EL PAIS - 20 enero, 2001

LUIS VÁZQUEZ, Ginebra

La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) decidió ayer enviar a Kosovo una misión para conocer los efectos del uranio empobrecido sobre la salud humana. Según un comunicado de la institución divulgado ayer en Ginebra, un equipo compuesto por cuatro expertos iniciará el lunes próximo una recolección de datos, informaciones y pruebas que arrojen luz a las especulaciones que se han hecho en los últimos días sobre ese tema. Médicos serbios del norte de Kosovo denunciaron ayer casos de cáncer.

A solicitud del ex administrador de la ONU en Kosovo, el francés Bernard Kouchner, los cuatro especialistas concentrarán sus esfuerzos en encontrar los riesgos que el uranio empobrecido implica para las poblaciones locales. Oficialmente, la misión durará una semana, aunque las posibilidades de prolongarla están abiertas.

La misión verificará los datos disponibles sobre la incidencia de la leucemia y otros cánceres y dolencias en el seno de la población en Kosovo, susceptibles de tener relación con la exposición a uranio empobrecido y otros agentes tóxicos, afirmó la OMS.

En concreto, la misión de esta agencia de Naciones Unidas es diagnosticar si las poblaciones locales afectadas necesitan una vigilancia médica mucho más especializada y, lo que es más importante, si requieren de un seguimiento prolongado de su estado de salud.

Más tarde, aconsejará a la ONU cuáles son las medidas inmediatas que se deberán tomar con el fin de impedir nuevas exposiciones de la población. Lo mismo con relación a las informaciones que se deberán proporcionar a la población local con el fin de prevenir nuevos contactos y disminuir los potenciales peligros.

La misión está compuesta por un especialista en toxicología química, un epidemiólogo del medio ambiente, un especialista en salubridad del medioambiente y un epidemiólogo especializado en materia de rayos solares.

Los médicos serbios del norte de Kosovo informaron ayer de un aumento alarmante de casos de cáncer entre la población de esa zona y expresaron su temor a que ello se deba a la munición con uranio empobrecido empleada por la OTAN en 1999. El director del hospital de la ciudad septentrional de Mitrovica, Milan Ivanovic, señaló en conferencia de prensa que en este centro durante el año pasado fueron tratados 158 pacientes con cáncer, mientras en 1998 se registraron 68 casos de esta enfermedad, informa Efe.

En Alemania, mientras tanto, ayer se supo que el consorcio alemán de electrónica y armamento Rheinmetall realizó pruebas de munición con uranio en Alemania hace tres décadas, en coordinación con el Gobierno federal de este país. Un portavoz de dicha empresa comunicó ayer que en los años setenta se hicieron pruebas con este tipo de munición "por encargo y de acuerdo con las autoridades y departamentos" federales competentes.

Dicha fuente confirmó así informaciones aparecidas en la edición de ayer del diario Süddeutsche Zeitung, según el cual los test se desarrollaron desde principios de los setenta y hasta 1978. Las pruebas de tiro se realizaron en cooperación con el Departamento Federal de Técnica Armamentística y tuvieron lugar en las cercanías de Unterlüss (estado de Baja Sajonia, en el norte del país). Rheinmetall asegura, sin embargo, que ese consorcio nunca llegó a producir este tipo de munición, ya que se decidió por el desarrollo de la técnica armamentística con wolframio.

El secretario general de la OTAN, George Robertson, habló por teléfono esta semana con el ministro español de Defensa, Federico Trillo, sobre la polémica acerca del uso de armas con uranio empobrecido.

Robertson dijo ante periodistas españoles, en una recepción que ayer ofreció en la OTAN con ocasión del nuevo año, que había tratado ese tema con Trillo, pero no dio más detalles.

Portavoces de Trillo confirmaron la conversación, aunque no detallaron cuándo se produjo ni qué se dijo exactamente.

Portugal, por su parte, también exigió ayer a la OTAN explicaciones sobre la aparición de rastros de plutonio en la munición de uranio empobrecido.

FOR NATO peacekeepers and local Kosovan inhabitants, fearful that they might be at risk from cancer after exposure to the residues of depleted uranium, a miracle cure appears to have arrived in Kosovo. s capital, writes Christian Jennings in Pristina.

"World Scientific Researchers have discovered that the Kosovo Kabernet Sauvignon Red contains a substance that can preventively effects against radio-active irradiation," claims the label of a 1992 bottle of the wine, produced near the southern town of Prizren.

The colourful label on the screw-top bottle of red wine also claims that "since olden times" the wine has been used as therapy in combating the effects of radiation.

Wine producing in Kosovo is mainly centred around the south of the province near the old Ottoman town of Prizren, and the 2000 vintage was the first since NATO. s bombing campaign in 1999.

Many of Kosovo. s vines were destroyed by the Serb army between 1997-1999, when battle tanks were driven through vineyards.

Glenys Kinnock, one of Labour's most senior and best-known MEPs, has called on the Government to suspend use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions, saying Nato's safety assurances have not convinced the public.

"I don't think we can talk just about the technical reasons why a moratorium should not apply to weapons," she said. "Children in the Balkans are playing where there is a possibility that radioactivity may have effects. I have no scientific background, only a gut feeling that, as a politician, I have a responsibility to try to respond."

Nato has rejected the idea of a link between the arms and cases of leukaemia among European servicemen who spent time in the Balkans, saying there is no evidence.

