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UNMIK-UNMIK Police-KFOR-OSCE Press Briefing, 5 November 2001 UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel
SRSG in Belgrade Today Mr. Haekkerup is today in Belgrade where he will work with Belgrade authorities to fine tune the language on the Common Document which he intends to issue with Mr. Covic. The Common Document basically reaffirms principles already contained in Resolution 1244 and the Constitutional Framework, regarding the rights of Kosovo Serbs and the obligations that we have towards Kosovo Serbs. It reaffirms our commitments to improving conditions for Kosovo Serbs and other non-Albanians. Mr. Haekkerup will meet with the IAC upon his return, and will give a press briefing. We can't predict the time now, but imagine it will be between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and that it will be in room C 301 back in the Government building. The IAC will hold its regular meeting tomorrow. On the agenda are several draft regulations including one on pensions and 1.Presentation of the draft regulation on the Use of written records of interviews conducted by Law enforcement authorities in criminal proceedings by OLA. 2.Presentation of the draft regulation on the Assembly elections in Kosovo by Pillar III. 3.Endorsement of The rules of procedure are not yet ready for presentation. UNMIK has been discussing them with KA leaders who are not yet in agreement with the text. New PDSRSG Stiff Prison Terms for Murder From the judiciary, stiff prison sentences were handed down recently regarding the murder of Hafir Zeqiri. As you know we have removed the death penalty from the applicable law in Kosovo and increased the possible prison terms from 20 to 40 years. In this case, defendants Magbule Zeqiri and Avdullah Lohaj and Njazi Lohah have been sentenced to 35 years in prison -each--for killing Hafir Zeqiri in a premeditated fashion on June 19 2001. Also from the Department of Justice, on Friday, two Kosovo Serb prisoners were found not guilty of war crimes by a panel of two international and one K. Albanian judge. The trial had begun on 16 October in the Mitrovica District Court. The accused were indicted for participation in a gathering that caused violence, unlawful detention, and grave bodily injury to a group of K. Albanians. Neither of the injured parties who testified on 2 November was able to recognise the defendants. Jovanovic was detained on 31 January 2000 and Misic was detained on 1 March 2000.
Prostitution Enforcement On 30 October UNMIK Police conducted a search at the VIVA Club in Pristina. The operation was planned due to information being received that the business was being used for prostitution. One person was arrested for involvement in supplying women for prostitution. Following the police action an application was successfully made to obtain a court order to close the business. On 2 November Police enforced the order, and closed the Viva Club permanently. Also in Pristina, on 5 November Police acted on information received concerning prostitution at the Egzotika Club. Upon entering the business eight foreign women were found working as employees. All were removed for interview and the male owner of the business was arrested. We are pleased that, increasingly, we are receiving information from the public about this type of crime. Court orders to permanently shut such businesses will be sought where the information leads to firm evidence. Family Murder On Friday, 2 November, UNMIK Police were called to deal with a particularly tragic incident in the village of Rakos, near Pec/Peja. A 17-year-old K-Albanian female had decided to leave home to live with her boyfriend. The decision had led to a family argument. The young girl left and moved in with her boyfriend. Later in the day a 24-year-old male broke into the boyfriends home and shot the girl to death in front of the family. We have arrested her brother for murder. Explosion in Obilic At about 6:30 PM on the 2nd November at Krushevc village in Obilic, an unidentified explosive device was thrown into the front garden of a house. It exploded close to the house, causing broken windows but no injuries. The occupant of the house is the President of the Obilic municipality and a local leader of the LDK party. The case is under investigation. Arrest of TMK Sentry On 3 November at 1 PM in the afternoon, a driver parked his car outside the TMK barracks located in the center of Pristina. The sentry on duty challenged him. A verbal dispute developed which led to the sentry discharging a number of rounds from his Kalashnikov rifle. Some shots were fired in the air and then at the victims Volkswagen Golf. No persons were injured. KFOR immediately attended the scene and secured the area. UNMIK Police investigated the shooting and arrested a 21-year-old K-Albanian male member of the TMK at the base. We have recovered the weapon. The guard is held on a charge of attempted murder. Election Campaign The election campaign has continued with an increasing number of rallies and meetings. Last week we recorded 95 election events across Kosovo, to which almost 21,000 persons attended. Only three serious incidents have been noted. On the 30 October in Podujevo, police arrested a K-Albanian male at an LDK political rally for being in possession of a sub-machine gun. The gun was concealed on his person and no attempt was made to use it or to threaten anyone. It was noticed by police who then arrested the man and seized the gun without incident. In Vucitrn on 31 October a violation of the criminal law and the election rules occurred at a political rally being held by the AAK party. UNMIK Police was monitoring the event when their attention was drawn to two persons wearing pistols. Police approached the suspects and requested identification and their weapons cards. It is alleged that the President of the AAK party, Mr. Haradinaj, intervened to prevent the men from identifying themselves and showing their weapons cards. The case has been referred to the Regional Investigation Unit for consideration of charges against Mr. Haradinaj and the two men. On 4 November in the village of Llanjani, near Gnjilane, a 21-year-old K-Albanian male was stabbed at a political rally being held by the LDK party. The stabbing occurred when three other K-Albanian men confronted the man, one of whom produced a knife and attacked the victim. The victim is in stable condition and should recover. A 30-year-old K-Albanian male has been arrested. Nothing yet suggests that this attack was related to the political rally. Dangerous Driving --- The Real Danger in Kosovo Each week we focus our attention on the number of criminal incidents across Kosovo. We are obsessed with every murder and every act of violence. It must be pointed out that the greatest danger in Kosovo is not a Kalashnikov in the hands of a criminal, it is a Volkswagen Golf being driven with a total disregard for safety or respect. Last week alone there were 36 road traffic accidents, leading to one dead and 49 persons being injured. If we had 49 persons shot in a week there would be uproar of concern, but when these casualties arise from vehicles being used as weapons, we are unconcerned.
