In FYR of Macedonia, head
of UN Kosovo mission discusses border closures
28 MARCH – The United Nations Interim Administration Mission
in Kosovo (UNMIK) reported today that the Mission chief, Hans
Haekkerup, had paid a visit to the capital of the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia to discuss border crossing between Kosovo
and the Republic.
UNMIK said that Mr. Haekkerup had met in Skopje yesterday with
Javier Solana, the European Union's High Representative for Common
Foreign and Security Policy. During the meeting, both men stressed
the need for the crisis in FYR of Macedonia to be resolved through
political means.
Mr. Haekkerup also brought up the problem of
the closing of the border crossings between FYR of Macedonia and
Kosovo to all non-UN and non-Kosovo Force vehicles. According
to UNMIK, essential drugs and other supplies are arriving in Kosovo
through alternate routes, but fuel supplies are running low. In
response to the fuel shortages, the UN Mission began to ration
its own use of fuel yesterday.
The UNMIK chief expects to return to Skopje
on Friday to meet with senior officials from the Macedonian Government
on recent tensions, the border crossing issue and other matters
of mutual concern.
UN official denies press
report on postponement of Kosovo-wide elections
27 MARCH – The top United Nations official in Kosovo today
denied a report published in the current issue of The Economist
that Kosovo-wide elections would be held only in 2002, and not
this year as planned.
"This report simply is not true," said Hans Haekkerup,
who heads the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK),
in a statement released in Pristina. "I have always said
UNMIK and the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe] plan to hold elections later this year, and this is
still the case."
Mr. Haekkerup noted that while the exact timing
of the vote would depend on finalizing the Legal Framework for
Kosovo, that effort was progressing well. "I intend to hold
elections this year," he stressed.
According to the statement, Mr. Haekkerup was
not approached by The Economist, nor did he make any statement
to the effect that elections would not take place until next year.
Meanwhile, members of Kosovo's Interim Administrative
Council (IAC) today expressed concern over the conflict around
Tetovo in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and called
for pressure on the country's government to quickly begin a dialogue
with ethnic Albanians in order to resolve the crisis.
The IAC's call was supported by Saber Azam,
Deputy Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), who stressed that a solution to the current
crisis much be reached at the political level.
Fighting in FYR of Macedonia
displaces more than 30,000: UN refugee agency
26 MARCH – The number of people displaced by the recent
fighting in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has risen
above 30,200, the UN refugee agency reported today.
Most of them -- an estimated 16,100 -- went to other parts of
the FYR of Macedonia, with the rest fleeing to neighbouring countries,
including some 3,800 reported in Turkey, some 2,600 in Albania
and more than 4,500 in Kosovo, said the Pristina Office of the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Those fleeing the fighting
belonged to all ethnic backgrounds, and most had not lodged asylum
claims or sought assistance, stating that they were leaving as
a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, the UN Interim Administration Mission
in Kosovo (UNMIK), announced today that the Mission's chief, Hans
Haekkerup, would travel to Skopje this week for discussions with
the government of FYR of Macedonia.
After meeting top UN official,
Kosovo leaders urge extremists in FYR of Macedonia to lay down
arms
23 MARCH – The leaders of the three main political parties
in Kosovo today called on extremist groups in the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia to end the fighting, the UN mission in Kosovo
reported.
In a declaration that followed an hour-long meeting with the head
of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Hans
Haekkerup, the political leaders asked the extremist groups which
have taken up arms on the territory of FYR of Macedonia to lay
them down immediately and to return to their homes peacefully.
They also urged the Government of the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia "to show restraint and to
address and resolve the grievances through peaceful and democratic
means."
The declaration was signed by Kosovo leaders
Ibrahim Rugova, Hashim Thaci and Ramush Haradinaj. It came one
day after a visit by a high-ranking delegation from the European
Union (EU), which included Javier Solana, the EU High Representative
for Common Foreign and Security Policy. At a joint press briefing,
the visiting officials and Mr. Haekkerup all stressed the importance
of clear condemnations of the violence by Kosovo Albanian leaders.
Russian Foreign Minister
visits UN mission in Kosovo
20 MARCH – Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov visited
Pristina today, where he met with United Nations officials and
local leaders, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
(UNMIK) reported.
Mr. Ivanov met with the UNMIK Deputy Special Representative, Gary
Matthews, as well as with Kosovo Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova
and Kosovo Serb leader Momcilo Trajkovic.