Mrs Kinnock and six other Labour MEPs defied the party's official line and supported a call in the European Parliament on Wednesday for a suspension of the use of DU munitions pending further research.

She told The Independent that the Government had been "wrong-footed" by the furore and called on it to switch tack and support a temporary ban.

The World Health Organisation is sending a fact-finding mission to Kosovo next week to study the effects of DU ammunition on civilians.

Mrs Kinnock said: "I am sufficiently concerned to feel that it does need more exploration. I cannot put my hand on my heart and say there is no need to be worried. 'No evidence' is what people said about BSE."

Mrs Kinnock said she was concerned both about reports of the so-called "Balkan syndrome" among servicemen and about the threats to health in Bosnia and Kosovo. She praised The Independent which reported that, of the 5,000 Serbs who fled from Hadjici in Bosnia after Nato's bombing in 1995, at least 300 have died of unexplained cancers.

The final straw in the discontent with Slobodan Milosevic could have been the price of a jar of coffee, according to a new snapshot of life in Belgrade last year.

A study by the Economist Intelligence Unit, which is linked to The Economist magazine, has discovered that Belgrade became the world's third most expensive city in the weeks before the revolution. Sanctions and the Nato bombardment propelled the Serbian capital up from 122nd place in a list of world cities so that only Tokyo and Osaka were more expensive.

Its impoverished population, had to put up with prices for consumer goods that far outstripped those in London, Paris and New York.

Researchers who measured the prices in the weeks before the elections of 24 September found that a 125g jar of instant coffee was selling for £12, while the going rate for a paperback book was £27. This was in a city where the average monthly salary is between £50 and £60.

The EIU went to Belgrade as part of a study of 133 cities which measured prices for Western goods, utilities, entertainment and basic foods to compare the cost of living.

Researchers found themselves in a city recovering from bombardment, subjected to international sanctions and on the brink of a revolution.

The survey's assistant editor, Bill Ridgers, said Western-style goods were difficult to find and those that were available could often only be obtained through the black market.

"We went at a time when what goods that were available were scarce and prices were at a premium. We did expect Belgrade to rise from its previous placing because inflation was at 60 per cent, but it went up further than we expected.

Mr Ridgers said prices inevitably rose in trouble spots, as a previous study found when it looked at Rwanda, but the latest survey provided a graphic picture of how life in Belgrade was distorted.

Cities that might be expected to be similar to Belgrade were at the other end of the list, with some of the lowest cost of living in the world. Zagreb was placed 105th, while Bucharest and Budapest were joint 125th.

Mr Ridgers said: "Belgrade was really an anomaly. The reasons are fairly obvious; there was the sanctions and there was the disruption caused by the bombing.

"It is ironic that the survey has come out at a time when there is increased cooperation between the West, which means prices for goods should begin to fall again as they become more freely available."

The survey also found that the cost of living in countries signed up to the single European currency had fallen substantially over the last year.

Traditionally expensive cities such as Paris have fallen down the list, with the French capital going from eight place to 26th. Every other Eurozone city has fallen between 20 and 30 places and the cost of living in Dublin is now on the same level as Ho Chi Minh City.

London remained one of the world's most expensive cities, falling one place from seventh to eighth.

Every president takes office believing he can set the foreign policy agenda for his administration, only to discover that a major portion of that agenda has already been set by the world.

The crises of the world do not take a time- out for a new American leader. President Clinton arrived hoping to focus on domestic issues, but was immediately faced by crises in places like Somalia, Haiti and Taiwan, along with hardy perennials like Russia and the Middle East.

President-elect George W. Bush was confronted by the killing of the president of Congo this week, and might see the election of a hawkish prime minister in Israel and the crumbling of the peace accord in Northern Ireland in his first month in office. Further down the line, Mr. Bush's enthusiasm for a missile-defense system is certain to generate fierce opposition in Europe and in Russia.

Much has been said, too, about Mr. Bush's inheriting the problem of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi strongman against whom his father went to war, but whom he left in power. In recent years, Washington's focus has been on simply keeping sanctions against Iraq in force over growing opposition, especially from Russia and France.

In Asia, the first big decision, due in April, will be whether to sell destroyers, advanced weapons and radar systems to Taiwan - a decision that could prompt China to respond by accelerating its own military buildup.

Beyond that a host of other challenges, large and small, will vie quickly for American attention. What follows is a tour of those likely to prove most urgent.

Western Europe

During the campaign, Mr. Bush and his top national security aide, Condoleezza Rice, said European allies should carry more of the military burden on their continent. As president, Mr. Bush may find they are doing more than he would like.

The European Union is planning a rapid- reaction force of 60,000 troops for peacekeeping missions and crises in Europe and perhaps elsewhere that is to be ready by 2003. The Clinton administration has said the plans are fine as long as the American- led North Atlantic alliance retains the primary role for security in Europe. To ensure that, the United States has proposed that NATO do the planning for the nascent force.

While most European nations generally like the idea, the French want the force to be more independent. Aides to Mr. Bush also favor a strong NATO, and some are skeptical of the European Union's effort.

Speaking at his Senate confirmation hearing this week, Gen. Colin L. Powell, Mr. Bush's choice for secretary of state, stressed that NATO "is the bedrock of our relationship with Europe." He warned that the United States would support European efforts to strengthen their military "as long as it strengthens NATO, not weakens it."