On Elections We are encouraged by the positive statements regarding K-Serb participation in the elections on 17th November and we wish to reiterate that we hope that all Kosovar communities will participate fully in the democratic process: by voting in the first instance and then by playing an active and positive role in the New Assembly. Operation in MNB ( C ) The security situation remains very quiet. Last week KFOR carried out a combined search operation over a two-day period in the Multinational Brigade Centre's area of responsibility. The operation proved a success. Over 500 vehicles and 50 buildings were searched in a well-coordinated exercise that involved troops from outside the Brigades area. KFOR will be carrying more of this type of intensive search campaign, using combined units from across Kosovo in the coming weeks. This type of operation will help us to maintain a safe and secure environment and is an important element of our fight against extremists. We will ensure that Kosovo is not a safe haven for extremists. We ask Kosovars to be supportive of our actions and patient with the patrols, who will carryout their duties as quickly and as sensitively as possible to avoid inconvenience to the general public. Last week KFOR soldiers confiscated 14 rifles, 3 shotguns, 6 pistols, 3 grenades and over 4000 rounds of ammunition. EOD KFOR Explosive Ordnance Disposal experts responded to 5 separate incidents involving hand grenades last week. We would like to advise people that if they find and type of explosive device they should leave it were it is and contact KFOR, UNMIK-Police or the KPS. Do not touch it. There was a case last week when young children found a grenade near Gede. They picked it up and took it to the Mayor. I am sure he was very grateful for that. Fortunately, he then contacted KFOR, who removed the grenade for disposal. Illegal Entry Last week, Tuesday and Wednesday of there was an increase in the number of people attempting to enter Kosovo illegally from Albania. KFOR soldiers made 13 arrests in 2 days. KFOR are continuing to closely monitor Kosovo's borders with Albanian and the FYROM. We are working with the authorities of both countries to prevent Kosovo being used as a route for smuggling. Drug Seizure Finally, our support to UNMIK Police is continuing to reap rewards as a Crabinieri-led MSU patrol arrested two K-Albanian men for the illegal possession of drugs after finding 200g of hashish and 115g of cocaine during a house search on Thursday.
Election --- MOU We are very pleased to have the encouragement of the Belgrade authorities, to get the Serbian community to participate in the upcoming election. But as I think everyone is aware the technical issues still need to be finalised. The Ambassador has been in Belgrade since Friday - and after intense negotiations over the weekend we are close to agreement on technical issues which will allow us to start the intense work of preparations. OSCE teams are in Serbia proper ready to start immediately the agreement is signed. We are confident that the process - which will be very similar to that operating in Kosovo - will be fraud free. But unlike in Kosovo, we will not be trying to encourage people to vote - that will be the job of the commissariat for refugees along with our implementing partner, IOM. It is going to be a huge job, with just 12 days to go, but we do think it will be manageable. HoM Everts The Ambassador will be heading straight to Brussels after leaving Belgrade, where he will be briefing the European Union about the election preparations. He will then be going to Vienna, where he will brief the OSCE's governing body, the Permanent Council, on the preparations. Briefings Tomorrow we will be having our regular election briefing at noon in the OSCE headquarters. There'll be a press advisory on this later today. This will be the last of our regular briefings. As of the weekend we will be holding daily briefings in the election media centre - which is in the same location as last year. A schedule with the briefings will be issued later this week.
