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UNMIK-KFOR-UNHCR-OSCE-EU Briefing, 31 May 2001 UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel Susan Manuel SRGS & PDSRSG SRSG Hans Haekkerup is expected to return from Denmark today. Gary Matthews is with the Interim Administrative Council members in Vienna today where they will meet with the OSCE's Permanent Council. Trains UNMIK Railways has signed an agreement with Yugoslav Railways to facilitate rail traffic to Kosovo across the administrative boundary. This is an important agreement, which follows a similar one signed recently with the Railways of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Both agreements open the way for the movement of international freight across those borders and boundaries& This is a very big step for the normalization of the railways and opens new avenues for economic trade. Regarding the Macedonian route, this will also cut down on the number of trucks on the road. In the north, some track and a tunnel need repair before the commercial traffic will resume, which is expected sometime this summer. Incidentally the Pristina-Peja passenger line re-started recently, running twice a week. It is taking 300 passengers a day. Police Primacy at Cafa Prusit The process of transferring responsibility for policing authorized border crossings from KFOR to UNMIK Border Police continues tomorrow at Cafa Prusit. MNB West will hand over control to the UNMIK border police tomorrow at 1500. UN Border Police Commander Col. Dieter Kluge will take command from the Task Force Commander of the FALCO division, Col. Rocco Bruno. Tomorrow, in Vushtri, 24 corrections supervisors will graduate from the Police College. Media are welcome to attend at 9 a.m. The course was funded by the Swiss govt. and the Swiss head of Prison Administration will present diplomas. This was advanced training for 24 supervisors, who are already working, Also, tomorrow, the Lipjan Detention Centre will get its first UN director, Ms. Marjo Callaghan from Canada. She takes up the post held by an appointee of the Dutch government. Serb returns A comment on recent stories in the press on the return of Kosovo Serbs: At Tuesday's IAC, a document produced by the Joint Committee on the Returns of Kosovo Serbs was discussed. This was called Framework for Return, 2001. The Framework, which many of you have, describes in great details the conditions, which will need to be established to allow any returns of Serbs. The Framework envisions a very slow and incremental process of return a few people at a time to select rural villages only where security, housing and freedom of movement are judged to be adequate. A single politician who spoke to the press after the meeting distorted the discussions in the IAC on this framework. There was no mention -either at the IAC or in the Framework --of numbers of returns envisioned. There was no mention or statement that 170,000 K. Serbs would be returned in 2001. This is the number of displaced Kosovo Serbs registered by UNHCR in Serbia and Montenegro This statement was not only incorrect and misleading, but it was clearly designed to alarm the public, rather than inform them accurately. We are expecting the Kosovo Albanian leadership to play a major role in preparing the population of Kosovo to reconcile with their Serb neighbours and to assist in preparing the ground in communities to welcome back the residents who have every right to live there. Any returns this year must be made in conditions of security, and security for minorities in Kosovo remains unacceptably bad. No returns will be made without extensive consultations with all communities living in the areas& We will not promote any further tragedies in Kosovo. I remind you of the Framework's basic principle: that it is the fundamental right of IDPs to return to their places of origin in safety and dignity, including not only safety in their homes and communities, but also adequate freedom of movement. We all need to keep that in mind when discussing Serb returns. No Smoking WHO, UNECEF, IOM, UNMIK and the Institute of Public Health are conducting a no smoking campaign. There will be a poster competition in all schools with the theme being "A smoke free room is good for children's health". Competition runs to 15 July. Prizes include a TV and video recorder& WHO says children who breathe other peoples' cigarette smoke have a higher risk of Pneumonia and bronchitis and are more likely to get colds, coughs and ear infections. They are also at risk for asthma. Sqdrn. Ldr. Roy Brown Statement to Press Conference - Pristina The relaxation of the final sub-sector of the Ground Safety Zone began at 0800 this morning. Elements of the FRY Joint Security Forces moving along the main lines of communication are making rapid progress, while those elsewhere are advancing more slowly due to the potential mine threat KFOR JIC teams were in place to monitor events prior to the start of the operation and had established communications with KFOR headquarters and the European Union Monitoring Mission teams that are also observing the operation. Yesterday, Dr Covic met with representatives of the villages of Dobrosin, Konculj, Trnovac and Lucane, ahead of this mornings re-entry operation. The aim of those meetings was to reassure the local population and involve them in the process. He apparently found them cooperative. Our expectation is that the return of FRY Forces to the central sub-sector will be un-opposed and the operation may well be completed by the end of the day, paving the way for the people of the Preshevo Valley to return home and to begin to build a better future The two roads into the Ground Safety Zone, through Dobrosin and Konculj, have been closed temporarily but will be re-opened as soon as the FRY Joint Security Forces operations have been completed and it is considered safe for travel. COMKFOR issued a statement, on Tuseday, lifting the temporary movement order, placed on former members of the armed groups that operated in the Preshevo Valley, and invites those people to return to their homes as soon as circumstances permit. Weapons Amnesty Weapons and ammunition continue to be handed in to KFOR patrols and ckeckpoints under the current Weapons Amnesty. In the week up to Monday, 165 rifles, 25 pistols, 43 support weapons, 14 anti-tank weapons 53 anti-personnel mines and hand grenades and over 4000 rounds of ammunition were handed in to KFOR by both Serb and Albanian citizens. These weekly figures represent more than double the total numbers of each weapon type received over the previous three weeks of the amnesty. This is a very satisfying trend. Added to the significant haul of weapons, explosives and ammunition recovered as a result of the de-militarization of Sector Bravo and the discovery of two arms caches, a huge number of weapons have been safely removed from circulation. There is no place in a progressive and developing Kosovo for weapons, nor is there any need for weapons in a safe and secure environment. We strongly encourage people to follow the trend and to hand in any remaining illegally held weapons and ammunition before the amnesty deadline of 4 June. We will continue to conduct random vehicle checks and searches and individuals found in possession of weapons will be subject to the full force of the law under the new legislation.
