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.
In a meeting today with the Kosovo Transitional Council, the head
of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Hans
Haekkerup, called on the Council members and local leaders to
take steps to decrease the violence.
According to the UN Mission, six soldiers were
injured this afternoon when a hand grenade was thrown at their
hotel in southern Mitrovica by a crowd of Kosovo Albanians. In
another incident, a grenade was thrown near the UN Mission's headquarters
in southern Mitrovica, wounding three KFOR troops and two gendarmes.
In a third grenade attack, nine French soldiers were wounded,
bringing the total of injured soldiers and policemen to 20.
Briefing the press today in Pristina, UNMIK
spokesperson Susan Manuel said the UN "cannot begin to implement
any concrete measures in the face of a mob attacking peacekeeping
soldiers, international police and civilians."
The UN Mission extended its condolences to the
family of a 14-year-old boy who was killed yesterday in an exchange
of grenades between young Albanians and Serbians. "Regarding
the tragic and contemptible death of the Kosovo Albanian boy in
the grenade attack on Bosanska Mala, which may have triggered
the riots, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and
our shock that a 14-year-old should be the victim of some disgusting
political provocation," Ms. Manuel said.
In another demonstration, French riot troops
from KFOR used stun grenades and tear gas yesterday evening to
disperse a 1,000-strong crowd of Kosovo Albanians that had congregated
to the north and south of the bridge on the Ibar River. Seven
Kosovo Albanians are being treated for injuries from stun grenades.
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.
In a statement to the press made by the Council President, Ambassador
Kishore Mahbubani of Singapore, Council members called again "for
the immediate and complete cessation of violence, for the dissolution
of ethnic Albanian extremist groups and for the immediate withdrawal
from the area" of all non-residents engaged in extremist
activities.
The statement followed closed consultations
by the Council on a letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs
of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Goran Svilanovic, about
the continuing tension in and around the Ground Safety Zone. Council
members were also briefed by UN Assistant Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping, Hédi Annabi.
Meanwhile, the top United Nations official in
Kosovo has condemned the violence that took place yesterday in
Mitrovica, which claimed the life of one Kosovo Albanian, left
a Kosovo Serb gravely injured and targeted the staff of international
organizations.
"The people of Mitrovica must themselves
stop the cycle of violence," said Hans Haekkerup, head of
the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), adding
that every effort would be made to provide security and opportunities
for all Mitrovica communities.
"But the people and their leaders must
join in that effort if we are ever to achieve a united and peaceful
Mitrovica," he said.
According to a UN spokesman, the fighting started
yesterday afternoon in Mitrovica's "Little Bosnia" neighborhood,
when a clash between Serbs and Albanians escalated into a grenade
attack in which one Kosovo Albanian was killed and five others
injured. Following that incident, both communities set up roadblocks
in parts of the city.
Kosovo's Interim Administrative Council also
condemned the violence, calling on the people of Mitrovica to
stop all acts of provocation and revenge.
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.
"We need a legal framework for the elections" that will
create a Kosovo assembly and a provisional self-government, said
Mr. Hans Haekkerup, who took over as chief of UNMIK on 15 January,
adding that he had given highest priority to speeding up work
for the framework.
"I will talk with the politicians in Kosovo
about how we will proceed on this," he said, stressing the
importance of involving the major communities and parties, including
the Kosovo Albanian and Kosovo Serb parties. Mr. Haekkerup also
said that the date of the elections was "in the hands of
the international community and first and foremost in the hands
of the Kosovars themselves, their representatives, their politicians."
The second priority -- the security situation
-- should be addressed through political means as well as through
more effective law enforcement, he said. If needed, the capabilities
for law-enforcement should be expanded.
Mr. Haekkerup reiterated his commitment to the
return of the Kosovo Serbs currently in Serbia once "the
security situation is right." He also expressed the hope
that the Kosovo Serbs would participate in the elections and in
the process leading up to them.
Other major goals included making the local
economy self-sustaining, and creating direct contacts with Belgrade
by opening an UNMIK office in the Yugoslav capital.
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.
Lending his backing to the proposed amnesty law currently before
the Yugoslav parliament, Hans Haekkerup, the head of the UN Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), urged the Belgrade authorities
to release all those who would be covered by its provisions.