At a press conference in Pristina, the Foreign
Minister stressed the international community's responsibilities
stemming from having adopted Security Council resolution 1244
(1999) -- in particular the importance of respecting the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Secretary-General condemns
renewal of violence in FYR of Macedonia
19 MARCH – Against the backdrop of renewed fighting in the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Secretary-General Kofi
Annan today condemned the violence, which he said constituted
a threat to the territorial integrity of the Republic and the
region as a whole.
The Secretary-General condemned "the acts of violence by
Albanian extremists" and was particularly concerned that
their activities had received outside support, Mr. Annan's spokesman
said in a statement issued today at UN Headquarters in New York.
According to the statement, Mr. Annan was encouraged
by the efforts of the FYR of Macedonia to stabilize the situation
and to isolate the extremist armed groups, as expressed in the
resolution by the Parliament supported by all major parties and
all ethnic groups. He also emphasized the importance of the Republic
as a functioning multi-ethnic society, where efforts to address
different economic, social and national concerns have been handled
through democratic institutions.
The Secretary-General expressed hope that the
Macedonian Government would succeed in its efforts to end the
violence and to establish conditions conducive to solving all
problems through political means.
In a related development, the UN Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said today that the supply of food,
fuel and other essential materials into Kosovo continued to be
a concern due to the ongoing fighting.
UNMIK spokesman Michael Keats said that the
UN operation viewed the restriction on exit and entry from the
FYR of Macedonia "as an unacceptable disruption of its operations
and a growing hardship for the population of Kosovo." Although
some basic goods were reaching Kosovo by alternative routes, the
delay in the delivery of medical supplies had left the hospital
in Pristina with only two days of oxygen supplies.
Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pristina reported a continuing movement
of people from and to the city of Tetovo, where clashes between
the two forces had taken place. On Saturday night, some 480 people
with Macedonian identification had crossed into Kosovo, while
UNHCR in Albania had reported the arrival of more than 1,600 people
over the past three days. "UNHCR does not view the current
situation as a new refugee crisis," said UNHCR spokeswoman
Astrid van Genderen Stort, as "all those people displaced
by the present fighting have expressed the wish to return as soon
as possible."
Security Council condemns ethnic violence
in Kosovo
16 MARCH – The Security Council today called for an end
of all acts of violence in Kosovo, "particularly those which
are ethnically motivated," and urged Kosovo's political leaders
to condemn such actions and increase efforts to create inter-ethnic
tolerance.
In a statement read out at an open meeting this evening by its
President, Volodymyr Yel'chenko of Ukraine, the Council welcomed
the decision taken by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
to allow the "controlled return" of Yugoslav forces
in the Ground Safety Zone in southern Serbia. It also condemned
"the continuing extremists violence in parts of the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia supported from outside the country,"
which threatened the stability of the entire region, and supported
the efforts of the FYR of Macedonia to cooperate with NATO to
end that violence.
The Council welcomed the establishment of a
working group, under the authority of the head of the UN Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), to develop "a legal
framework for provisional institutions for democratic and autonomous
self-government in Kosovo." It also stressed the need to
keep the Yugoslav government informed on the process. Welcoming
close contacts between Yugoslavia and UNMIK and the international
force (KFOR), the Council stressed the importance of "substantial
dialogue" between Kosovo political leaders and the Yugoslav
government.
In the morning, the Council was briefed by the
head of UNMIK, Hans Haekkerup, who stressed that the level of
violence in Kosovo continued to be "unacceptably high"
and that the general security situation had not improved over
the past two months.
Mr. Haekkerup said that KFOR and UNMIK must
support the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in solving its
immediate problems, but noted that closing off the border crossings
between the country and Kosovo "does not address the problem
and is unacceptable."
Stating that "the democratic leadership
in Belgrade sends positive signals, but has not yet taken sufficient
concrete steps," Mr. Haekkerup said that two messages were
needed from Belgrade: "To the Kosovo Albanians, that there
is a new democratic government in Belgrade" moving towards
normalizing relations; and "to the Kosovo Serbs that their
future lies in Kosovo and that they should participate in the
structures put in place to govern the area." In the economic
sphere, he said the emergency reconstruction phase was drawing
to a close, and the economy had been shifted towards sustainable,
long-term development.