During the campaign, Ms. Rice called for phasing out American troops in the Balkans peacekeeping operation, NATO's main mission currently. That idea may have to be dropped, or at least deferred, if the Bush administration wants to protect the American leadership role in NATO and maintain NATO's priority over the European Union.

Mr. Bush's plan to develop a national missile defense raises several other issues for Europeans. First, they believe it threatens arms control agreements, particularly the 1972 antiballistic missile treaty. That accord, which Mr. Bush's choice for defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld, dismissed last week as "ancient history," restricts the testing and deployment of antimissile systems. While the Bush administration is likely to propose that the treaty be modified to accommodate a missile defense, the Russians are unlikely to go along.

Europeans fear that would lead Mr. Bush to simply abandon the A.B.M. treaty, and Russia would respond by declaring agreements to reduce nuclear warheads to be null and void. Michael R. Gordon

Russia

If Mr. Bush makes good on his pledge to unfurl a missile-defense umbrella over the United States, Washington and Moscow would be entering an era of profound disagreement about how to maintain global security against the use of nuclear weapons, even as they continue to work to reduce their number.

The prospect of missile defense threatens to drag the onetime superpower rivals, as well as China, India and Pakistan, into a new arms race, many experts say. Russia and China are alarmed that a new American "shield" might undermine deterrence - that concept of strategic stability that comes from knowing that the terrible cost of using nuclear weapons is the certainty of retaliation.

Last year, Russia demonstrated that it intended to pursue an active foreign policy in Europe and Asia to defend what President Vladimir V. Putin sees as Russian national interests, whether the issue is missile defense or a desire to thwart the eastward expansion of NATO to the Baltic states in the north and to Georgia to Russia's south.

Mr. Putin insists he is not looking for a confrontation with the United States - in fact, the opposite. Moscow, he says, will seek cooperation within a relationship where differences of opinion can be aired openly and frankly.

But those differences are sharp: Moscow is building a nuclear power plant in Iran and will now sell weapons to Iran's army. Russia and France have been courting Iraq, once a major market for each, and oppose continued sanctions against Baghdad.

Mr. Putin, a pragmatist thus far, realizes he needs assistance from Mr. Bush to strengthen the Russian economy. He will look to the United States and Europe for support in restructuring foreign debt, attracting investment and gradually integrating Russia into western institutions, including the World Trade Organization. For that, he needs a calm Western front.

Patrick E. Tyler

The Balkans

Even with Slobodan Milosevic deposed, the Balkans are not going away. Mr. Bush has said he would "very much like to get our troops out" of the Balkans, where more than 9,000 American soldiers are stationed in Bosnia and Kosovo. But the Europeans and the Kosovar Albanians will oppose that.

The 1995 Dayton agreement was an American-imposed peace and Bosnia and Herzegovina is an American-designed country. Five years later, the peace is holding, but the country is badly riven by ethnic nationalism. Will a Bush administration redesign Bosnia and the Dayton accord if it intends to withdraw troops?

Kosovo, still formally a province of Serbia, is now administered by the United Nations and patrolled by NATO-led troops. With Mr. Milosevic gone, the push for independence, which is what most ethnic Albanians want, is becoming a dream deferred.

Kosovo is becoming more explosive, with new attacks on Serbs by the supposedly disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army outside of Kosovo but under the eyes of American peacekeeping troops.

The new democratic government in Belgrade wants to retaliate, and Kosovars trust Washington to protect them. Will a Bush administration confront the ethnic Albanians, let alone the looming and unanswered question of Kosovo's final status?

President Vojislav Kostunica of Yugoslavia is trying hard to hold on to Montenegro, Serbia's last partner in what remains of the Yugoslav Federation. Montenegro's president, Milo Djukanovic, is pressing for independence, and has scheduled a referendum on the matter this summer.

Will a Bush administration oppose Montenegrin independence and give the help Mr. Kostunica he thinks he needs, risking some Republican wrath, especially in the Senate? If Montenegro becomes independent, what answer will Mr. Bush give to Kosovo's Albanians? Or to the Bosnian Serbs, who want independence for their part of Bosnia and Herzegovina?

How hard should a new president push Mr. Kostunica to hand over Mr. Milosevic to the international tribunal on war crimes? American aid to Serbia, aimed at consolidating the anti-Milosevic victory there, will be cut off on April 1 unless Mr. Bush can certify to Congress that the new government is cooperating with the tribunal. That may mean that Belgrade must arrest some suspected war criminals.

Mr. Bush will have to consider how much pressure to place on the government when popular unhappiness with a bad economy, power shortages and a restive Montenegro is reaching its peak. Steven Erlanger

BUJANOVAC, Yugoslavia, Jan 19 (AFP) - Serbian police said Friday they had uncovered a "terrorist group" in southern Serbia and seized 30 kilograms (61 pounds) of explosives, weapons and ammunition.

Police colonel Goran Radosavljevic showed reporters weapons, bombs and ammunition seized after security units arrested late Wednesday Ivan Sadiki, 41, from Bujanovac, the main town in the south Serbia.

Two other members of the "illegal terrorist group," Fadil Ramadani, 36, and Murtez Limani, 46, were still at large, Radosavljevic said.

Earlier Friday, the United Nations Balkans envoy Carl Bildt toured the tense buffer zone bordering Kosovo, together with Serbian government officials.

"We discussed different things that can be done by the UN for all people in this area which with the time can help to lose the tensions and create better living conditions," Bildt said after meeting Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic.

After visiting Albanian-populated villages in the five-kilometer (three-mile) wide zone, Bildt was expected to travel to the UN-administrated Kosovo province, sources here said.

