|
UNMIK/PR/606 Refugees and Party Registration on IAC Agenda The Interim Administrative Council today discussed technical amendments to the political party registration regulation of last year and were briefed on the situation of the 70,000 refugees in Kosovo from FYROM. During the discussions on the registration amendments, one Kosovo representative suggested that judges, prosecutors, police officers and members of the Kosovo Protection Corps not be allowed to belong to political parties. However the majority on the IAC agreed with international representatives that any resident of Kosovo should enjoy party membership, but that those in police, justice or the KPC should not be on the executive boards of parties, as the regulation states. Several suggestions were put forward by IAC members on changes to the regulation, including the Kosovo Serb concern that no mention had been made of the agreement by UNMIK that parties previously registered in Serbia or Yugoslavia should not have to re-register in Kosovo, although they must still be certified . The SRSG said that the Serb parties would be treated in the same way as Kosovar parties which were already registered for last year's municipal elections, that is they would address the Central Election Commission and would not have to register again. SRSG Haekkerup introduced the meeting by noting that court proceedings had begun only minutes earlier in the war crimes case against Slobodan Milosevic in the Hague. "It's very important to establish the truth of what happened in Kosovo," Mr. Haekkerup said. "I hope this will contribute to the beginning of dialogue between the communities here in Kosovo." He also made reference to the so-called "black list," published in connection with US President Bush's decree on freezing assets of people associated with the National Liberation Army in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. "It is serious that these persons are being blacklisted by the United states of America," Mr. Haekkerup said. In the regular KFOR security briefing, Col. Anthony Biggs noted that Operation Eagle-KFOR's Kosovo-wide effort to intensify interdiction of support to the NLA and related activities, had yielded a number of weapons caches. Ninety-five suspected NLA members were intercepted this week. "Kosovo remains calm with no overt demonstration of support for FYROM activists," he said. Two incidents had occurred over the past week with possible connections to the elections, he noted, citing the shooting of LDK member Sami Maraj of Istok, and the bomb found outside the Pristina apartment of PDK official Fatmir Limaj. Col. Biggs also noted that the continuing arson attacks against abandoned Serb property particularly in the Vitina and Gnjilane area "literally undermine the confidence of Kosovo Serbs waiting to return and reflect negatively on the international community's perception of Kosovo Society. A suggestion came from LDK's Kole Berisha that the IAC condemn the two incidences which seemed to be acts of political violence. "All the political parties and the international community strongly condemn those behind the violence," SRSG Haekkerup told media later. "All agreed that people with knowledge of these acts should come forward and tell the police." The PDK's Hajredin Kuci said that leaders needed to "convince people that it is not weakness or betrayal to inform to our police. In the past, someone who informed police was considered a traitor. Now it s a contribution to the community and personal security." Regarding the FYROM refugees, UNHCR chief Lennart Kostalainen said that 4,000 have returned home; that all of the remaining 70,000 are living with host families, with a high concentration in Gnjilane and Prizren areas. So far food aid is provided to the refugees but not host families, although each host family will get 40 DM a month from the Red Cross and UNHCR in the near future, and 20 percent of the families will get additional support, based on need. The municipalities are actively involved in assistance to refugees and host families, he said, adding that UNHCR is prepared should there be much larger influxes. So far, there has not been a noticeable negative effect on minority communities, he said,. The US had donated $5 million to refugee relief and other donations were expected, he said. Regarding a crucial bridge on the Pristina-Peja/Pec road that was
destroyed during the air strikes, EU head Andy Bearpark said that
the World Bank had awarded a tender for reconstruction, which would begin
in several months. IAC members urged him to press for a speedier
rebuilding, as driving on the route could be held up for hours at the
bridge bypass.
|