In a related development, the working group
that is developing Kosovo's provisional self-government institutions
has begun tackling key issues, according to a UNMIK statement
issued today in Pristina. "We have entered into discussions
on the areas in which powers will be transferred into institutions
of provisional self-government," said Johan van Lamoen, Chairman
of the Joint Working Group on the Legal Framework. Electoral issues
on the table included the number of seats in the Assembly, the
issue of Assembly seats reserved to Kosovo's various communities
and the question of voter eligibility, he said.
Disturbances erupt in
Mitrovica as Annan's new report warns of threat of violence
14 MARCH – Disturbances flared up again today in Kosovo's
divided city of Mitrovica just as Secretary-General Kofi Annan
warned in his latest report that continuing violence was "the
single most important threat" to the goal of bringing peace
to the troubled province.
In Mitrovica, the violence began very early in the morning, following
the overnight arrest by police from the UN Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) of two Kosovo Serbs suspected of assaulting
UNMIK police officers on 1 March. A crowd of Kosovo Serbs gathered
in front of the police station in the northern section of the
city, demanding the suspects' release.
According to an UNMIK spokeswoman, Susan Manuel,
a police car was burnt and another damaged. Two houses, reportedly
belonging to either Kosovo Bosnians or Albanians, were assaulted
- one set on fire, the other one attacked with a grenade. French
and Danish members of the international security force (KFOR)
used tear gas and managed to calm down the situation at the station.
However, other groups of Kosovo Serbs were reported moving around
other parts of northern Mitrovica, blocking roads.
"So the situation is not yet resolved,"
Ms. Manuel said, adding that UNMIK, KFOR and police officials
were meeting on how to keep the situation calm. "Clearly,
we ask all the communities to exercise restrain and not respond
to the provocations going on right now."
Meanwhile, in his latest report to the Security
Council on UNMIK, the Secretary-General noted that while "most
residents abhor the violence," they remained unwilling to
cooperate with UNMIK in tackling the causes and perpetrators.
"It is imperative," Mr. Annan stressed, that Kosovo's
leaders "speak out against the violence and call for an end
to the climate of impunity that allows criminals to operate freely."
The report, which was released today at UN Headquarters in New
York, noted at the same time that UNMIK had made "considerable
progress" despite political, security and economic challenges.
"The emergency phase is largely over," Mr. Annan wrote,
pointing out that emphasis was now given to capacity-building,
including the elaboration of a legal framework for provisional
self-government institutions, the ongoing consultations with representatives
of all communities, the development of municipal administration
and the strengthening of a revenue-generating commercial economy.
New UN study suggests
precautionary action at depleted uranium sites in Kosovo
13 MARCH – After analyzing the environmental impact of depleted
uranium ammunition used in Kosovo in 1999, the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) today said the risks associated with
the substance were "no cause for alarm," but recommended
precautionary measures to guarantee that the areas struck by DU
remain risk-free.
"These scientific findings should alleviate any immediate
anxiety that people living or working in Kosovo may have been
experiencing," said UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer,
referring to the agency's report released today in Geneva. "Under
certain circumstances, however, DU [depleted uranium] can still
pose risks. Our report highlights a series of precautionary measures
that should be taken to guarantee that the areas struck by DU
ammunition remain risk-free."
In the final report on the impact of DU in Kosovo,
UNEP describes situations where risks could be significant and
notes that there are also scientific uncertainties relating to
the longer-term behaviour of the substance in the environment.
One area of concern is the effect of DU on water supplies. "There
are still considerable scientific uncertainties, especially related
to the safety of groundwater," said Pekka Haavisto, Chairman
of UNEP's Depleted Uranium Assessment Team. "Additional work
has to be done to reduce these uncertainties and to monitor the
quality of water."
For these reasons, the agency advocates a series
of measures such as visiting all DU sites in the province, removing
slightly radioactive penetrators and jackets on the surface, decontaminating
areas where feasible, and providing information to local populations
on precautions to be taken if the substance is found.
UNEP's findings are based on a field mission
carried out by the agency in November 2000 that visited 11 of
the 112 sites that were identified as being targeted by ordnance
containing DU. The team, consisting of 14 scientists from several
countries, collected soil, water and vegetation samples and conducted
smear tests on buildings, destroyed army vehicles and DU penetrators.
According to the team's report, remnants of
DU ammunition were found at eight sites, with low levels of radiation
detected in the immediate vicinity of the points of impact, and
mild contamination from DU dust measured near the targets. However,
there was no widespread ground contamination found in the investigated
areas, the report states. "There was a great number of contamination
points in the investigated areas, but there is no significant
risk related to these points in terms of possible contamination
of air or plants," UNEP said.
