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UNMIK-KFOR-UNMIK Police-UNHCR Press briefing, 19 March 2001 UNMIK Spokesman, Michael Keats UNMIK Spokesman, Michael Keats SRSG The SRSG is in Washington today after his address to the Security Council Friday - which of course you have seen. PDSRSG The Principal Deputy, Mr. Gary Mathews, met the leader of the Federal
Committee for northern Kosovo Mr. Trajkovic this morning in the continuing
round of negotiations on Mitrovica. The Regional Administrator Mr.
Anthony Welch also meet Mr. Trajkovic later today. I remind you of the visit to Kosovo tomorrow of the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. Igor Ivanov, who will be meeting the media at 3: 00 PM at the Russian contingent HQ at Slatina. Any journalist wishing to attend must have registered with the UNMIK press office by NOON today… We are laying on a press bus which will leave the government building at 2.00 PM. Anyone who has not registered will not be allowed on the bus nor indeed be allowed at the site. FRY Amnesty Law Another 15 Kosovo Albanians, who were released from detention in Serbia, arrived in Pristina at the weekend and were greeted by family and friends at the ICRC office. This brings to 175 the number of detainees released under the Fry Amnesty law. Power situation The power situation in Kosovo has been fairly stable. Units A3 and A4 are producing 100 megawatts and the B2 unit, which was taken down for minor repairs on Saturday, is expected to be back in operation later today. Imposts from Montenegro of 100 megawatts of electricity and from Bulgaria 140 megawatts have boosted power supplies. Border crossings with FYROM As regards the problems at border crossings with FYROM, due to the
continued fighting between FYROM government forces and Albanian
extremists, the situation continues to affect the operations of UNMIK and
other UN and international organizations. The uninterrupted supply
of fuel, food and essential medical supplies remains a concern for all of
us. Some basic goods are getting to Kosovo via alternative routes,
but there are significant delays. Of bigger concern is the delay in medical supplies… Pristina hospital now has only two days of oxygen supplies left and we are looking into getting emergency supplies to them as a matter of priority. The fuel position is also a concern as although we have imposed rationing on UN organizations, there is a need for greater supplies to reach Kosovo to keep the territory's capacity to generate electricity up to normal. Change in the agenda Starting from this week on, the press briefings will be held twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays instead of the former three times a week mode. Therefore, the next Press Briefing will be held on Thursday at 11.30. In the meantime, you can always address your questions to the press office. UNHCR Spokeswoman Astrid Van Genderen Stort FYROM update The situation in the past 36 hours in FYROM has continued to be tense, with further fighting in the Tetovo and Crna Gora regions of Northern and Western FYROM. Population movement from and to Tetovo by both ethnic groups continues with no firm figures. However, the estimated number of residents who may have temporarily relocated to other areas (hosts and relatives) varies from as low as 500 to as high as 2,000 (according to the Ministry of Interior sources). Total population of TETOVO and sounding areas in the Western region stands at 200,000 and it is difficult to verify given the ebb and flow of road traffic during the day and night. Daily visits by those who may have relocated and other commuters make it very difficult to gauge the extent of a movement by highly independent and mobile urban residents. Nevertheless, accurate figures could emerge through the vulnerability/social institutions assessment that is being undertaken now by ICRC/IFRC. Arrivals in Kosovo On Saturday night 480 individuals with Macedonian ID's were reported crossing into Kosovo thru Morina border crossing (Kukkes). Reportedly, the first group of approx. 280 persons crossed in private vehicles while the others travelled in five buses. Relatives and friends were waiting for them. None of these arrivals have approached UNHCR and requested assistance. No new arrivals were reported in other areas so far. Arrivals in Albania Over the past three days UNHCR Albania reported the arrival of over
1600 individuals with Macedonian passport across three border crossing
point (Qafe Thane, Bllate and Tushemist). There was a reportedly
significant decrease yesterday in new arrivals. Most of the people that
arrived were women and children and they had the intention to travel
onwards to Kosovo or to remain in Albanian with relatives and friends.
