France honours late Jean-Selim
Kanaan, killed in bombing of UN in Baghdad
27 February 2004 – France today awarded the late United
Nations staff member Jean-Selim Kanaan the Legion of Honour for
his work in helping the world's weak and oppressed.
Mr. Kanaan, a national of Egypt and France,
was killed along with 21 others in the terrorist attack on the
UN's headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August last year. At the time,
he was working as a project officer in the Office of the Secretary-General's
Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who also
lost his life in the bombing.
Mr. Kanaan had previously served as a civil
affairs officer for the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
(UNMIK) and authored a book entitled My War against Indifference.
France's Permanent Representative to the UN
Office in Geneva, Bernard Kessedjian, awarded the "Chevalier
de la Legion d'honneur" at a private ceremony this afternoon
in Geneva.
In a message delivered by Iqbal Riza, his Chief
of Staff, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said France was honouring
Mr. Kanaan's "tireless efforts" on behalf of the vulnerable.
The Secretary-General paid tribute to the late
staffer's intelligence, energy, devotion, honesty, generosity
and courage. His mastery of seven languages and openness to others
made him a "true citizen of the world," Mr. Annan added.
"We treasure in him the memory of a man
who fought to the end to make our world better," the Secretary-General
observed, adding that Mr. Kanaan's example "will continue
to inspire us."
UN envoy mourns death
of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's President
26 February 2004 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi
Annan's top envoy in Kosovo expressed his deep shock and sorrow
today at the death of the President Boris Trajkovski of the neighbouring
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and his associates in a
plane crash in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Harri Holkeri said he and the UN Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) had enjoyed “very good relations”
with President Trajkovski. “I am very saddened on hearing
the news of his death,” he added.
Mr. Holkeri extended his deepest sympathy and
condolences to Mr. Trajkovski's family, the families of those
who died with him, and to the Government and people of the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
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Prosecution case ends
in Miloševic trial at UN war crimes tribunal
25 February 2004 – The United Nations war crimes tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia confirmed today that prosecutors have
closed their case in the trial of Slobodan Miloševic, ex-President
of Yugoslavia.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY), sitting in The Hague, the Netherlands,
accepted the prosecution's decision to end its case earlier than
originally scheduled.
It also decided to move the start of Mr. Miloševic's
defence case to 8 June to take account of the prosecution's move
and Mr. Miloševic's ill-health. He will be given 150 days
to present his case.
Mr. Miloševic is facing charges of genocide,
crimes against humanity and war crimes for events in Croatia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo during the 1990s
UN envoy condemns attack on Kosovo's Environment Minister
22 February 2004 – The senior United Nations envoy to Kosovo
today deplored a blast which wounded the province's environment
minister and several others.
“I was deeply shocked and appalled by
the car explosion on the night of 21 February, in which Ethem
Çeku, Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, and
four others were injured,” Harri Holkeri said in a statement.
Condemning this attack, he said it “undermines
the rule of law and is against the democratic process in Kosovo.”
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Kosovo protection corps
members arrested, UN envoy reports
16 February 2004 – The senior United Nations envoy in Kosovo
today informed top leaders in the province that a number of protection
force (KPC) members have been arrested in connection with serious
crimes, including murder of Kosovo Albanians.
Briefing President Ibrahim Rugova, Prime Minister
Bajram Rexhepi and other officials, Harri Holkeri said the action
in no way constitutes an indictment of the KPC. He also pledged
that those arrested will be treated fairly.
In another development, Mr. Holkeri and Serbian Deputy Prime Minister
Nebojsa Covic today agreed that the Pristina-Belgrade direct dialogue
will convene in the last week of February or the first week of
March.
Mr. Holkeri told Mr. Covic that in his recent
travels to New York, Washington D.C. and London, the message was
the same: consistent interest by the international community in
favour of the dialogue and a sense of urgency that meetings should
begin soon.
UN war crimes tribunal
eases limits on Miloševic communications
10 February 2004 – The United Nations war crimes tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia has eased the telephone communications
restrictions on former Yugoslav President Slobodan Miloševic
and Serbian politician Vojislav Šešelj.
The deputy registrar of the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which sits in The Hague,
announced today that both men now have more latitude in their
contacts while they are in detention.
Mr. Miloševic and Mr. Šešelj
have been indicted on charges of crimes against humanity and war
crimes for their roles in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
in the 1990s. Mr. Miloševic is also indicted for his actions
in Kosovo in 1998-99.
Following the registrar's decision, Mr. Miloševic
can now make contact with potential witnesses in his trial and
attempt to gather evidence. The change comes as the prosecution
is about to complete its case against him in his trial. Since
December Mr. Miloševic had been restricted to contacts with
his family, lawyers and consular or diplomatic representatives
only.
Mr. Šešelj is now allowed to contact
his family, lawyers and consular or diplomatic representatives,
although his contacts with his family will be monitored.
His contacts had been more tightly restricted
since early last month after he breached previous rules about
contacts with the media and others.
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Kosovo: UN envoy calls for greater dialogue between Pristina and
Belgrade
6 February 2004 – Pristina and Belgrade must have direct
and serious dialogue if Kosovo is to make any progress soon on
such key issues as the fate of persons missing from the war of
1998-99, the senior United Nations senior envoy to the province
told the Security Council today.
Harri Holkeri, the Secretary-General's Special
Representative, described a fragile Kosovo marked by mistrust
between communities.
The envoy said Kosovo's capital, Pristina, understands
that dialogue is a standard that must be fulfilled before the
province's future status is determined. He also criticized the
Yugoslav capital, Belgrade, for setting up parallel institutions
and power structures in Kosovo.
Over 3,500 people - about 75 per cent Kosovo
Albanians and nearly 20 per cent Kosovo Serbs - are still missing
since the war ended, while many people have not yet returned to
their former homes and villages.
Mr. Holkeri pointed out that the "Standards
for Kosovo" document, launched in December, sets out what
the province's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government need
to achieve before permanent future status can be decided.
The standards cover a number of areas, including
functioning democratic institutions, the rule of law, freedom
of movement, returns and reintegration, the economy, property
rights and dialogue with Belgrade.
Mr. Holkeri said Kosovo Serbs have not been
participating in the standards process because of their "wholly
unfounded" fears that it prejudges Kosovo's future status.
"Kosovo's undetermined status helps no
one in Kosovo and it needs to be resolved sooner rather than later,"
he said.
Zeljko Perovic, Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister
of Serbia and Montenegro, told the Council that Kosovo's non-Albanian
communities were being denied any meaningful participation in
the province's political life. He also charged that in the province,
all of the political, economic and social advantages belonged
to the ethnic Albanian community.
Albania's representative, Agim Nesho, voiced
regret over the lack of participation of minorities in the implementation
process. But he welcomed the recent transfer of certain specific
responsibilities to Kosovo's Provisional Institutions - the presidency,
the government and the Kosovo assembly - as a step forward.
All 15 Council members took part in the debate,
with many stressing that Kosovo's Provisional Institutions must
meet the standards timetable. A number of speakers also underscored
the need for ethnic tolerance to foster returns and stability.
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