UN Tribunal sentences
two Bosnian Croats for war crimes
31 Mar - The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today sentenced two Bosnian
Croats to 18 and 20 years in jail for crimes against humanity
against Muslims, including prisoners, during the civil war in
Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995.
The 20-year sentence for Mladen Naletilic,
56, was for eight counts of persecution on political, racial
and religious grounds, torture, unlawful labour, wilfully causing
great suffering or serious injury to body or health and unlawful
transfer of a civilian in the Mostar area.
Vinko Martinovic, 39, was sentenced to 18
years on nine counts, including persecutions on political, racial
and religious grounds, murder, unlawful labour and inhuman treatment.
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UN report confirms depleted
uranium from weapons found in Bosnia
25 March – The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
confirmed for the first time today that depleted uranium (DU)
from weapons used in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 and 1995
had contaminated a local supply of drinking water, but while
this did not present an immediate risk, the agency recommended
regular monitoring.
“These newest findings from UNEP's ongoing
post-conflict assessment work must not be seen as a cause for
alarm," Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said. "Nevertheless,
we recommend that precautions be taken and, in particular, that
ground and drinking water – at and near sites where the
presence of DU has been confirmed – be monitored regularly."
The UNEP report released in Sarajevo says
DU has contaminated local supplies of drinking water at one
site, and can still be found in dust particles suspended in
the air. But it notes that recorded contamination levels are
very low and do not present immediate radioactive or toxic risks
for the environment or human health.
The report's recommendations include covering
contamination points with asphalt or clean soil and investigating
all health claims. "The findings of this study stress again
the importance of appropriate clean-up and civil protection
measures in a post-conflict situation," Pekka Haavisto,
Chairman of the UNEP DU projects said. "We hope that this
work will play a role in protecting human health and the environment
in the unfortunate event of future conflicts."
The findings are consistent with previous
UNEP studies carried out in Kosovo in 2001 and in Serbia and
Montenegro last year. The UNEP team included representatives
from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In the health chapter of the report,
WHO concludes that, due to the lack of a proper cancer registry
and reporting system, claims of an increase in the rates of
adverse health effects stemming from DU cannot be substantiated.
The existing scientific data on uranium and DU health effects
indicate that it is highly unlikely that DU could be associated
with any of the reported health problems.
UN anti-drug agency
steps up fight against narcotics trafficking in Balkans
14 March United Nations officials and police
chiefs from seven Balkan countries have taken a further step
to enhance intelligence-based policing in the battle against
illegal narcotics trafficking through the region.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) yesterday
hosted the 2nd Steering Committee Meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria,
of its ongoing regional project, "Strengthening of Capacities
for the Collection and Analysis of Criminal Intelligence in
South-Eastern Europe."
The $2.2 million project, funded by the British
Government and Liechtenstein and launched in October 2001, seeks
to assist interior ministries in the region in using modern
intelligence-based policing methods to efficiently target key
criminal organizations in order to disrupt their operations.
The latest Opium Poppy Survey, published by
UNODC in October 2002, indicates a high level of opium cultivation
in Afghanistan, which might result in increased trafficking
of heroin in the Balkan Region. UNODC is running a range of
activities in Afghanistan and Central Asia aimed at strengthening
the capacity of countries there to monitor and interdict drug
trafficking. By virtue of its geographical position, southeastern
Europe remains pivotal to UNODC’s strategy.
The meeting was attended by criminal
police department chiefs and criminal intelligence experts from
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovenia.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina:
UN agency concerned by surge in returns deaths.
14 March - The killing of eight people returning to their pre-war
homes in Bosnia and Herzegovina has officials from the United
Nations refugee agency worried about the dangers returnees continue
to face.
The spokesman for the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) today said over the past two weeks, eight
people were killed and one wounded in a string of incidents
involving people returning to their pre-war homes.
Since the Dayton Peace Agreement ended the
war in the fall of 1995, nearly 1 million people have gone back
to the their homes – almost half of those uprooted by
the three-year conflict. “More than 390,000 of them have
gone to areas controlled by their former foes,” Rupert
Colville said.
The latest surge in returnee deaths, described
by UNHCR officials as the worst in years, began two weeks ago
when an elderly Bosniak man was killed and another wounded by
a booby trap as they tried to repair their home in Croat-controlled
west Mostar, Mr. Colville said. The same day, an ethnic Serb
returnee to a village outside Mostar was also wounded by a booby
trap hidden under a sack of grain.