"Those prisoners who would not fall within
the scope of the amnesty law should be returned to Kosovo,"
he said, noting that their cases should be processed through a
judicial review conducted under UN supervision. The UN mission
in Kosovo, he said, would make sure that this review would start
immediately and would be conducted according to international
human rights and judicial standards.
A UN spokesperson in Pristina told reporters
that if approved, the amnesty law could result in the return of
several hundred prisoners to Kosovo.
In another development, the head of the reconstruction
effort in Kosovo said discussion of the $350 million budget for
2001 was nearing completion.
Mr. Andy Bearpark, Deputy Special Representative
for Reconstruction in Kosovo, said 70 per cent of the budget revenues
would come from domestic sources, such as tax collection along
border areas.
The 2001 budget, which is currently before the
Kosovo Transitional Council, will give priority to education,
health, justice and social welfare.
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.
A spokesperson for the agency told the UN News Service that the
four-member team, which has assembled in Geneva, would likely
begin its week-long mission on Monday.
The health experts will be examining information
on the population exposed to depleted uranium. They will verify
the available data on cancer and leukemia incidence which might
be related to exposure to depleted uranium and other toxic agents.
In addition, they will identify the kind of medical follow-up
required to care for people who have been exposed to these substances,
if necessary.
The mission aims to help WHO advise UNMIK on
short-term measures to prevent further exposure to toxic agents,
as well as long-term approaches to the issue. The WHO experts
will also provide UNMIK with information deemed useful for educating
the general public about the presence of depleted uranium.
In the meantime, the agency is advising caution,
especially for young people, who may be especially vulnerable.
"People should probably stay away from these sites, and children
might be at particular risk because of the way they play,"
said WHO spokesperson Melinda Henry.
Depleted uranium is a byproduct of nuclear power
used for heavy tank armour, anti-tank munitions, missiles and
projectiles.
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.
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie
Guéhenno also stressed that UMMIK had continued to work
to create inclusive local administrative structures. At the provincial
level, the Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC) had been partially
expanded, with further enlargement planned for the future.
Despite incidents of violence, UNMIK had also
made significant progress in strengthening the rule of law in
the province. "The police service has improved in both quantity
and quality," Mr. Guéhenno said, adding that the officers
were performing in a professional manner in spite of threats and
intimidation against them.
In the area of civil administration, key developments
had taken place as well, including the opening of employment offices
in a growing number of communities and the recent launch of an
initiative to place a youth worker in every municipality. By the
end of 2000, more than 100 schools had been constructed, and 46,000
families were receiving social assistance, Mr. Guéhenno
said.
In his briefing, Mr. Guéhenno also noted
the work done by the UN to deal with the possible depleted uranium
problem in Kosovo. He said that an initial survey by the World
Health Organization and UNMIK's Department of Health and Public
Welfare indicated that the incidence of leukaemia in adults in
Kosovo had not increased. However, he added, the Mission has posted
warning signs in all areas known to have been targeted by shells
containing depleted uranium, and WHO is dispatching to Kosovo
specialists who can assess the consequences of exposure to the
substance.
During the discussion that followed the Under-Secretary-General's
briefing, speakers expressed their support for the new head of
UNMIK, Hans Haekkerup, underlined the importance of cooperation
between the parties in the region, and stressed the need to curb
continuing ethnic violence and address the issue of Kosovo-wide
elections.
Meanwhile in Pristina, the new UNMIK chief today
held his first meeting with the KTC, during which he outlined
his priority issues -- the rule of law, the economy, and the question
of detainees and missing persons.
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.
"I would like to stress that it is my intention to call elections
as soon as possible," Hans Haekkerup, the head of the UN
Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) told the IAC
members. "But first we need the legal framework which will
define the powers and competencies of the elected Assembly and
the executive body that will lead to substantial autonomy."
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr.
Haekkerup said he had told the IAC members that they played a
role in determining how quickly the preparations for self-government
proceeded, "in the sense that creating the legal framework
requires discussions with the international community, with countries
in the Balkans, but first and foremost, with representatives of
the Kosovo population."
"I think the message was well-received,"
he said.
Responding to a reporter's question about when
the legal framework would be completed, Mr. Haekkerup said he
would not set a time frame and added, "actually, that is
part of my leverage."
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.