Meanwhile, Serbian officials in the area said that ethnic Albanian separatists from the Liberation Army of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac -- three town in southern Serbia with a strong Albanian population -- attacked police positions near the zone, injuring one policeman.

Another mortar attack was registered from the village, controlled by the separatists, police said, adding that no one was injured.

The guerrillas want Serbian forces to leave the area and for the region to become a part of Kosovo, from where they draw much of their support.

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, Jan 19 (AFP) - A court in the northern town Kosovska Mitrovica sentenced a Serb man to 14 years in prison for genocide, a verdict criticised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Miroslav Vuckovic, 52, was found guilty of having waged a terror campaign among the Albanian community in two villages during the 1999 NATO bombing campaign, the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said Friday.

But the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) called in a statement for a review of the case.

"The OSCE is very concerned with his conviction, which they believe is inconsistent with the evidence heard in the court," the statement said.

Vuckovic's lawyers also contested the genocide charge, and questioned the competence of the court to try such a charge.

International observers have described the charge as "disproportionate", with one UN official describing it as "grotesque."

The court in Mitrovica was comprised of four ethnic Albanian and one international judge, Krister Karphammer of Sweden.

UNMIK spokeswoman Susan Manuel said that although Vuckovic had been found guilty of genocide, he had been acquitted on two murder charges.

"He was found guilty of looting and burning shops and houses and chasing people out of the two village," she added. He had terrorised the community, destroying several houses and properties, she added.

Vuckovic, 52, has been in prison since August 23, 1999. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and has said he will appeal to the verdict.

According to a new law, voted in December 1999, he would be tried in another court by a tribunal of international judges.

His conviction was the first on genocide charges in Kosovo, and the first in Yugoslavia since World War II.

The justice system in Kosovo, installed by the UN, which has administrated the province since the end of the war in June 1999, has been criticized by the Serbs in the province for lack of impartiality of the Albanian judges.

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) _ In an increase of tensions, a policeman was wounded in the volatile region near Kosovo Friday, and the authorities said they discovered a ``terrorist group'' in a key town.

The policeman was slightly injured when ethnic Albanian militants opened fire at Serb police positions Thursday just outside the buffer zone with Kosovo, said Jovan Djukanovic, a Serb government spokesman in the southern town of Bujanovac.

Serb police returned fire after being attacked with automatic weapons and hand grenades, Djukanovic was quoted by BETA news agency as saying.

Later Friday, BETA quoted Djukanovic as saying that police had discovered a three-man ethnic Albanian terrorist group in Bujanovac, on the very edge of the buffer zone.

One of the men was arrested while two remain at large, Djukanovic said. Some 30 kilograms (more than 60 pounds) of explosives were found by police, as well as two hand grenades, three automatic rifles, 450 bullets and a bulletproof vest.

Djukanovic claimed that the ethnic Albanians were plotting terrorist actions in the region, the latest Balkan flash point since last November, when ethnic Albanian rebels launched an offensive pushing the Serb police out of much of the buffer zone.

The rebels want to unite the Presevo Valley region, which is outside Kosovo but predominantly populated by ethnic Albanians, with Kosovo as part of their independence drive from Yugoslavia, and Serbia, its largest republic.

The five kilometer (three mile) buffer zone was established in 1999 after NATO peacekeepers deployed in Kosovo following the alliance's 78-day bombing of Yugoslavia to force former President Slobodan Milosevic to end a crackdown against Kosovo's rebellious ethnic Albanians.

In a sign of international concern, U.N. envoy Carl Bildt toured the tense region on Friday.

So far, Yugoslavia's new, pro-democracy authorities have shown restraint in using force against the ethnic Albanian rebels in the buffer zone. The Kosovo peace deal bans the Serbs from using heavy weapons in the area.

In comments carried by Beta news agency Friday, the head of the Yugoslav army, Gen. Nebojsa Pavkovic, accused the NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo of failing to disarm the ethnic Albanians and stop the flow of arms from Kosovo into the rest of Serbia.

Pavkovic said the army is determined to prevent any spread of violence and is ready to assist the police in ``clearing up the situation.''

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) _ Swedish defense and medical officials said Friday they will not rush tests on former peacekeepers for traces of uranium as they investigate the health effects of depleted uranium used in ammunition.

Defense ministry officials also said preliminary results from tests conducted in the area of Kosovo patrolled by Swedish forces showed lower-than-average background radiation. According to NATO, only one site in the area was hit by the ammunition.

NATO's use of ammunition containing armor-piercing depleted uranium, which is slightly radioactive, has sparked a scare across Europe that it may have caused serious illnesses in peacekeeping troops who served in the Balkans. NATO has repeatedly denied that the ammunition could have triggered cancer in soldiers.

Swedish health officials said they would collect urine samples from some 1,600 Swedish peacekeepers in March and did not expect results until early this summer. ``We will take our time to ensure that it is a really scientific survey,'' Surgeon-General Ann-Marie Goeransson said.

The samples would be collected in a 24-hour period and would be saved for future reference, said Rolf Lewensohn of the National Board of Health and Welfare.

``We are considering also taking hair and fingernail clippings,'' Lewensohn said.

The study will be based on two reference groups _ one including some 800 peacekeepers currently in Kosovo who will be rotated out in March; the other including peacekeepers who will replace the current force and are currently under training.

