania area, which caused minor damage to a vehicle, a kiosk, and a house. Another grenade was thrown into a house owned by Serbs in Kosovo Polje and damaged the house but no injuries were reported.

Kosovo joint council discusses creation of administrative departments.
JANUARY 5 -- Members of the Interim Administration Council (IAC) in Kosovo discussed yesterday the allocation of 19 departments to be co-administered by the UN mission and Kosovar leaders, the UN in Pristina said Tuesday.

"We have a huge number of departments to be created," the head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr. Bernard Kouchner, told the press after the meeting. "This will be done step by step by 31 January."

The number of departments increased from 18 to 19 when the department for Sport and Culture was broken into two separate departments. IAC members agreed that the Secretariat would now begin drafting regulations to define the competencies of the 19 departments, in cooperation with UNMIK's legal office, the statement said.

Dr. Kouchner, who chaired the fourth meeting of the IAC, said the first appointments of department co-heads from Kosovo and UNMIK would begin next week.

He also reiterated his call to members of the Serb community to take up their seat in the IAC along with the three major Kosovo Albanian parties and to ensure their participation in the various departments.

Dr. Kouchner will further this, along with the protection of Serbs in Kosovo, when he meets with Bishop Artemije, a Serb Orthodox religious leader, in Gracanica this evening.

During the meeting, the IAC also discussed the expansion of the Kosovo Transitional CouncilKTC) to include new political forces, members of civil society and additional minority representatives.

UN envoy and Kosovo leaders visit power plants.
JANUARY 4 -- Head of the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr. Bernard Kouchner and members of the Interim Administrative Council (IAC) today visited the Kosovo power plants to see progress
Kouchner visits power plant being made to restore electricity in the territory.

Dr. Kouchner, together with Hashim Thaci, Ibrahim Rugova and Rexhep Qosja, toured Kosovo A and B power plants whose production of electricity has risen from 120 to 500 megawatts this week.

"We have come together, the members of the IAC, to show you that we will work together," Dr. Kouchner told journalists and power plant workers during the visit.

Mr. Fatos Aliu, director of the Kosovo Electric Company (KEK), told the IAC members that his workers have been trying to get the plants up and running during the emergency first phase of the restoration.

"This is a very slow process," commented Dr. Kouchner. "Kosovo A has not been maintained by anybody for 10 to 15 years. Only one unit of Kosovo B is working. We have to restart the other one and working together we will do it."

UN Kosovo head calls for the healing of wounds of war.
JANUARY 4 -- The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Kosovo, Dr. Bernard Kouchner has urged Kosovars to begin the new millennium with the process of healing the wounds of war which "are still so fresh."
Kouchner on Mitrovica bridge

"This is a time to look to the future. I am not saying that we should forget about the suffering of the past. We must not forget but we need to start to forgive," he told a large crowd in Pristina gathered to celebrate News Year eve.

Earlier, Dr. Kouchner had visited the divided city of Mitrovica where at a ceremony on the bridge between the two parts of the city he urged the Albanian and Serb communities to work together to achieve peaceful co-existence in Kosovo. At the ceremony, he was accompanied by Albanian and Serb leaders, Bajram Rexhepi and Oliver Ivanovic, who both declared their desire for a united Mitrovica.

According to a statement issued yesterday by the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr Kouchner told the crowd in Pristina that the mission was in Kosovo to help "as needed and not to impose anything that the population is not really ready for. It is for this reason that we no longer talk about reconciliation but rather about the first step of co-existence."

He urged the international community to continue their generous funding so that progress could continue, leading to free and democratic elections.

Dr. Kouchner said over the last six months, UNMIK's priorities have been to restore social order and security, re-establish normal life and to foster a climate for a democratic Kosovo.

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