Scientists working for the UNEP Depleted Uranium Assessment Group
are analysing the contents of seven penetrators -- ammunition
tips made out of depleted uranium -- found during a UNEP field
mission to Kosovo in November 2000. Their tests show that 0.0028
per cent of the uranium in the penetrators is in the form of isotope
U-236, which indicates that part of the depleted uranium came
from reprocessed uranium.
According to the laboratory which provided the
information, the content of U-236 in the depleted uranium is so
small that the radiotoxicity is not changed compared to depleted
uranium without U-236. However, the final assessment by UNEP will
be made only once results from all laboratories are available.
"This is the first laboratory result based
on our field work," said UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer.
"We have asked the World Health Organization (WHO) and all
of our other partners for their assessments of this finding while
we continue with the scientific analysis."
UNEP's Kosovo field mission team, consisting
of 14 experts from several countries, collected soil, water and
vegetation samples, conducted smear tests on buildings and destroyed
army vehicles, and located penetrators and sabots. Remnants of
depleted uranium ammunition were found at eight of the 11 sites
that were visited.
The 340 samples collected are now being analysed
for both toxicity and radioactivity in five European laboratories
in an effort to determine whether the use of DU during the Balkans
conflict may pose any risks to human health or the environment.
The results of the tests will be ready in early March, when UNEP
will publish a full report of its findings.
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."
"We have to know what powers an elected assembly and provisional
government should have before we call elections," Mr. Haekkerup
said during meetings with the staff of the UN Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and senior Kosovar officials. "Work
is already ongoing, but we need to speed it up."
Speaking to the press today in Pristina, the
new head of mission said his second major priority would be to
concentrate on making law enforcement as effective as possible
in order to create a secure environment for the return of Kosovo
Serbs. He acknowledged, however, that doing so might take some
time. A third priority will be to fight organized crime, he said.
Meanwhile, the outgoing UNMIK chief, Dr. Bernard
Kouchner of France, has bid his final farewells to Kosovars and
colleagues at the close of his 18-month term. During a formal
ceremony on 13 January hosted by the Commander of the KFOR international
forces, Dr. Kouchner was saluted by flag-bearing troops from the
39 contributing countries and awarded the North American Treaty
Alliance (NATO) Medal - the organization's highest honour - by
the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, General Joseph Ralston.
Both General Ralston and KFOR Commander General
Carlo Cabigiosu praised Dr. Kouchner for having promoted an unusually
close cooperation between the military and civilian presence in
Kosovo, noting that his past as a human rights activist made the
relationship an all the more significant achievement. "He
pushed and pulled everyone in Kosovo to bring this administration
and this society to where it is today," General Cabigiosu
said.
Before departing for Paris on Saturday, Dr.
Kouchner said his deepest regret at the end of his mission was
the failure to sufficiently protect minorities, particularly Serbs.
He noted that UNMIK would be drafting two new regulations designed
to improve the situation of the Serb community-one on the protection
of churches and another regulating the sale of Serb property.
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.
Signed by outgoing UNMIK chief Dr. Bernard Kouchner before his
departure on 13 January, the new regulation defines "trafficking
in persons" as the recruitment, transportation, transfer,
harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of threat, coercion,
abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power, or the giving or
receiving of payments or benefits-"for the purpose of exploitation."
The consent of the victim is considered irrelevant
if any of those means are used against a victim of trafficking,
UNMIK said.
According to the regulation, any person who
engages-or attempts to engage-in human trafficking will be liable
to a penalty from 2 to 12 years of imprisonment, while someone
who facilitates trafficking through "negligence" can
be liable to a sentence of six months to five years. Those who
organize groups of people for the purpose of trafficking or exploitation
can receive a prison sentence of between 5 to 20 years.
As for persons who knowingly procure sexual
services from a victim of trafficking, a sentence of three months
to five years in prison may be handed down. If the victim is a
minor, the prison term can be as long as 10 years.
In addition, the regulation forbids the act
of intentionally withholding identification documents, now a criminal
act with a penalty of six months to five years' imprisonment,
UNMIK said.
Prior to his departure, Dr. Kouchner also signed
a regulation prohibiting trials in absentia for serious violations
of international law and a regulation to create legal guarantees
necessary to make Kosovo more attractive to foreign investment.
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.
In a statement released at UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General
Kofi Annan expressed his deep gratitude to Dr. Kouchner for his
service to the United Nations and the people of Kosovo, calling
him "a man of remarkable talents, deep intellect and great
charisma."