The Swedish Armed Forces already has mailed health surveys to the some 12,000 peacekeepers who have served in Bosnia and Kosovo, or in the international coalition in the Gulf War. So far, only about 35 responses have been received.

Armed Forces spokesman Paer Karlssonm said that despite widespread reports about a possible link between depleted uranium and serious illness, there has been no visible reduction in the number of volunteers for peacekeeping operations.

The Greek army has issued an urgent appeal for volunteers to join its peacekeeping force in Kosovo, after more than 200 soldiers asked to be sent home.

The soldiers fear the effects of depleted uranium, and the army is offering high salaries to those prepared to replace them.

Another 200 officers and men who applied for a posting to Kosovo have withdrawn their applications.

The Greek Minister of Defence Akis Tsochatzopoulos promised that any military personnel seeking an early return to Greece will be granted permission to do so.

Most of the Greek troops serving in Kosovo are conscripts and must stay in the field for six months.

So far, 220 soldiers stationed in Kosovo have applied for an early return, while another 232 have chosen to return to Greece at the end of their tour.

And out of a list of 375 officers and men who had originally put themselves down for the Kosovo posting, there are now only 175 left.

The Greek Government has come under strong criticism from oppositon parties for its handling of the matter.

Meanwhile, Mr Tsochatzopoulos has accused the United States of being slow to warn Nato allies in Kosovo about its use of depleted uranium weapons in the former Yugoslavia.

The Greek Government assured soldiers on Thursday that all necessary action had been taken to protect their health.

According to officials, preliminary measurements by a team of nuclear scientists and army doctors sent to Kosovo earlier this week have failed to show any sign of contamination among the Greek troops

The United States has lifted economic sanctions against Yugoslavia in a move designed to seal renewed ties between the two countries

In one of his last acts as president, Bill Clinton said that ending the sanctions would hopefully underpin the new leadership of President Vojislav Kostunica.

However, Washington will continue to impose sanctions on some 81 Serbs, including former President Slobodan Milosevic, his family and members of his entourage.

In a letter to leaders of the US Congress, Mr Clinton said Mr Milosevic and his associates "must be held fully accountable for the violence and atrocities in the Balkans over the past decade."

Mr Clinton had promised the people of Yugoslavia that sanctions would be lifted once democracy was restored.

The European Union and the US had imposed a series of sanctions against Yugoslavia including a ban on investment and an oil embargo.

But the fall of Mr Milosevic and installation of Vojislav Kostunica as president has marked a change in relations between Yugoslavia and the West.

The ending of sanctions paves the way for much needed foreign investment in Yugoslavia, which has seen its economy and infrastructure wrecked by years of war and isolation.

Last year, the EU lifted the bulk of its sanctions amid growing scepticism among member states over their effectiveness.

However measures preventing former President Milosevic and his close associates, from travelling and moving funds remain in place.

CNN - January 19, 2001

LISBON, Portugal -- Portugal has told NATO it must back up its assurances that traces of plutonium, found in shells and bullets used in Yugoslavia, pose no risk to health.

Prime Minister Antonio Guterres believes the credibility of the military alliance is at stake, with public opinion already inflamed over the issue of depleted uranium ammunition.

And he has written to Secretary-General George Robertson warning NATO must demonstrate that the plutonium, even in the "negligible quantities" admitted by the alliance, posed no special danger.

"For the credibility of the alliance, it is of the utmost importance ... that the explanations I am asking fully demonstrate that the use of such ammunitions could not cause any health hazards both in NATO troops and the local population," he wrote.

NATO confirmed on Thursday that faint traces of radioactive uranium 236 and plutonium could be present in some depleted uranium (DU) ammunition fired during the Balkans conflicts of the 1990s.

But spokesman Mark Laity said independent experts agreed the levels found were so low as to be meaningless in health terms.

The admission that plutonium had been detected has added to the furore surrounding the use of DU ammunition.

Some ailing soldiers and anti-nuclear campaigners say the armour-piercing rounds, used in Bosnia and Kosovo, have caused cancer and death.

NATO insists there is no scientific evidence to back up those claims and no evidence of any group of symptoms among former peacekeepers that could describe a common "Balkans Syndrome".

But Portugal and other NATO members have called for a full investigation into the health issues surrounding DU ammunition and some alliance states want a moratorium on its use until all the implications are clear.

Portugal, where a soldier died of brain disease after service in Kosovo, sent a team of experts to Kosovo and Bosnia to test for radiation in areas where its peacekeeping troops are stationed.

And Germany has begun its own investigation. Defence Minister Rudolph Scharping has demanded that the United States come forward with all the information it has on the composition of the DU weapons.

Italy has urged the United Nations to expand its investigation on the issue after raising from seven to eight the number of people it believes may have died after possible exposure to depleted uranium ammunition.

Italian Defence Minister Sergio Mattarella told parliament that illnesses suffered by a further 23 soldiers are also being looked at.

Depleted uranium, a slightly radioactive heavy metal, is used in anti-armour munitions because of its high penetrating power.

U.S. forces fired weapons containing depleted uranium in Bosnia in 1994 and 1995, and in 1999, NATO fired such weapons during its 78-day bombing campaign in Yugoslavia.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

19 January, 2001

Belgrade (dpa) - Montenegrin parties failed to agree on the date of early parliamentary elections at a Friday night meeting, the Beta news agency reported.

The two largest parties, President Milo Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and the opposition Socialist People's Party (SNP), said they wanted to hold the elections April 21.