Kosovo's administrative
council calls on FYR of Macedonia to reopen border
13 MARCH – Kosovo's Interim Administrative Council today
requested the authorities of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
"to re-open the border crossing points to normal traffic
immediately."
The advisory body expressed its concern "over the negative
consequences for the people of Kosovo" of the border's closure,
as well as its grave concern "at the social and economic
consequences of the situation," according to a statement
released today by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission
in Kosovo (UNMIK).
At the Council's meeting, the commander of the
international security force (KFOR), General Carlo Cabigiosu,
said that KFOR was controlling the border with the FYR of Macedonia
in the area of conflict, and that the country's authorities had
no reason to continue the closure of the international border
crossing points.
UNMIK said that the Council spent the bulk of
today's meeting with members of the Working Group on the Legal
Framework, which is working to define provisional self-government
in the province thus paving the way for Kosovo-wide elections.
According to the UN Mission, Council members offered their full
support for the task taken up by the group.
Kosovo: head of UN mission
meets Serbs from divided Mitrovica
12 MARCH – Top officials of the United Nations Interim Administration
in Kosovo (UNMIK) and KFOR, the international security presence
there, met today with representatives of the Kosovo Serb community
from the divided town of Mitrovica, who were accompanied by Serbian
Deputy Prime Minister Nebosja Covic.
The head of the UN mission, Hans Haekkerup, and KFOR Deputy Commander
General Georgeos Ledeveze, discussed with the Serb representatives
further implementation of the declaration on Mitrovica of 1 February
2001, including increased freedom of movement between the two
sides of the city. They agreed to proceed on a step-by-step basis,
through working groups on the regional level, according to a statement
released today by UNMIK.
A further meeting will be held after Mr. Haekkerup's
visit to New York where he will brief the Security Council later
this week. Also today, the UNMIK chief and General Ledeveze briefed
Kosovo Albanian leaders Hashim Thaci, Ramush Haradinaj and Kole
Berisha on the Mitrovica discussions.
Tomorrow, Gary Matthews, Principal Deputy Special
Representative, will meet with representatives of the Kosovo Albanian
community in southern Mitrovica as part of the continuing dialogue
on improving conditions in the area.
UN mission "deeply
concerned" by closure of Kosovo/FYR of Macedonia border
9 MARCH – The United Nations Interim Administration Mission
in Kosovo (UNMIK) today said it was "deeply concerned"
by the decision of the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia to stop civilian border crossings with Kosovo in
response to the fighting in the area.
UNMIK said the border between Kosovo and FYR of Macedonia had
been closed on 4 March and reopened yesterday for the UN mission,
the KFOR security force and non-governmental organizations, but
not for civilians.
The Mission said that this had a serious effect
on Kosovo because fuel, needed to heat hospitals, to generate
electricity and to power private and commercial vehicles, was
not getting into the province. Food, drugs and other health supplies
were also stuck in the FYR of Macedonia.
Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) reported today that more than 1,000 people have been driven
from their homes by clashes in the rugged mountain terrain along
the FYR of Macedonia's border with Kosovo.
Since February 15, a total of 890 ethnic Albanian
refugees have fled the border area to Kosovo, according to UNHCR.
"Another 300 people have fled from the mountainous border
area deeper into Macedonia," the agency said. "Some
of those arriving in Kosovo said they walked 4 to 5 hours over
the mountains. Most come from Tanusevce and Malina Mala - the
two villages which have been caught up in the clashes."
Meanwhile, Security Council members met in closed
consultations this morning in New York to be briefed, at their
request, on the latest developments in Kosovo, including the border
issue. The briefing was conducted by Under Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno.
Next Friday, UNMIK chief Hans Haekkerup and
KFOR Commander Lieutenant General Carlo Cabigiosu will be at UN
Headquarters in New York for a formal meeting of the Security
Council on Kosovo.
UN refugee agency reports
250 new arrivals from FYR of Macedonia in Kosovo
7 MARCH – The United Nations refugee agency today reported
the arrival in Kosovo of 250 people who said they were fleeing
fighting in a mountainous border area in the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia.
Astrid van Genderen Stort, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Pristina that the new
arrivals reported "heavy shootings" in the village of
Malina Mala and said they had been "obliged to flee on foot
or on horseback through the mountains."