"Though much remains to be done, and many
wounds remain unhealed," the Secretary-General said, "the
healing has begun, and a better future is now in sight - not least,
thanks to the tireless efforts and extraordinary contribution
of Bernard Kouchner. I join his many friends and admirers in wishing
him all success in the future."
A farewell ceremony in Kosovo today was attended
by 2,000 guests, including political and civil society leaders,
as well as people from all communities. In his closing address,
Dr. Kouchner praised the people of Kosovo for their achievements,
but urged them to practice tolerance and stop the violence if
they wanted to join European society and enjoy the benefits of
a western democracy.
In his post as the Special Representative of
the Secretary-General and head of the UN Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr. Kouchner will be succeeded by Hans
Haekkerup, the current Defence Minister of Denmark.
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.
UNMIK has begun posting signs at the sites that are known to have
been targeted by shells containing depleted uranium, and is working
together with the KFOR international security force to identify
all possible locations.
The posted signs are captioned: "Caution
-- Area May Contain Residual Heavy Metal Toxicity -- Entry Not
Advised," according to an UNMIK statement released today
in Pristina.
On UNMIK's request, the UN World Health Organization
(WHO) is sending toxicology and radiation specialists to Kosovo
to assess the possible consequences of depleted uranium exposure.
The health agency is also helping to set up a voluntary testing
program for Kosovars at Pristina Hospital and to establish ties
with all national and international bodies that have direct interest
in the depleted uranium issue.
In another move, the head of UNMIK, Dr. Bernard
Kouchner, has initiated a search for organizations that could
assist in formulating longer-term initiatives regarding depleted
uranium. A public information campaign about depleted uranium
is also being developed to alert all residents and visitors of
Kosovo about possible risks.
Meanwhile in Geneva, the Executive Director
of the UN Environment Programme, Klaus Toepfer, unveiled today
the full details of the map he received from NATO which shows
the 112 sites where depleted uranium weapons were used. At a joint
press conference with Pekka Haavisto, the chair of the UNEP Balkans
task force, Mr. Toepfer also gave the exact location of the 11
sites that had been visited by atask force mission.
The UN officials stressed the importance of
taking precautionary measures at these sites. "At places
where contamination has been confirmed, measures should be taken
to prevent access," Mr. Toepfer said. "The local authorities
and people concerned should be informed of the possible risks
and precautionary measures."
The need for caution was also emphasized by
the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei. In a statement issued today at the
UN agency's Headquarters in Vienna, Mr. ElBaradei said that before
an authoritative conclusion could be reached it was essential
to carefully assess the impact of the substance in the special
circumstances in which had been used, and to carry out a detailed
survey of the affected territory and people.
"In the meantime, it would be prudent,
as recommended by the leader of the November UNEP mission, to
adopt precautionary measures," he said. "Depending on
the results of the survey further measures may be necessary."
"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.
"My final message to the people of Kosovo is simple and grave:
Stop the killings," said Dr. Bernard Kouchner, head of the
UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), in a television
message broadcast last night throughout the territory. "The
spirit of revenge must be eradicated. The violence must stop if
Kosovo wants to join the democracies of Europe."
According to Dr. Kouchner, the international
community and the people of Kosovo have made significant progress
since the establishment of the UN peace operation in June 1999.
"UNMIK arrived to find a total void in administration, no
functioning infrastructure and a bitter competition between so-called
parallel governments," he said. "Today we have one joint
interim administration [with] 20 functioning administrative departments
co-headed by Kosovars and employing more than 50,000 people."
Advances have also been made in the provision
of electricity, the refurbishment of hospitals and schools, the
relaunching of the economy and the creation of a Kosovo police
force and judiciary, Dr. Kouchner said, adding that, in the housing
sector alone, 100,000 homes had been reconstructed in the past
18 months.
However, the UNMIK chief warned, Kosovars were
in danger of losing all the advantages given to them by the international
community if they did not develop a more tolerant society. In
that context, the UNMIK chief said he was about to sign a regulation
that would increase the penalties for illegal weapons possession.
"We need such a regulation, sadly, because Kosovo remains
a violent society in which guns are used to solve arguments and
exact revenge."