The People's Party (NS) accepted the date but not the small Liberal Alliance of Montenegro (LSCG) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

DPS and SDP are partners in the government coalition, which lost its parliamentary majority last month with the withdrawal of NS.

NS parted with the coalition after it was outvoted on a proposal that has now become the government negotiating position of seeking international recognition of Montenegro.

The platform adopted by the government in December proposes that Montenegro and Serbia, the two republics of Yugoslavia, form, instead of their present federation, a loose alliance of two internationally recognized states that share only their markets and outward defense.

SNP, though in opposition in the tiny republic, is participating in the federal government and supports the government proposal while NS, which wants a rearranged, looser federation with Serbia, opposes Montenegro's drive for independence.

SDP officials said Friday night that they want a date for the referendum that would verify the government's negotiating platform -presumably a big step for Montenegro on its way out of Yugoslavia.

But surveys in Montenegro still indicate an unconvincing margin in favour of independence, and the winners in parliamentary elections could swing momentum either way on the issue.

No date was set Friday for a new round of talks - it is expected that the chairman of the parliament, Svetozar Marovic of the DPS, will hold consultations with SDP before scheduling a new meeting.

Belgrade (dpa) - Nearly three times as many people developed malignant diseases in northern Kosovo last year than in 1998, Serbian doctors in Kosovska Mitrovica said, saying the increase might be linked to depleted uranium ammunition NATO used in the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia, news reports said Friday.

Chief of the largest hospital in the Serb enclave of Mitrovica, Milan Ivanovic told journalists that it treated 158 cancer patients last year, compared to 68 two years earlier. No records for 1999 are available because of the interruption during the NATO bombing campaign.

The report followed charges by European countries that their NATO peacekeeping troops have suffered a high incidence of leukaemia as a result of exposure to the substance. The United States, which supplied much of the munitions, has denied the substance could cause such cancers.

The Yugoslav doctor said it remained unclear how many of the patients would normally be treated in the large hospital in Pristina and medical centres in other cities in Kosovo from which Serbs were forced to flee.

Acknowledging that Mitrovica doctors have no means to determine the cause of the drastically increased incidence of the disease, he said they fear it might be the radioactive ammunition.

The Kosovska Mitrovica doctors have called Serbian authorities and the United Nations administration in the province to take steps and prevent spreading consequences, as well as for aid from colleagues in Bosnia and Croatia, he added.

He also appealed to Kosovo Albanian doctors not to ``conceal the number of their compatriots who developed malignant diseases''.

Some media in Belgrade speculated that Albanian doctors were hiding the data to prevent hostility toward international missions in Kosovo.

Belgrade (dpa) - Serbian security forces uncovered a group of ethnic Albanians planning terrorist actions in the volatile Presevo Valley, a government-sponsored press centre in Bujanovac said Friday.

The announcement came on the same day Carl Bildt, a special United Nations envoy for the Balkans, visited the Presevo Valley and commended Serbian authorities for ``confidence building'' between ethnic groups and ``a very pragmatic policy in the Balkans' neuralgic spot'', Beta news agency reported.

Government spokesman Jovan Djukanovic said police arrested Ljuan Sadiki, 31, while Fadil Radamani, 46, and Murtez Limani, 46, escaped. All three men are residents of the area along Serbia's administrative border with Kosovo, most of which is dominantly populated by ethnic Albanians.

Joksimovic said that police found 30 kilograms of explosive and clockwork detonators, two hand grenades, three automatic rifles, 450 rounds of ammunition and a flak jacket in Sadiki's house in Bujanovac Thursday, the regional centre.

A special police commander, Colonel Goran Radosavljevic, said the group planned terror attacks in Bujanovac and the surrounding area.

A guerrilla group - the Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac Liberation Army (UCPMB) - has been attacking police units in the 5-kilometre demilitarized zone along the boundary, seeking to secede the Presevo Valley from Serbia and join it with Kosovo.

After heavy clashes in the buffer zone last November in which four police died, the two sides mostly honoured a ceasefire brokered by KFOR, the international peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.

But tension in the area remains high, though observers now say there is no great threat of massive violence. On their part, Albanians complain that police forces and the military, entrenched along the edge of the buffer, illegally occupied around 20 homes of their compatriots who fled to Kosovo in fear of more clashes.

Bildt met Serbian caretaker deputy premier Nebojsa Covic, one of Belgrade's top officials who frequently dwells in Bujanovac, and said he ``got an impression that he (Covic) has very concrete intentions to resolve the situation through diplomacy''.

After the November violence, Yugoslavia launched a successful diplomatic initiative to improve security controls on the KFOR side of the administrative border. The NATO-led peacekeepers have since arrested dozens of UCPMB supporters attempting to bring weapons and logistics to the guerrillas.

19 January, 2001

Belgrade (dpa) - United Nations special Balkans envoy Carl Bildt toured the demilitarised zone in southern Serbia on the border with Kosovo Friday, the Beta news agency reported.

Bildt said he and representatives of the Serb government had discussed ways in which people who live in the troubled area could be helped by the U.N.

The chief of the Yugoslav general staff, Nebojsa Pavkovic, also paid a visit Friday to the zone where Albanian rebels have staged recurring attacks on Serb police and army targets in recent months.

19 January, 2001

(CBS) President Clinton, responding to democratic advances in Yugoslavia, notified congressional leaders Friday that he is lifting economic sanctions that have been in place against Yugoslavia since the Kosovo crisis of 1999.