Arrivals by dates and crossing points Total arrivals from Preshevo Valley 8,198 Please note that a number of people
have been reported crossing back across the boundary into Preshevo Valley
following the 24th May VJ deployment. Between 28-30 May
approximately
1390 people were reported returning. One has to bear in mind that it will
however always be difficult to ascertain the exact number of arrivals,
departures, back-and-forth- travellers etc.
Table 2: Arrivals from
FYROM Total 10,625 (*1)Please note that for Blace border those with passports can
cross the official border crossing ; those without passport have so far
had to revert to taking the mountain route which leads straight into Hani
I Elezit/Deneral Jankovic (the so called unofficial border
crossing)
Arrivals from fYROM The number of arrivals entering Kosovo through Blace, both official and unofficial border crossing increased quite significantly during 29 May, decreased again slightly on 30 May. On 29 May a total of 422 people were reported entering Kosovo mainly through Blace border crossing, coming from villages (Cerkezi, Matejce, Vaksince, Opaja, Nikustak, Strima, Gorizare) close to Kumanovo and Aracinovo, close to Skopje. Of these over a hundred opted to travel by night through the unofficial border crossings. At the same time several people who fled from fYROM to southern Serbia last week had decided to travel on to Kosovo with the purpose of staying with friends and families until the situation gets calmer. Over a hundred were assisted with transport from Preshevo town into Kosovo by UNHCR, others managed by their own means. All were reported entering through Muchibaba and Gate 5. The total number of arrivals from fYROM since 3 May stands now at
10,625, bringing the total displaced population from fYROM inside Kosovo
since the first clashes started in the northern mountains in fYROM in
February up to 19,625 displaced people inside Kosovo. Totally displaced fYROM citizens inside fYROM, Kosovo and Prea.evo valley is approx. 35,000 people. UNHCR fYROM and Kosovo have been closely watching what will happen following the statement of the Ministry of Interior in fYROM distributed on 30 May regarding the trapped population of Lipkovo. It has been reported that presently between 10,000-15,000 people are inside the village: part of them are original inhabitants and others are displaced from the surrounding villages. So far there is no indication that the population is willing to leave. UNHCR is very concerned that the continuing fighting will prevent further access of humanitarian organisations to the region in order to provide urgently needed humanitarian aid. While negotiating access to the area, UNHCR fYROM is presently trying to work out a strategy to ensure health assistance to the conflict zone through local structures, in co-ordination with WHO, which is taking the lead with the Ministry of Health. UNHCR is particularly concerned about the ongoing hostilities and the plight of the civilian population who are the victims. UNHCR stresses that freedom of movement must be guaranteed. UNHCR warns that it is of outmost importance that no involuntary evacuation takes place out of the country and that people are given a free choice where to go when leaving the conflict zone. UNHCR Kosovo continues to provide its usual assistance. So far, all new arrivals have found shelter with host families all around Kosovo but mainly in Gnilan/Gnjilane area. Arrivals and departures from/to Preshevo Approximately 500 people were reported crossing the boundary into Kosovo over the last two days. At the same time large movements of people have been seen spontaneously returning to Prea.evo Valley. ICRC reported that since 28 May over 1300 people were reported returning back. Some of the returnees were people from Oraovica, the village which had been taken by the UCPMB before and retaken by the VJ. Others were from Preshevo town and Bujanovac. UNHCR field teams from both Gnilane/Gnjilane AOR and Preshevo Valley visited various villages in Preshevo Valley (Breznica, Muhovac, Dobrosin as well as villages in the Karadek area) from where a large movement had taken place into Kosovo only recently. The main aim was to assess the overall mood in the villages with regard to the re entry of the VJ troops into Sector B central (today) and the general attitude towards staying in the village, leaving and/or returning. In both Breznica and Muhovac, most of the population is reportedly still displaced inside Kosovo but the village leaders stated that they are active in trying to convince the population to return. The UNHCR team from Preshevo reported that the overall mood indicates that people are anxious and the slightest incident or perception of an incident can trigger movement. The opinion of UNHCR teams in the field is, however that should no incident occur, the population in the visited villages will quickly spontaneously return. Houses are reportedly in the same state as before the troops entered and the children of the villages have been going to school as normal, which can definitely be seen as a positive and encouraging sign. UNHCR, together with other agencies and organizations on the ground, is closely monitoring the re entry of the VJ in Sector B central which is taking place as we speak. Also in close cooperation with the local leaders, UNHCR is continuing to visit the villages inside sector B with a view to creating confidence amongst the population.