Referring to the upsurge in violence in the
Presevo Valley, which he said had tarnished Kosovo's image abroad,
the UNMIK chief warned that it was not too late for Kosovars to
change their attitude towards violent acts and extremism.
"I am leaving you with sorrow, but also
with deep admiration for a truly remarkable people," Dr.
Kouchner said. "You will win this very difficult challenge."
Head of UN Kosovo mission visits site hit
by depleted uranium ammunition
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.
At a destroyed bus station in Klina, Dr. Bernard Kouchner witnessed
a demonstration by Italian troops of their techniques in seeking
radiation left by depleted uranium. Specialists wearing white
uniforms and masks deployed monitors on the ground and in the
air amid the twisted shards of vehicles.
"We took and are still taking this threat
very seriously: on the one hand, we are checking the radioactivity
with testing not only by the soldiers but also by the United Nations
Environmental Programme [(UNEP)]," Dr. Kouchner told reporters
on the scene, referring to the UN agency which collected samples
of depleted uranium in Kosovo that are now being analyzed in European
labs. "On the other hand, we have also demanded an investigation
by the World Health Organization [(WHO)] into the health of the
population," he added.
In addition to asking WHO for a team of experts
to assess the situation, Dr. Kouchner said he would invite specialized
non-governmental organizations to Kosovo to study of the health
risks of depleted uranium. "I'm suggesting that an independent
body, such as Friends of the Earth, should come and freely make
their own exploration and investigation," he explained, noting
that the idea had been endorsed by NATO Secretary General George
Robertson.
The UNMIK chief said he had proposed the establishment
of a working group of Albanians and Serbs to liaise with WHO and
public health institutions on the matter.
The issue of depleted uranium was also discussed
today in Kosovo's Interim Administrative Council, which Dr. Kouchner
addressed for the last time as head of UNMIK before completing
his assignment later this week. He took the occasion to urge members
of that body to "reject intolerance and use your influence
as political leaders to curb extremism."
Meanwhile, UNEP spokesman Michael Williams told
reporters in Geneva today that the agency hoped to send a mission
to Serbia and Montenegro in April or May to examine sites hit
by ammunition containing depleted uranium. NATO provided UNEP
with a map of 112 such sites, of which nine were in Serbia and
Montenegro and the rest in Kosovo and surrounding regions, he
said.
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.
Susan Manual, a spokesperson for the UN Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), said UNMIK Chief Dr. Bernard Kouchner
had urgently appealed to the Director-General of the World Health
Organization (WHO) "to send public health experts to assist
in monitoring any possible health consequences of the use of depleted
uranium among the civilian population."
Initial findings from WHO and the Kosovo Department
of Health revealed "no increase in the incidence of leukemia
among adults over the past four years," Ms. Manuel said,
adding that the assessment would continue.
Dr. Kouchner is also in touch with NATO Secretary-General
George Robertson on how to coordinate their approach to the issue
of depleted uranium.
Samples collected by the UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) from sites hit by depleted uranium during the conflict
are now being analyzed in five European laboratories. The results
of the tests will be ready in early March, when UNEP is to publish
a full report of its findings.
When asked about the issue at UN Headquarters
in New York this morning, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted
that the UNEP tests were ongoing. "Once we have concluded
the tests, we will know precisely what environmental and health
damage the depleted uranium weapons pose, if any," he said.
Depleted uranium, a byproduct of nuclear power,
is used for heavy tank armour, anti-tank munitions, missiles and
projectiles. According to WHO, the health effects of the substance
are "complex" due to its chemical, radiological and
physical characteristics. The agency is currently involved in
setting guidelines that would be applicable to depleted uranium,
while conducting ongoing research on its impact on human health.
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.
The samples were collected last November during a UNEP mission
covered 11 of the 112 sites in Kosovo that were identified as
being targeted by ordnance containing depleted uranium, including
five in the Italian sector of operation and six in the German
sector. The field visit was carried out in close cooperation with
the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the international security
force, KFOR.
Although the final conclusions of the scientific
assessment can only be made after the laboratory results are available,
UNEP said today that its preliminary findings call for precautions
to be taken when dealing with ammunition containing depleted uranium.
The samples are being analyzed for both radioactivity
and toxicity by the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute (SSI)
in Stockholm; AC Laboratorium-Spiez in Switzerland; Bristol University's
Department of Earth Sciences in the United Kingdom; the International
Atomic Energy Agency Laboratories (IAEA) in Seibersdorf, Austria;
and the Italian National Environmental Protection Agency (ANPA)
in Rome, Italy. The assessment work on depleted uranium has been
financed by the Government of Switzerland.