In an accident at the start of this week,
an entire family of five was killed by a landmine in a field
near their home in northern Bosnia. Two days later, two brothers
aged seven and three were killed while playing with a hand grenade
they found in a barn.
Presidents of UN Tribunal,
General Assembly deplore Serb Premier's Assassination.
13 March - The United Nations International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today deplored
the assassination on Wednesday of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran
Djindjic, whose cooperation led to handing over ex-Yugoslav
leader Slobodan Milosevic to the UN court.
"(ICTY)
President Judge Theodor Meron expressed his shock and horror
at the tragic events in Belgrade, namely the despicable assassination
of the Prime Minister of Serbia, Zoran Djindjic," the Tribunal
said in a statement issued in The Hague. "Mr. Djindjic's
cooperation with the Tribunal brought international justice
closer to a region which saw terrible atrocities. His death
is a heavy blow to individual accountability for violations
of international humanitarian law and to the rule of law."
At the opening of the UN General Assembly
meeting today, Assembly President Jan Kavan of the Czech Republic
repeated the shock and sadness he <"http://www.un.org/ga/president/57/pages/news/news12-03-03-Assasination.htm">expressed
yesterday at Mr. Djindjic's assassination. "I feel personally
very strongly about this and share the pain caused by this cruel
act as Zoran was a friend of mine and a former fellow human
rights dissident," he said.
"I have worked with him when we were
both dissidents… and lastly when we were both in top government
positions (we) endeavoured to work for democratic Central Europe
as our contribution to better conditions in Europe and the world,"
Mr. Kavan said, adding that he perceived this deplorable act
as "a challenge to us all and as a reminder that we have
to continue to help to consolidate democratic forces throughout
the world."
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UN human rights chief
deplores assassination of Serbian prime minister.
12 March – Expressing “shock and outrage,”
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio
Vieira de Mello has added his voice to the condemnation throughout
the UN system of the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister
Zoran Djindjic.
Mr. De Mello stressed “the absolute
necessity of ridding Serbia of criminal and destructive influences.”
“This attack was also an assault on
the crucial process of democratic reform in Serbia and Montenegro,”
he in a statement Wednesday. "I recall that Mr. Djindjic
had the courage to be one of the first Serbian leaders to visit
Kosovo to demonstrate his concern for the situation of all people
living there at that traumatic time, as we were establishing
the United Nations presence there in July 1999. I was impressed
by his personal courage and democratic convictions.
“I deeply hope that the authorities
and the people of Serbia will stand firm at this wrenching moment,
and will re-affirm their commitment to the democratic progress
which is so vital for the future of the republic and the entire
region.”
Annan, UN 'shocked and
saddened' by Serb Premier's assassination.
12 Mar - Secretary General Kofi Annan and other officials throughout
the United Nations system today deplored the assassination of
Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and called for the perpetrators
to be brought to justice.
"The Secretary-General was shocked and
saddened this morning to learn of the assassination," spokesman
Fred Eckhard said in a statement.
He "deplores this act of political violence marring the
process of democratic normalization in Serbia and trusts that
the perpetrators of this crime will be brought to justice. He
extends his condolences to the Premier's family and to the people
of Serbia."
In Kosovo, the head of the UN Interim Administration
Mission (UNMIK), Michael Steiner, released a statement condemning
the "brutal act."
"I am deeply and personally shocked,"
Mr. Steiner said. "I condemn this attack, which is also
against the democratic process in Serbia. This was a brutal
act against a democratically elected head of government. I have
known and worked with Zoran Djindjic for the last decade and
held him in high personal esteem."
For their part, members of the Security Council
urged that the perpetrators of this "cowardly crime"
be brought to justice as quickly as possible. "As a leading
Serbian politician during the last decade he contributed enormously
to the democratization of his country," the 15-nation body
said in a press statement read by its President, Ambassador
Mamady Traoré of Guinea.
They also expressed their support for and
confidence in the people of Serbia "in this difficult time,"
the Council President said.
Meanwhile, General Assembly President Jan
Kavan of the Czech Republic expressed his shock and sadness
at the killing. "President Kavan deplores this violent
act against a democratically elected head of government,"
an Assembly spokesman said in a statement.
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Despite progress in
Kosovo, minorities still face discrimination, UN reports
11 March - Ethnic minorities in Kosovo continue to face security
problems and lack access to basic services despite the general
improvement of the situation in that country, a joint assessment
by the United Nations and a leading European organization has
revealed.