None of the new arrivals have registered with the government of UNHCR and
most of the ones that were interviewed by our teams at the border hoped to
return home as soon as the fighting was over. Most of the arrivals were
from Tetovo, Gostivar, Kercovo, Ohrid, and Skopje. UNHCR does not view the current situation as a new refugee crisis. All those people displaced by the present fighting have expressed the wish to return as soon as possible. They have mainly left the area in order to avoid the current fighting and no one has expressed any fear of persecution. KFOR, Spokesman Richard Heffer In a nutshell, over the past 24 hours, KFOR has continued its usual operations within Kosovo and continues to conduct a high level of military activity along with FYROM-Kosovo border, as some of you will have seen during the media event yesterday. UNMIK Police Spokesman, Derek Chappell A joint UNMIK-KFOR Initiative In a short-term future, you will be seeing a major imitative being undertaken by KFOR, by the UNMIK Police and by the Kosovo Police Service towards raising a profile of the criminal activity in Pristina. To introduce this campaign, I have a statement that is being issued under the joint names of Brigadier Rollo, Multi National Brigade Center and Superintendent O'Donnell, the Regional Commander of Pristina region. So I read the statement under both of their names: "The future of Kosovo is in the hands of its people. Our mission is to oversee the developments of peace so that the process of building that future may begin. This process will take time and a combined vision, determination and support of all communities. That future is one of a pluralist, tolerant society where all communities can agree to disagree without resorting to violence. It is a society that does not require private citizens to carry weapons. It is a society where the police act with the consent and the support of the people they serve. We do not underestimate the challenges to be overcome to make this future possible. Crime is one of those challenges. Criminal acts whether committed by
organized cartels or by individuals are a direct threat to the stability
and the development of Kosovo. Crime prevents economic development. For
growth, there must be a natural flow of cash through an economy to
generate taxation and profits for the state and for the individual. Crime
diverts the funds that Kosovo needs for development and deprive
self-fulfilling ends. The support of the international community for this
province is essential. However, all too often a profile of Kosovo to the
world is one of the havens for organized crime and a society of violence
and fear. These images are the direct results of criminals acting within
their own community, corrupt international confidence in the resolve of
the Kosovars to meet the challenges of building a future. Crime (…)
creates a climate of fear and mistrust. It divides people by eroding their
confidences in their communities and institutions. It therefore robs the
people of the confidence they require to move forward. For us, to
establish a meaningful peace, there must be recognition by Kosovars that
criminals are the enemies of their future. There must be an end to the
past of acceptance of being victimized. No one needs to be a victim. Every
resident of Kosovo must understand that they have rights and duties. They
are intimately linked. You have the right to safety and security but you
have a responsibility to support the police and your fellow citizens. You
will soon see informations in your media and at your homes. It will
encourage you to support KFOR, the UNMIK Police and the KPS in giving you
the freedom to build your future by refusing to be victims and by
confidentially reporting crime. We would ask that you support this project
for yourself, for your children and for your
future" Further to that statement by Brigadier Rollo and Superintendent
O'Donnell I can give you some details of what this campaign will involve.
This will be a joint operation between KFOR, the UNMIK Police and Kosovo
Police Service within certain areas of Pristina. Each information sheet will contain a form that can be completed anonymously and handed to any police officer or soldier. Information about crime, suspicious persons or behaviour, and concerns about local crime can be passed on without identification. There will be a series of these information sheets, each one personally distributed in a sequence over 6 months to every residence in these selected area. Each sheet will deliver a new message that will build upon the last one in a carefully designed campaign to raise public awareness and empowerment. This campaign is a huge undertaking. It will involve 3,000 British soldiers of MNB Centre, acting with UNMIK Police and KPS officers over a six-month period. Part of the campaign is the thousands of personal visits and personal contacts that this will create between KFOR, the police, and the community. This truly is an example of KFOR and UNMIK Police building the foundations of community-based policing, of building community awareness and solidarity. We will advise you of the results of this campaign over the next 6 months. Kosovo Police School Spokesman Probably the most important contribution that we, as International Police, can make towards the future of Kosovo, is the development of a professional, democratic Kosovo Police Service that will act for all citizens and with the support of all citizens long after we are gone. In every branch of the UNMIK Police, steps are being taken to draft KPS officers into the various specialist units, and to develop their talents and skills required for them to ultimately operate independently. In the UNMIK Police Press Office, we have recognized that an essential part of developing the KPS is giving them their own voice. The KPS need to talk directly to the people they police. They need to develop their own identity instead of always talking through the International presence. I am very pleased to announce that, after a lengthy process, we have selected Officer Behar SELIMI of the KPS to act as the spokesperson for the Kosovo Police Service. Behar Selimi is a 32 year-old officer who joined the KPS in 1999. He was an officer with the previous Kosovo police from 1988 to 1990. He has an education in law from the Faculty of Law in Pristina. He is fluent in English, Albanian, and Serbian. Since his graduation from the KPS Academy, his peers and colleagues for his initiative, his professionalism, and his leadership have recognized Officer Selimi. It is a pleasure to have him working in our office. Eventually, we plan to develop a KPS media liaison network with Media Officers in every region, able to speak directly to the local population and to the local media. Officer Selimi will be the head of this network. This network will be committed to openness, transparency, and
accountability, all essential requirements for the building of confidence,
not only in the KPS but also in the institution of policing.
