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UNMIK-OSCE-EU-UNHCR Press Briefing, 26 July 2001 UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel Border Crossing The Border crossings with former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia remains closed to UN organizations. SRSG Hans Haekkerup calls the closure unacceptable and unreasonable. DNA Testing Yesterday Mr. Haekkerup and the International Commission on Missing Persons signed a memorandum of understanding to start the process of DNA testing on the unidentified remains which had been exhumed by the ICTY in 1999 and 2000 as well as on remains which may be exhumed in the future and which cannot be identified. Suva Reka Cemetery A delegation from the FRY contact group on missing persons yesterday visited the UNMIK cemetery at Suva Reka in which 188 unidentified bodies are buried which had been exhumed from various parts of Kosovo by ICTY. The bodies are buried and mapped according to the municipalities in which they were found and post mortem data on the bodies is with the UNMIK Police missing persons unit. We hope to resolve their identification by further comparisons between post mortem and ante mortem data, and by DNA testing. The MPU has ante mortem data on 3,500 cases of missing people and urges families of the missing who have not given such information to do so. In this vein, we at UNMIK urge the hunger strikers in Gracanica to end their protest and to go home. We have heard their message: we are doing all we can to get information on their missing relatives. We have pursued reports and rumors on secret detention camps or prisons in Kosovo and we have no reason to believe these exist. It is very important that no further tragedies befall the families of missing people. Northern Mitrovica UNMIK police have increased in their activities in Northern Mitrovica with normal traffic checks which went on yesterday unimpeded.. Police also raided on a brothel at which several foreign prostitutes were working. Police Reports The body of a Kosovo Serb man, Miodrag Manitasevic, 60, was found in a pond. It appears that he had been beaten to death in Grabovac near Zvecan. Yesterday morning, Beleg village, in Decan area, a KA family reported that their six-year-old boy was missing. He was found drowned in the evening in the neighbor's septic tank. This sounds like a tragedy which could have been prevented. Bankkos Building On 25 July, the Prishtinë/Priština Municipality organized a visit to the building to explain the plans for the building, which had sustained collateral damage from the bombing of the PTK building next door. The ongoing work, funded by the UNMIK Trust Fund and Danish Agency for Development (DANIDA) includes the removal of unsafe building material, reinforcing damaged columns and fencing off the building. Damage assessment of the construction is halfway completed, and the plan is to rehabilitate the structure, should the assessment prove that this is feasible. OSCE Spokeswoman Claire Trevena Voter Services/Registration Monday sees the start of the six week period in which we will be updating the Voters' List. 75 Voters Service Centres are going to be open across Kosovo; there will be teams going to 125 different locations where people - for whatever reason - cannot reach one of the permanent sites. That's for the disabled and the homebound as well as to small enclaves. We are also, through the International Organisation of Migration, organising a similar registration process in Serbia and Montenegro. We will have 51 teams working in 100 locations there. For those who registered last year in Kosovo, this is not a repeat exercise. People who had no trouble voting last year do not need to come to the voter service centres. Those who should come are people who have become 18 years old, people who have moved in the last year, people who have returned to Kosovo. To be included on the voters list you do first have to have registered civilly with the UN. For those who did not register last year they will have to register with the UN and then go to a Voters' Service Centre. Most of the voter service centres are located within or close to a municipal registration centre but there are posters going up around Kosovo, there are leaflets going out and there are advertisements going in the newspapers which tell people just where the voter service centres are. CEC The Central Election Commission meets next Tuesday. It's got a number of items on its agenda, including working out how candidates' lists can reflect the different regions of Kosovo, and whether assembly members will be allowed to hold two mandates. Community Centres This week saw the opening of a multi ethnic internet café, supported by the OSCE in Kosovo Polje/Fushe Kosovo. It's a place where anyone from the village can go to meet and where they can access the internet. And another two OSCE community centres are being inaugurated this Friday. These are places where community groups can meet, can use office facilities and can hold training sessions. The two which are being inaugurated this week are in the north of Mitrovica and in Zubin Potok. EU Spokesman Mike Todd Privatization in the KTC Yesterday, EU Pillar Head, Andy Bearpark and DTI Co-Head, Tim O'Neill announced the proposed privatization process for Socially Owned Enterprises to the Kosovo Transition Council. The KTC members had many questions and requested a continuation of the discussion in future meetings. The topic is scheduled again for next week. As the discussion moves forward, people should be aware that this process is still 'proposed' and may change due to legal considerations. Although tentative predictions are for the beginnings of privatization to be in place before the end of the year, the timeline remains uncertain. For these reasons, the policy of commercialization remains a viable option for SOE workers to consider. In the coming months, DTI will focus on educating SOE workers on privatization proposals and their options, so they can make informed choices. Copies of the materials provided to the KTC are available outside. Load Shedding Difficulties experienced with the power supply yesterday were due to
the fact that the 'resurrector' blew up because of the high atmospheric
pressure, we may expect considerable load shedding as a result at the rate
of - 3 hours on and 3 hours off. BP Contract Signed UNMIK has now signed (13 July) a contract for Air BP to refuel civilian aircraft at Sllatina Airport, Pristina. The DTI's Fuel Supervisory Board has worked in close co-operation with the Department of Transport and Air BP in the negotiation of this contract and will continue to supervise it, where it impacts on the role of the Board. European Agency - Transport Next week, repairs funded by the European Agency for Reconstruction will begin on three stretches of road: the road from Doganaj/ Doganovic to Prizren, the road from Prizren to Peja/ Pec and the Pristina Podujevo road. Work has already begun very recently on repairing two bridges at Rakovina. The Agency's total reconstruction programme for transport this year, is worth some 18m Euros. Introduction of the Euro Preparations for the introduction of the Euro at the beginning of next year, continue. This week DSRSG Andy Bearpark has issued a letter to both COMKFOR and Police Commissioner Albiston, on security arrangements and the logistical implications for a smooth changeover. Discussions on practicalities are now underway, including the possibility of having specific liaison officers assigned to the BPK and the Euro project. It is hoped that both KFOR and Police support will be forthcoming in a combined effort to assist Kosovo in the transition to its new European currency. Questions: Q: What is the secret weapon you will try to use to convince the Serbs
to vote? Q: When will the EU release all the pledged money to Kosovo and fulfill
its commitment? Q: Do Serb refugees who came into Kosovo from Albania in 1991 and
Bosnia and Croatia in 1995 have the right to register to vote in
Kosovo? Q: So your answer is yes? Q: But you mention the figure of 190,000 when you refer to the Serbs
and other minorities living in Serbia who can vote. Does that number
include the refugees who came from Albania in 1991 and Bosnia in
1995? Q: A question to Susan, Susan you mentioned Mitrovica and the
northern part, you mentioned some positive steps made by the UNMIK police
in recent days, but we know that there were some different problems with
the bridgewatchers there. Do you see more positive steps than negative
steps in the northern side of Kosovo and especially the northern side of
Mitrovica in recent days? Q: This is first a question for Susan and a question for Mike Todd. I
just wanted to clarify again this UN cemetery in Suva Reka holds you say
188 people. Do you think any of them are Serbs? Q: You mentioned this BP contract, can you mention what the tender
process was and how much the contract is for?
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