Everts and IAC to PC Ambassador Daan Everts, along with the four Kosovo IAC members and PDSRSG Gary Matthews are at the OSCE's Permanent Council in Vienna today. Ambassador Everts is addressing the Permanent Council on preparations being done for this year's Kosovo wide elections - what we are trying to do to make it an inclusive election for everyone in Kosovo, what will be done to update the voters lists and what the Central Election Commission is doing. The Permanent Council is the main decision making body of the OSCE and has representatives of the 55 member nations. He's also telling the Permanent Council about the endorsement of the regulation earlier this week, which establishes RTK as an independent public broadcaster. The agreement of the IAC on this was welcomed by the OSCE in Kosovo as a very positive step in the development of RTK as a public service broadcaster. Ambassador Everts will hold a short press briefing tomorrow on his return from Vienna, to talk about what came out at the PC. That will be at 15.40 - twenty to four - in the sixth floor conference room of the OSCE headquarters. CEC After the press briefing, the Central Election Commission will be meeting. Last week they agreed several rules, including the establishment of an Election Complaints and Appeals Committee. This is the body that will hear any complaints about candidates or parties who have allegedly broken rules set down by the Central Election Commission. The Complaints and Appeals Committee has a variety of sanctions at its disposal - from asking for action to be taken to rectify the problem, through fines, with the ultimate sanction of prohibiting candidates or parties from contesting the election. This week the Central Election Commission will start to discuss the issue of how to ensure women are represented in the election and in the assembly and how to make sure that parties reflect the whole of Kosovo in their candidates' lists. Monday's Press Conference And on Monday Ambassador Everts and the Director of Elections Operations, Peter Erben, will be holding a press conference here at the UN auditorium at 1030 to explain the electoral system as set down in the Constitutional Framework. I would urge you all to come, as it will answer many of the questions you have been asking. That's at 1030 this coming Monday, the 4th of June.
Another Bank Licensed The governing board of the BPK has granted approval for a new commercial bank to operate in Kosovo. The approval for the new bank, Banka Ekonomike, came into effect on May 28. Banka Ekomike will begin its operations in Pristina. It is the fourth bank to have been issued a license by the BPK to operate in Kosovo. Kosovo is now beginning to develop a real banking sector, with real competition that will benefit all bank customers. All four banks are responsible to the BPK and have to meet their strict operating criteria. With the changeover to the Euro approaching fast, all of Kosovo's citizens who don't already have bank accounts are encouraged to open one: it's the simplest way to ensure their money is changed into Euros without having to worry. There will be a ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new bank at 11.00pm tomorrow in the Grand Hotel. VAT There is a press briefing taking place this afternoon at 2.30 in the Banking and Payments Authority Building, on the introduction of Kosovo's new Value Added Tax. Registration for Value added tax begins tomorrow, June 1st and ends on
June 30. The introduction of VAT in Kosovo will be major development for Kosovo's taxation system. It is a major step forward towards the creation of a self-sustaining economy based on the principles of the free market. A notice on today's press briefing is available outside. Questions: Q: Who was the architect for the wall in Mitrovica? When will the
construction start? Q: Where are they boundaries and borders in Kosovo? Q: What kind of material will the screen be built with? Q: How high will the bricks be? Q: So it is a wall? Q: The Macedonian government has discussed offering amnesty to the
NLA. Is KFOR prepared to do the same? Q: What percentage of the Ethnic Albanian population from FYROM has been displaced? Do you consider this ethnic cleansing and what is your strategy to
return the people? Q: Does COMKFOR support the building of the wall in Mitrovica? Q: Do you as KFOR think it is a good example of how we should ease
ethnic tensions? Q: Does KFOR have a Joint Command? Can you see the same kind of wall
planned in Gracanica, Strepca or other parts? Q: The new democratic government in Serbia is requesting democratic
changes to our democratic Constitutional Framework. Will you grant
them? Q: When will the decision be made on the wall? What is the
timeline and who will make the decision? Q: KFOR says it is a civilian not a military decision. So what do
you consider the timeline for the wall? Q: Who else except the Serbs and MNB North supports this wall? is no influence by the Kosovo Serbs. It has nothing to do with them. Q: Does the UN think the wall will settle the ethnic
differences? RB: The bridge is there quite clearly to join the two parts of the community. Any additions to that bridge that may have been proposed are merely there for crowd control and force protection should the need arrive. SM: This is not going to be a Berlin Wall whatever it is.
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