Kosovo's minorities lack access to education,
health services and equitable employment, stated a report issued
today by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The report says one key concern is primarily
the minority Serb and Roma populations, which find it harder
to move around freely and therefore to live normal lives in
Kosovo where ethnic Albanians are an overwhelming majority.
Despite three internationally supervised elections
in which the all residents chose their municipal and central
leaders, there has been no "fundamental" improvement
in the overall welfare of minority communities, the assessment
concluded. Consequently only a small number of minorities who
fled Kosovo in 1999 have returned.
UN to begin phased transfer
of responsibilities to local government.
7 March - The United Nations moved a step closer today to handing
over substantial responsibilities for autonomy in Kosovo to
the local government with the establishment of a transfer council.
The top UN official in Kosovo, Michael Steiner,
said the council would be a vehicle for the phased transfer
throughout the year of substantial responsibilities from the
UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to the Institutions
of Provisional Self Government.
“UNMIK is moving to strengthen Kosovo
institutions,” Mr. Steiner, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's
Special Representative, said at a joint press conference in
Pristina with Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi. “UNMIK
and the Government have agreed: substantial responsibilities
will be transferred in a phased process throughout this year.”
The Transfer Council, co-chaired by Mr. Steiner
and Mr. Rexhepi, will decide upon the means and timetable to
implement, coordinate, oversee and review the transfer process
and will hold its first meeting on 26 March.
The establishment of the council is in line with UN Security
Council resolution 1244 and UNMIK’s mandate to promote
the establishment, pending a final settlement, of substantial
autonomy and self-government in Kosovo, to ensure conditions
for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo.
Mr. Steiner noted the new responsibilities
would also raise the stakes. “Kosovo’s institutions
will have greater powers and face greater sanctions if they
abuse those powers,” he said. “I’m very happy
today because we created the Council, and the more authorities
you have, the more responsibilities you bear. I hope we are
on the path to be more efficient, in the interest of all Kosovo
citizens.”
UNMIK retains final authority as set out in
resolution1244 and will increase its focus on its core responsibilities,
in particular the protection of minority rights, the rule of
law and security and external relations. UNMIK will get tougher
on violations of minority rights, Mr. Steiner said.
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UN seeks to encourage
Serb refugees to return to Kosovo.
5 March - The senior United Nations envoy
in Kosovo sought to encourage Serb refugees to return home today
with a visit to a Serbian village that had once been in an area
of multi-ethnic coexistence but was left battered and empty
after the conflict with Kosovo Albanians in 1999.
Michael Steiner, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's
Special Representative, was accompanied by Kosovo Prime Minister
Bajram Rexhepi and a delegation from the donor community in
the visit to Sredska in Kosovo’s southern Zhupa Valley,
where some Serbs have already returned.
“We call upon all those who want to
return to do so, because as we saw for ourselves, they can return
and find a suitable environment,” Mr. Steiner said. “We
are creating these conditions.”
Several Serbs who returned in the past six
months accompanied the visitors on their tour and the group
discussed ways to make life better in Sredska and encourage
more returns.
“We are engaged for the return of all
citizens of Kosovo and for their good treatment,” Rexhepi
said. “Kosovo institutions, along with UNMIK (UN Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo), and UNHCR (UN High Commissioner
for Refugees) are committed to encouraging the population to
return to their homes in Kosovo.”
Zoran Stevanovic, 70, who returned to Sredska
five months ago, said the village still needs improvements in
such areas as health care, transportation and communication.
“It means a lot to us that the Prime Minister is here
because we expect a lot from them,” he said, adding that
he had good relations with Albanians in nearby villages, who
come to socialize on a regular basis.
Kosovo Albanian wanted
for war crimes transferred to UN Tribunal
4 March - A former commander in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)
indicted for war crimes was transferred from Slovenia to the
detention centre of the United Nations International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today.
Fatmir Limaj, 32, is scheduled to make his
initial appearance before the court tomorrow to enter a plea
on a total of nine counts of crimes against humanity and violations
of the laws or customs of war allegedly committed in 1998 in
the Lapusnik/Llapushnik Prison Camp in Kosovo.
The indictment, which also charges three others who worked at
the camp, alleges that Mr. Limaj held at least 35 Serb and Albanian
civilians “under conditions that were brutal and inhumane,
and routinely subjected them to physical and psychological abuse,
including torture and beatings.”
Mr. Limaj was arrested in Slovenia on 18 February.
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