American companies have been prohibited from business dealings with Yugoslavia.

The lifting of an "outer wall" of U.S. sanctions against Yugoslavia opens the door to international lending to Belgrade, senior officials said on Thursday.

U.S. support is crucial for countries to get cash from the world's most powerful lending body, which Belgrade rejoined last month.

Relaxation of the sanctions does not apply to former President Slobodan Milosevic, his family and or associates. All told, 81 persons will continue to face restrictions in their dealings with the United States or U.S. entities.

Acting on his last full day in office, Mr. Clinton said he was responding to the peaceful democratic transition that has begun under President Vojislav Kostunica, who assumed his duties last fall after Milosevic was driven from the presidency during a popular revolt.

Mr. Clinton said the transition "opens the prospect of Yugoslavia rejoining fully the international community."

The 81 names on the U.S. list will continue to be barred from any dealings with U.S. banks. In addition, Americans cannot legally ship merchandise to them. U.S. officials said it also is highly unlikely that U.S. visas would be approved for them.

U.S. relations with Yugoslavia have been advancing rapidly since Kostunica became president.

"In October, the president both lifted certain sanctions against the former republic of Yugoslavia and at the same time announced we would be taking further steps," National Security Council spokesman P.J. Crowley told Reuters.

"We are now putting the finishing touches on a new regime which lifts sanctions against Serbia yet continues sanctions against Milosevic and his cronies," he added.

In October Mr. Clinton lifted an oil embargo and flight ban against Belgrade as a boost to Kostunica.

Kostunica strongly opposed the U.S.-led NATO bombing campaign during the 1999 Kosovo crisis and projected an anti-American image during his election campaign against Milosevic last year.

But his government sees the United States playing a critical role in helping the country overcome the economic crisis he inherited - a crisis to which the U.S. bombing campaign greatly contributed.

The relationship with Belgrade took a step forward two weeks ago with the visit to Washington of Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic.

Mr. Clinton had been widely expected to remove the final layer of U.S. sanctions, imposed for Belgrade's role in a string of Balkan wars, before leaving office Jan. 20.

One potential issue which the incoming administration will inherit involves a determination of whether Yugoslavia is cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

In his message, Mr. Clinton said that notwithstanding the positive developments in Yugoslavia, "steps must still be taken to support the ongoing efforts of the ICTY and to continue to counter the threat that remains with respect to stability in the Balkan region and the full implementation of the Dayton peace agreement."

Congress has set a March 31 deadline for Yugoslavia to show that it is cooperating. If the new administration concludes Yugoslavia is not cooperating, the unspent portion of the U.S. assistance program will not be disbursed. The assistance program totals more than $100 million.

The tribunal has indicted Milosevic and a number of his cohorts.

Kostunica has said extraditing war crimes suspects, including Milosevic, would violate the Yugoslav constitution. He has suggested that they could face trial in a Yugoslav court rather than at the tribunal in The Hague.

The UN administration in Kosovo, UNMIK, got a new boss this week: former Danish Defense Minister Hans Haekkerup. He's the antithesis of his flamboyant French predecessor, Bernard Kouchner. Haekkerup has been quick to readjust UNMIK's goals, postponing elections set for the spring and delaying the return of some 100,000 displaced Serbs until ethnic violence stops. In Pristina recently, RFE/RL correspondent Jolyon Naegele spoke with Kosovo's leading human-rights activist, Adem Demaci. Demaci talked about the UN's role in the province and of the many difficulties still facing Kosovo.

Pristina, 19 January 2001 (RFE/RL) -- Adem Demaci, like many Kosovar Albanians, is sorry to see Bernard Kouchner leave his post as UN administrator for Kosovo, and he is wary about what changes the new administrator, Hans Haekkerup, will bring.

As Demaci puts it, "Haekkerup is a lawyer and a soldier, while Kouchner is a true humanitarian." But, Demaci adds, while Kouchner sought to heal the wounds of years of ethnic violence, the time had come to regulate Kosovo's legal system and government. He predicts Haekkerup's experience bodes well for Kosovo's future.

Haekkerup said this week he hopes to resolve Kosovo's status in three to four years, while faithfully abiding by UN Security Council resolution 1244. The resolution provided the legal framework for the NATO-led military occupation establishing "an interim administration for Kosovo" under which the people of Kosovo can enjoy "substantial autonomy within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia."

But Haekkerup has indefinitely postponed legislative elections expected in the spring. The international community, particularly the OSCE, has been wary of elections that could result in a new assembly declaring full independence from Belgrade.

Demaci, in a lengthy interview with RFE/RL, says it's not clear how the Kosovo question will be resolved because he says everything else remains unresolved:

"Many forces and interests divide the international community. Some say Kosovo should gain independence and thereby resolve this crisis in this part of the Balkans once and for all. Other forces in the West are not interested in seeing Kosovo independent since they are more interested in Serbia. So these conflicting interests are clashing at Kosovo's expense."

Demaci says that criminals are taking advantage of the situation, because the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force and the UN police "are above the events." He says security forces are not inside society and do not have the opportunity to form their own network to track down and apprehend criminals. That, however, is changing with the development of a UN-supervised local police force, the Kosovo Police Service.

"I say nothing has been resolved. We have a situation now in which we don't know who the criminals are. Bombs went off at the Yugoslav mission in Pristina (in November). We've had murders and four Ashkali [Albanian-speaking Roma] were murdered. Albanians from both sides [of the political spectrum] have been killed. Old [Kosovo Liberation Army] fighters and politicians are being murdered. We don't have a real picture [of what's going on]."