"UNHCR remains concerned, as the vast majority
of the caseload appears to be civilians that are caught between
two opposing elements in a heavily armed environment," she
said, adding that the latest group brought the total number of
recent arrivals from the volatile area to over 840.
In a separate development, the UN Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) today announced the establishment of
control measures aimed at preventing foot and mouth disease --
a highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals --
from reaching the area. These measures include a ban on the import
into Kosovo of all cattle, sheep, goats and pigs -- as well as
meat and derived products -- from Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Kosovo: Security Council
welcomes improved relations between UN and Yugoslavia
6 MARCH – Following a meeting attended by Yugoslav Prime
Minister Zoran Zizic, the Security Council today welcomed the
"continued improvement of relations" between the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia, the UN Interim Administration Mission
in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Kosovo international security force
(KFOR).
In a statement to the press made by Council President, Volodymyr
Y. Yel'chenko of Ukraine, the Council stressed the importance
of "substantial dialogue" between Kosovo political leaders
and the Yugoslav government. The Council also supported the early
opening of an UNMIK office in Belgrade, the Council President
said.
The Council called for an end to all acts of
violence in Kosovo, particularly those ethnically motivated; reiterated
its condemnation of violent actions by ethnic Albanian extremist
groups in southern Serbia; and called for an immediate cessation
of hostilities and for a substantial dialogue, fully respecting
the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia. Commending the "continued
restraint" shown by the Yugoslav authorities, it welcomed
the plan presented by Yugoslavia aiming at achieving a political
solution through dialogue and confidence-building measures.
The Council also welcomed the efforts of the
head of UNMIK to develop a legal institutional framework for the
provisional self-governing institutions of Kosovo. It called on
all parties to ensure suitable conditions for Kosovo-wide elections
for those institutions "as soon as feasible," including
through the registration of all habitual residents of Kosovo.
The head of UNMIK, Hans Haekkerup, today launched
an effort to define provisional self-government in the province
and pave the way for elections with the opening of the first meeting
of the Working Group on the Interim Legal Framework. The Group,
which is composed of seven Kosovo and six international members,
will meet intensively under the chairmanship of Mr. Johan van
Lamoen -- an international expert in the field of transitional
legal regimes.
UNMIK said that the panel would draft regulations
that would define the Legal Framework, "which in accordance
with Security Council resolution 1244(1999) will not prejudge
the final political settlement for Kosovo." The UN Mission
stressed that the establishment of the Provisional Self-Government
was an important step in facilitating the process towards a final
settlement.
Once the legal framework is completed, Mr. Haekkerup
will announce the date for general elections.
Security Council members
condemn violence on FRY of Macedonia border
2 MARCH – Members of the Security Council today condemned
recent violence along the border between the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
In a statement to the press, Ambassador Volodymy Kuchynksy of
Ukraine, which holds the presidency of the Council for the month
of March, said there was strong condemnation of "recent violence
by extremists in the border area of the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia seeking to undermine stability and security"
in the country.
Council members also expressed support for the
position taken by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
who on Wednesday had voiced grave concern about the border area
violence. Through a spokesman, Mr. Annan said he was particularly
alarmed that the recent deterioration had resulted in the displacement
of civilians in the area.
In the statement, Council members welcomed the
initial steps taken by KFOR, the international security presence,
to control the border between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. They urged KFOR
and the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to
"consider further steps that might be helpful in this regard."
"Members of the Council also welcomed the
recent signing of an Agreement between the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on the
delimitation on the border between the two States," the statement
said.
UNHCR warns against hasty
change in south Serbia's ground safety zone
1 MARCH – The United Nations refugee agency today warned
against an overly hasty change in southern Serbia's ground safety
zone -- a buffer belt which separates Serbia proper from UN-administered
Kosovo.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the reduction
of the 5 kilometre-wide buffer zone must be accompanied by the
deployment of a sufficient number of international monitors, as
well as a set of confidence-building measures linked to political
and administrative reforms in the area. It said greatest importance
must be attached to the security and protection of the civilian
population in the zone itself, as well as in the adjacent towns
and villages.
UNHCR was reacting to a NATO announcement this
week of a "phased and conditioned withdrawal" from parts
of the safety zone established under a 1999 agreement between
NATO and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Ethnic Albanians account for 60 to 70 percent
of the some 100,000 people living in the buffer zone and adjacent
areas.
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