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UNMIK- KFOR-UNMIK Police Press-UNHCR Briefing, 21 May 2001 UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel Susan Manuel Swedish Visit Mr. Hans Haekkerup is meeting today with the Swedish Minister of Defense Mr. Bjorn von Sydow. Fuel Board There will be a press briefing tomorrow to announce the establishment of the Fuel Supervisory Board. That is at 11am in Room C-301. The fuel supervisory board will regulate the import, distribution and sales of petroleum products in Kosovo. It will review current regulations and develop new ones in relation to the storage, distribution and sale of petrol, occupational health and safety and environmental factors and other matters related to fuel. University of Pristina Thursday on the 24th of May at 2p, the Department of Education will hold a press conference on the future of Pristina University and developments in issues such as improving the quality of the accreditation, the recognition of credit systems, certificates and mobility issues. They will also talk about the results of various congresses and summits that the University of Pristina has been attending. This will be in the Rectorate conference room of Pristina University at 2p on the 24th. Sqr. Ldr. Roy Brown Sector Bravo COMKFOR, Lieutenant General Skiaker, and the Commander of the FRY Joint Security Forces, Lieutenant General Ninoslav Krstic, met yesterday and signed the Notice of Intent regarding the re-entry of FRY forces into the remaining sector of the Ground Safety Zone. The re-entry of FRY, forces into Sector "Bravo" will follow the principles applied to the relaxation of all previous sectors, all of which have been conducted without incident. The FRY forces are to adhere to obligations that are laid out in COMKFOR´s notice of intent. NATO, KFOR and the EUMM will closely monitor the implementation of the return of FRY forces to this Sector, and the North Atlantic Council will remain seized of the issue. I should mention at this point& and COMKFOR is keen that you clearly understand& the relaxation of Sector Bravo does not signal the end of the GSZ. It remains in existence and COMKFOR will continue to exercise authority over it. KFOR is already making prudent preparations for the return of FRY
forces to Sector Bravo. We are working with the UNHCR to establish
reception centres for Internally displaced people, reinforcing the
Multinational Brigade East area of responsibility with units that have a
variety of military capabilities, and putting together a multinational
field medical team, which will be available, if required, to support the
UNHCR through the provision of medical aid to refugees. Derek Chappell Security Company Raid On Friday, May 18th, UNMIK Police in Pec/Peja conducted an operation against Jaguar Security. A Team of 16 Regional Investigation officers, supported by the Spanish Special Police Unit and Italian KFOR, secured two locations containing offices of this company, which has been operating illegally in contravention of an order to close the business. With
Numerous companies have formed throughout Kosovo, each competing to provide protection and security to businesses and individuals. In the absence of any means of regulation or control, the activities of these firms have often involved intimidation, fear and insecurity. UNMIK now has a process by which security companies can be licensed and controlled as legitimate businesses, to genuinely serve the people of Kosovo and not their own interests. While most unlicensed companies have complied and ceased business, some have refused to do so and continue to operate, in violation of the law. UNMIK Police will be acting against these businesses, not only to enforce compliance with the law but in the interest of the safety and the security of the community. Shoban Manha Case In July of 2000 Shoban Mahna, prominent LDK official of Klina, disappeared. A burned body was later found and identified as that of Mr. Mahna. UNMIK Police began an investigation that resulted in the arrest of 10 suspects in February. An international judge was appointed to oversee that investigation. All 10 suspects were held in custody until 2 weeks ago when 4 were released and 6 were charged. In a new and positive development in this case, UNMIK Police located 3 persons on May 17 who had earlier been identified as suspects in this murder. All 3 were arrested in the town of Klina. The international judge has reviewed the case against these 3 and 2 persons have been released. The remaining suspect is being held in custody. At present, we have a total of 7 Kosovar Albanian persons in custody and the files are in the hands of the international judge. High profile cases such as these always result in demands for swift resolution however; complex investigations require time, and persistence to achieve success. Release of Blockages in Mitrovica In North Mitrovica a decision was made on Saturday by the Crisis Committee to remove the barricades that had been placed on roads in the region. These barricades had prevented UNMIK Police from providing policing services to the people residing north of the Ibar River. With effect from 6p, on Saturday evening UNMIK Police have resumed a full patrol function throughout the north. The presence of civil police in a patrol and investigative capacity benefits all persons regardless of ethnicity. One of the first incidents to which we responded after resuming the patrol was the burglary of a Serbian mans home. We welcome the statement from the Crisis Committee that they hope for close cooperation in the future. Overview Looking back on the last week, 2 murder cases were recoded as compared with 4 in the week before. There were no attempted murders and the 3 aggravated assaults and the 2 reported arsons are almost the same as in previous weeks. Across Kosovo, 150 persons were arrested, the majority being in Pristina, Pec and Prizren. 24 persons were arrested for outstanding major crimes, including 6 for murder and 4 for attempted murder. Overall the crime rate has risen from 480 cases the week before to 529 cases this week.
Arrivals from Preshevo Valley Over the weekend the number of arrivals from Preshevo Valley decreased significantly from influx from 140 persons on Friday to 15 on Sunday. The total number of arrivals from Preshevo Valley stand now at 3324 since the beginning of last week. According to our staff monitoring Muchibaba crossing point there were also returns of people to Preshevo town. UNHCR is closely monitoring the situation at the border crossings. Reception centres are in place and assistance is being provided. Contingency planning is in place but update constantly. FYROM People continue to arrive, in small numbers, through the official
border crossing in Blace: there were hardly any new arrivals through the
unofficial border crossing. It was reported through our teams and local
sources that a heavy presence of Macedonian security forces impeded the
easy passage of those choosing this road. Demilitarisation in Preshevo valley UNHCR's Special Envoy attended on Thursday 17 May
the demilitarisation of Lucane village, Preshevo valley (facilitated by
NATO). The UCPMB laid down their weapons and uniforms and the VJ troops
retreated after having received the final order from Belgrade. The
population of Lucane was relieved and overjoyed to finally have their
village back as it used to be before and to move (and play) around freely.
Those, whose houses had been occupied by the Serbian and Yugoslav forces
before, could finally return home. A historic event, which could set an
example for future developments in the Preshevo Valley. A commission was established headed by UNHCR together with EUMM, the
council of human rights, representatives of the local community as well as
a Serbian representative of the Coordinating body, which on Saturday
started with ascertaining damages of houses by the VJ with a view to
enabling the population to return. Following the commission's work people
moved back into their houses UNHCR's Special Envoy stated the following: "The demilitarisation of Lucane is a very important step forward showing the commitment of both Yugoslav and Serbian leader s as well as Albanian leaders to improving the situation in Preshevo Valley and focussing on the well-being of the civilian population. It can be seen as a breakthrough in the atmosphere of overall fear and tension in the region and UNHCR is grateful to the Yugoslav and Serbian authorities, the Albanian leaders and NATO for their commitment and perseverance in making this happen. The developments of last Thursday provide the right ingredients for a peaceful and just solution to the region. UNHCR continues to call on both sides to commit
themselves to showing constraint and to focus on putting the right
conditions in place for a safe and sustainable return of the civilian
population to the area. Crucial in the coming days will be progress made
on the implementation of some of the critical confidence building measures
by the Serbian authorities, in particular the creation of multi
ethnic police force, which would make a significant difference in reducing
the overall fear and distrust of the local Albanian
population. Table 1:
Internally Displaced (IDP. s) from Preshevo
Valley
Total arrivals from
Preshevo Valley
3224 Table 2: Arrivals from fYROM
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