Behar Selimi, KPS spokesman It is my pleasure and my responsibility if today I can introduce myself as KPS Spokesman. It is my pleasure if KPS, from now on, will have its voice and with your support my voice will be heard all over Kosovo and further on. It means that KPS recognizes the public right to have access to informations of public interest. This does not jeopardize the rights of each individual nor impede the prosecution of the offender nor impede the law enforcement process. So I will have the responsibility to be the voice of activities completed by around 4,000 police officers who are being trained and are serving all around Kosovo. With your support and through me, KPS will be closer, connected with citizens. In this case, citizens will be informed in time and will be take part in improving their safety and environment. I will be happy if I would be a spokesman of the institution that will serve not force nor impose. I will count everyday on your support because we are on a process like a lot of institutions in Kosovo. Thank you very much. (Applause) Drug Seizure in Pristina On March the 17th, as a result of complaints from the public, police
were called to a location in the Station 3 area where they found three
male persons in a vehicle. A search resulted in the arrest of all
three persons and the seizure of seven bundles of illegal drugs believed
to be hashish and 3.5 grams of heroin. Following last week's item in which I reported on the major heroin
seizure in Gnjiliane and following a very recent seizure of LSD in
Pec/Peha, this incident highlights the unnoticed problems of domestic drug
abuse. It also shows the growing willingness of the public to call
on the police for assistance. As an overview of the last week, no murder cases were recorded as
compared to 3 in the week before. The 8 attempted murders and 1
kidnapping are almost exactly the same as the previous week. The 3
reported arsons are exactly the same number as in the week before, again
showing that serious crime is falling and stabilizing. Questions Q: Carl Bildt has been very strong about what is going in Macedonia, saying that it is causing huge impact and could have a big impact on NATO and is basically disagreeing with the view put forward by Lord Robertson that this was just a few gunmen in the hills and that this is not going to cause any great problems. Do you tend to agree with Carl Bildt that in fact this has a much bigger impact than NATO is claiming at the moment? RH: At my level, as a KFOR spokesman, it would be wrong to comment upon
any possible disagreement between Mr. Bildt and Lord Robertson, so perhaps
you should pass that question to NATO itself. I think it is a good
opportunity again to revisit the statement that the general has made about
our continued operations along the FYROM border. We do have increased
troop assets along the FYROM-Kosovo border. Those who went yesterday would
have seen the increased troop assets. If you do a quick trip along the
border from the chicken leg where Kosovo borders FYROM and the FRY
administrative boundary, we have sent further troops to that area. Around
the Debelde region, we have some 200 KFOR Multi National Brigade East
troops operating that area whenever Debelde is virtually opposite to
Tanushevci where the problems seem to have originated. Further long at the
Globocica and Blace crossing points, we have the KFOR Polish-Ukrainian
battalion. They are controlling the crossing points with the Greek Support
Unit. We also have patrolling in that area. But you must remember: all
this terrain is very difficult to operate in. There are mine fields that
we are still discovering that had an impact on the initial deployments of
new troops into that area. It is very wooded; some of these are very hilly
or mountainous. That's why while we have ground forces; we also have an
helicopter observation post. Again, as we said before, this is important
to emphasize, these are state-of-the-art helicopters that are able to pick
up movement over long distances, using their infrared, their flare
systems. MK: I have nothing to add to what Richard says, apart from pointing out that Lord Robertson's remarks were made some days ago and Carl Bildt's were made yesterday. So, again, I would go with what Richard says and maybe go back to NATO and see if they have changed their views. Q: We all know that you have tightened the borders between Kosovo and Macedonia. We all know that you let the Yugoslav forces to enter a part of the Ground Safety Zone and the triangle between Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia. In this case, and so far we understand that you going to let the Yugoslavs to enter the other parts of the Ground Safety Zone. In this case, aren't you afraid of any kind of clashes between you and the guerrilla groups in both territories like in Presevo valley and also at the Kosovo-Macedonia border? Because, as you have tightened the border, they cannot easily cross the border. RH: There is a couple of questions there. Let me check the Ground Safety Zone issue first. KFOR is looking at planning for the return of FRY forces into the Ground Safety Zone Alpha. That is very simple. Those who remember the map we gave you, along the border with Montenegro and the rest of Serbia, It is important to know that it would not include the Presevo Valley-Bujanovac area. That we have to see later on. There are conditions on this. Obviously, very simply, we would still be looking at the behaviour of the FRY forces within the areas that they have returned to. We will also look at that the FRY government (..)are making concrete efforts to improve the life of those ethnic Albanians where they are living and also that there are discussions between the local Albanian Representatives and those representing the Serbian government to start implementing the Covic plan. Q: Aren't you not afraid of clashes between the KFOR soldiers and the guerrilla groups, especially those who are trying to cross the border between Kosovo and Macedonia and between Kosovo and Presevo valley. RH: KFOR is here to provide a safe and secure environment for the people of Kosovo, but we will act against any illegal activity that occurs within Kosovo. As the General said after the involvement of the KFOR soldiers in the incidents of Tetovo, when - and it is important to realize that they were not deliberately targeted but yes they would seem to be involved in a cross fire between the ethnic Albanians extremist and the FYROM forces within Tetovo - that we will make sure that we will conduct self-defence measures. This will be proportional but proportionate to the threat, but we will act with determination.
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