SM: What we are hoping for is a common document. He has not yet met with IAC members about it. SRSG wanted to wait until he had a finished document so he will be meeting with them this afternoon. We are extremely pleased with the decision by both Serbian and Yugoslav governments to endorse Kosovo Serb participation in the elections but you know that the voting is an individual choice and it is up to the Kosovo Serbs themselves, each and everyone of them, to decide to vote. But this endorsement is, of course, a great boost in this direction. Q: Does this mean that after meeting IAC, this document can be changed? SM: The document is going to be an issue between Mr. Haekkerup and Mr. Covic. The document is about our commitments under 1244 and other legislation towards the Kosovo Serbs. There is nothing in this document that would cause any problems for any Kosovo Albanians, for any Kosovo Serbs. This is a declaration of intent. This is showing that we are reaffirming our commitment to uphold the principles of 1244 and to try to improve the conditions of living for Kosovo Serbs. To declare our commitment to improving the conditions. This is not changing in any way, any of the principles, any of the legislation that currently rules Kosovo. Q: Question for KFOR. Did you reinforce the forces on the ground for the elections? DS: Yes, we have additional seven companies that are already in place
for the election period. Q: Can we have the document? SM: I am sure when Mr. Haekkerup brings it, you can. Q: Susan, do you think that 1244 has been respected in Kosovo? SM: You have to be more specific. We are always working on upholding 1244 and … Q: Is every regulation in Kosovo respected? SM: I don't know how to answer that. I would have to see it in front of me, but when I say that this document reaffirms the principles of 1244, I am talking about the obligations in 1244 towards ensuring a decent life for everyone in Kosovo. So in terms of conditions for non-Albanians, those conditions have not been good. Now, is that a violation of 1244 or is it a fact that we have very bad situation that we are constantly trying to improve. I wouldn't say 1244 is violated but I would say it is not fully in practice in terms of human rights for everyone. Q: Is it in the 1244 that enclaves can be created in Kosovo? SM: Well, the enclaves happened by circumstances. And no, of course not. 1244 is a very general document. There is nothing against enclaves in it, but we have always said that we will not accept parallel structures and that principle has been a strong guiding principle in these talks with Belgrade that there will be no parallel structures. Q: Is it true that the Serb government asked for Serb president in Kosovo? SM: No, there is no mention, and there was no mention of a president. Q: Was it agreed that Kosovo would be under Yugoslav and Serbian government? SM: I am not going to go into the details of the document because it is not done, and you will get the document if it is done today. I saw in the press talks about co-president, but it was never even mentioned. Q: Koha Ditore carried a story on pipes carrying illegal fuel. What is UNMIK Police doing to stop it? DC: We are aware of those pipes. In fact I think you will find that
most of them are now removed. Whether they have been removed because of
the onset of winter, which makes the transport of diesel though the pipes
difficult or whether they have been removed because of Koha Ditore's
article, I am not sure. If they have been removed because of the
journalism in Koha Ditore, then I would recommend them to do articles on
prostitution, drugs and other criminal matters. But I can deal with the
issue of pipeline. Firstly the source of the diesel is in the buffer zone
between Montenegro and Kosovo. Several officers from my office went to the
border and they have observed the actual site. It is not within Kosovo, it
is in the buffer zone. That is not an area that UNMIK Police normally
patrols. The vehicles that offload the diesel are actually on the
Montenegro side of the border. So therefor we have no access to them to
control what they are doing. The pipelines that you are talking about, it
is not a pipeline in the sense that you may think of a commercial
pipeline, it is more like plumbing pipe, PVC plastic plumbing pipe. It
runs from inside Montenegro through the countryside down a slope of the
mountain to a very rural part of Kosovo. We have been aware of those
pipes, the problem is what we do of them. If we simply cut them then we
create a massive ecological problem with thousands and thousands litters
of diesel pumping out on the side of the mountain. What we have been dong
is plugging the pipeline. When we plug one pipeline, they lay another some
days later. The location, through which the pipeline runs, is in a very
rural area. It is a village in a very rural area and they know when the
police is there. It is physically impossible for us to sit there 24 hours
a day waiting for a vehicle to come. If we were to do so, our presence
would be noticed and nobody would come. The final point that I want to
make is that this is not a police matter. We are actually interdicting a
lot of the smuggling via the trials that come through the Klina pass, our
officers are actually on some of these trails and we have seized drugs,
alcohol, weapons from people bringing them across from Montenegro.
Bringing the diesel into Kosovo is not a criminal offence. They are
evading the tax. It is a customs matter Q: Customs say they can only supervise roads, not countryside; so they
say it is police's problem - who is in charge? Q: But the end is in the village in Kosovo. DC: That is correct, and where we found those pipes our officers have been blocking them. These pipes are parts of plastic tubes that have been assembled to cover kilometers of distance down a side of the mountain. We have been physically blocking these pipes to prevent them being used for smuggling. One the pipe is blocked, they come back several nights later and lay another trail of pipe. When we find that, we block that. They lay another trial of pipe. Q: But they aren't cut. Does that mean you are OK'ing it? DC: I think that maybe we are overstating the problem. We are talking about thin pipes, the sort of thing you may have in your house for plumbing so we are not talking about massive amounts of diesel being smuggled in. And as I said with onset of winter these pipes are no longer there. Q: Why is there a buffer zone in Montenegro? Wasn't there an agreement that the buffer zone was removed? DS: I think you'll find that the buffer zone was created at the start of 1244. And covers the whole of the boundary. I think what Derek is saying is that the buffer zone is still there but that area is actually part of Montenegro and not part of Kosovo. I don't know the exact location of the buffer zone, where they start and where it finishes. From what Derek has been saying the pipes we are talking about start in Montenegro and not within….
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