UNMIK/PR/656
PRESS RELEASE-16 Oct. 2001

IAC Discusses Flag regulation, Assembly structure and Euro
 

PRISTINA -  The shape of the future Kosovo Assembly was further unveiled today at the Interim Administrative Council, where a draft regulation on official flags was introduced and a briefing on the Assembly administration was given.

Acting SRSG Tom Koenigs introduced the draft regulation on the policy of  flags on or in official buildings. He intends that the regulation, once discussed by IAC members, will be promulgated before the 17 November elections.

Also addressing the IAC was the former administrator of the German Bundestag, Mr. Rudolph Kabel, who described the administrative structure which will underpin the Kosovo Assembly. UNMIK intends the structure to be put in place by the first Assembly meeting tentatively set for 25 November.

Mr. Kabel and three other experts have been setting up an administrative structure that resembles those of Western European parliaments. Of course, Mr. Koenigs pointed out, the new Assembly may want to change the structure at some later date. But members will need extensive administrative support for the first weeks and months.

The same group of experts is working on the Assembly rules of procedure which will be introduced to the IAC next week.

At the suggestion of Mr. Ramush Haradinaj, the expert group will be joined by representatives of the IAC members, who can participate and learn from the ongoing exercise.

The flag regulation was introduced now, so that it will be resolved before the first Assembly meeting, Mr. Koenigs said. In some municipalities, the issue of what flags could be erected on or in municipal buildings held up assemblies' work for months last year.

The draft regulation states that "only the flags, symbols and emblems of the United Nations and those that are duly authorized by UNMIK may be displayed or used in public places in Kosovo, or on public buildings used by the Interim Administration, including the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government and municipalities, as well as in official documents and correspondence."

That means that only the UN flag may be placed on the tops of public buildings, except in the case of municipal buildings, where an authorized municipal flag may also be displayed.

At the entrance to public buildings, only the UN flag and the authorized flags of communities represented in the Assembly can be erected. Or, or in the case of municipalities, the UN flag and an authorized municipal flag as well as authorized flags of communities represented in the municipality concerned may be displayed. The same rule goes for inside public buildings.

The background to this regulation lies in the Constitutional Framework, which said that the issue of symbols for the provisional institutions should be decided by UNMIK regulation, Mr. Koenigs said.

If there is a dispute over the use of community flags, then only the UN flag will be flown until the SRSG or Municipal Administrator makes a determination on the matter.  A municipality may adopt its own municipal flag, as has Vushtrii/Vuciturn, provided that it doesn't contain elements that could be perceived as offensive or provocative to certain communities.

The draft regulation places no restraints on a community's use of flags in connection with cultural, sporting, private or other non-political activities, provided the flag used is not objectionable, offensive or provocative to other communities or groups.

Asked why so many regulations are being promulgated before the Assembly meets, Mr. Koenigs said that it had been generally agreed that many rules concerning the Assembly should be in place now, although they can be changed later by vote of the Assembly. Also, he said that normally when new governments are formed, it can take several months before any legislation is produced, and several  issues facing Kosovo need to be regulated now.
These include the labor law,  and laws on pensions  and driving licenses, all to be promulgated this week.

Regarding the Euro, Pillar IV head Andy Bearpark said that arrangements have been made so that the Euro will be available throughout Kosovo including enclaves. He encouraged politicians to mention the Euro in their ongoing election campaigns to help prepare the public for the exchange, set for next year.

Mr. Bearpark said that all Euro notes in Kosovo will be identical to those used around Europe, but that coins of various countries would have one side with a national symbol. In the case of Kosovo, the first coins brought here will bear the German symbol. Later, coins of any country will be legal tender. For those residents with money in Belgrade banks, arrangements for exchange will also be made. No one will be disadvantaged due to the location of their bank account.

On the subject of European integration, Mr. Bearpark said that he would represent Kosovo in the Consultative Task Force, -- a series of meeting between the European Commission and states aspiring to join the European Union, an exercise that takes years. Currently the legal relationship on this task force is between the European Commission and the FRY. However Mr. Bearpark said that the European Commission has allowed Kosovo also to sit in on the process, and that Kosovo leaders would attend the meetings after the elections.
The IAC will hold a special meeting on 14 November to discuss the work of the task force with a European Commission team coming to Kosovo.

In other business, LDK member Kole Berisha asked for information on the six Kosovo Police Service officers who were detained by the Yugoslav Army after they crossed into Montenegro last Thursday. Mr. Koenigs answered that a thorough investigation was underway, and that the police had made a mistake by crossing the boundary line without authorization. They were freed after intensive activity by KFOR and UNMIK, he said. UNMIK is looking into allegations of mistreatment of some of the officers while they were detained and will give a more definitive statement once all details are known, he said.