The results of the tests will be ready in early
March, when UNEP will publish a full report of its findings.
UNEP also said today that it had been in contact
with authorities in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to plan
a similar field mission this Spring to Serbia and Montenegro,
where a number of the 112 NATO-identified depleted uranium sites
are located.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for UNMIK told reporters
in Pristina today that the head of the Mission, Dr. Bernard Kouchner,
planned to meet with representatives of the World Health Organization
(WHO) who are also studying the risks associated with depleted
uranium. Referring to reports of possible radiation from the substance,
spokesperson Susan Manual said, "We are taking these reports
very seriously, however we have little concrete information at
this point."
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.
Following a meeting with Dr. Kouchner, Mr. Haekkerup, who is currently
the Defence Minister of Denmark, met with the head of the UNMIK's
Civil Administration department, Tom Koenigs, and other senior
staff who described developments in the local administration and
municipal government.
Mr. Haekkerup also met with the head of the
Mission's Reconstruction and Development department, Andy Bearpark,
to confer on the Kosovo budget and developments in trade and industry.
In a meeting with the Mission's Office of Human Rights and Minority
Affairs, the Danish Minister focused on the issues of missing
and detained persons and minorities.
During his visit, Mr. Haekkerup is also scheduled
to confer with top commanders from the KFOR international security
force on civil-military coordination, the situation in the Presevo
Valley and the Kosovo Protection Corps, and to discuss law and
order matters with police and judicial officials.
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.
Reviewing violent incidents in Kosovo over the past few days,
Derek Chapell, a spokesman for the UN Interim Administration in
Kosovo (UNMIK) Police, highlighted the dangers of "an armed
society that is only too willing to resort to extreme violence
to resolve minor disputes."
"As an action against the possession of
these illegal weapons in the Pec region police and KFOR [the NATO
force] have been conducting ongoing searches to find and recover
weapons that are illegally held in homes," he said. Over
the past three days, 14 guns and 20 hand grenades have been seized
in that effort, while 13 people have been arrested on charges
of illegal weapons possession, Mr. Chapell said.
The spokesman detailed a recent spate of deadly
gun violence, including the killing of two people on 30 December
by an Albanian male who shot the victims following an argument
in a café near Vustrin. In a separate incident, a verbal
argument at a bar in South Mitrovica spiralled into a fight during
which an Albanian male was shot twice in the chest.
Yet another "tragic murder" took the
life of a juvenile Albanian male when an argument on New Year's
Eve escalated into a shooting, Mr. Chapell said. Five people are
under arrest for that crime.
New Year's Eve provided a "graphic display
of how many guns are in private hands" in Kosovo, the spokesman
pointed out. Across the province, police arrested 15 people and
seized 24 weapons as a result of "happy fire" in connection
with the celebrations. He stressed that the use of weapons for
celebrations was unacceptable. "It's dangerous, foolish and
also criminal," he said.
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.
"On this New Year, the real beginning of the new millennium,
Kosovo stands at a crossroads," said Dr. Bernard Kouchner,
the head of the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK), in
a statement issued in Pristina on 30 December. "Kosovo has
made great progress, yes. But the violence here has made a terrible
impression on the outside world."
The UNMIK chief said that ongoing crime - murders,
arson and other attacks - have deeply hurt the people of Kosovo
who have struggled for years to be able to enjoy peace and democracy.
"This violence, especially against minorities and mainly
against Serbs, imperils your future, in 2001 and beyond,"
he warned, urging all Kosovars to make a resolution to stop criminal
acts and promote tolerance.
"Your personal commitment -- as a parent,
a teacher, a friend or even as an unemployed person with war wounds
which have not healed -- will make the difference," he said.
"If you, the people of Kosovo, resolve to have a peaceful
2001, you may enjoy a truly bright future."
Looking back at the year 2000, Dr. Kouchner
congratulated the people of Kosovo on the achievements they had
made, particularly in reconstructing homes, repairing roadways,
refurbishing schools and launching the economy. The UNMIK chief
also noted the successful elections that lead to the establishment
of municipal assemblies, which are to assume their full authority
this year.
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