Demaci says uncertainty over Kosovo's status is aggravating matters. He says the political temperature in the province has been rising ever since pacifist Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic League of Kosovo, or LDK, won a landslide victory in local elections last October.

Demaci says people who fought for Kosovo to be free, who lost family members, who lost everything, cannot look at this impassively. And he says LDK's people did not suffer many casualties but rather watched and waited to see how things would turn out.

At the funeral of Rugova's murdered media adviser Xhemal Mustafa in November, Demaci called on those who lost the elections to accept the result without revenge.

Demaci served as the political representative of the Kosovo Liberation Army, or UCK, from August 1998 to February 1999. He says 20,000 to 30,000 people were actively engaged as UCK fighters and hundreds of thousands of Kosovar families found themselves surrounded, expelled, attacked, or forced to hide. In the end, he says, almost a million people were affected.

Now that Rugova's LDK has the majority, Demaci says that Kosovar Albanians who suffered think the LDK's victory means they have lost something.

"The political level of our people is quite low and they aren't in a position to take account of things the way they should. They think they have lost something. Among all of the people, you'll always have a tiny group of fanatics who cannot restrain themselves. There were slogans scrawled in towns around Kosovo showing how upset these people were after the elections -- slogans like 'Oh my nation! I will not forgive the blood I shed for your freedom.'"

Demaci suggests Albanians may not be the only ones behind the wave of killings.

"There is a 20 percent possibility that the Serbs have been doing [the killings]. But I tend to think the fault lies on the Albanian side because -- this factor is very important -- the people who suffered the least for Kosovo's freedom have come to power and the lack of accord continues."

Last June, on the first anniversary of the end of the NATO air strikes and the capitulation of Serbian forces, Demaci -- along with various former UCK commanders -- spoke at a mass gathering in Pristina's sports stadium. But when Demaci called for tolerance toward Kosovo's Serbs, the stadium erupted in whistles and jeers.

"Do not forget the Serbian people who have decided to stay in Kosovo. They are in a difficult position. It is our duty and obligation to open up prospects for them. Not even the Serbian regime is interested in their fate. Help them. They are depressed and scared and it is up to you to create safe conditions for them."

Demaci says young people protested in the stadium because they could not understand how Albanians could live together with those who not so long ago tried to kill them, burning down their homes, destroying their property. "We will need quite a lot of time before we are able to soften our stand," he said.

Demaci, who is 64 years old, spent 28 years in communist Yugoslav prisons between 1958 and 1990 for his human rights' activities. He subsequently chaired the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms for five years. This non-governmental organization still occupies most of his time.

He says his mission in life is to set an example to Kosovar Albanians of mercy, forgiveness, and not forgetting -- since, "forgetting only leads to history repeating itself." Demaci says Albanians will not let themselves become slaves to the past: "We Albanians suffered so much from this domination, discrimination, and destruction by the Serbian authorities for 100 years. We know more than anyone what destruction means and we know that it is important to create an atmosphere in which others can live too."

"There can be no freedom solely for Albanians, just as there could not be freedom just for Serbs. The Serbs tried to do that, but they lost everything. So we cannot repeat the same mistake."

Within a month after the Milosevic regime fell, Demaci traveled to Belgrade as the first Kosovar Albanian to meet openly with the Serbian public. No other Kosovar Albanian activist has gone before or since.

"Here is the problem. I was recently in Serbia. I had some good, interesting meetings, but I have no illusions that I succeeded in convincing the Serbs there that they should lay off those old projects -- which call for domination and discrimination [against the Kosovar Albanians]."

Demaci believes Serbs could greatly ease matters by promising never again to resort to hegemony, domination, discrimination, or destruction. But he says Serbs still harbor hopes that they will one day take back Kosovo or somehow disarm the province.

Demaci says this is just a pipe dream. He says the Serbs should decide whether to co-exist with the Albanians or go their separate way.

"There is no cooperation, no community without trust, and the Serbian regime for the past 100 years has only deformed, damaged, and squandered this trust to the point that no Albanian trusts the Serbs. [Albanians] are still killing people for speaking Serbian. It is still dangerous to speak Serbian [in Kosovo]. Trust has shrunk to zero."

Demaci says that he suspects new Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, Serbian Prime Minister-designate Zoran Djindjic, and federal Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic all harbor strong nationalist feelings toward Kosovo and cannot be trusted by Kosovo's Albanian majority. "Deep down," he says, "the new leaders are all hegemonists, who are children of the old regime."

As Demaci sees it, the new leaders in Belgrade failed to stand up to former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. In his view, they spent too much time fighting among themselves for power and not enough time dealing with substantive issues.

The Mission in Kosovo of the Organization for Security and Cooperation Europe (OSCE) says that one of its priorities in 2001 will be the establishment of a "functioning structure to dequately deal with property rights."

"The deprivation of a person's right to their property is one of the most fundamental human rights violations," said an OSCE press release January 19. It added that the destruction of physical property and records, discriminatory legislation, and the mass movements of persons

since 1989 have "led to a near total collapse in the structures that previously existed for the protection of property rights" in Kosovo.

Following is the text of the press release:

(begin text)

OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Pristina

PROTECTION OF PROPERTY RIGHTS A PRIORITY IN KOSOVO

PRISTINA, 19 January 2001 -- The system for the protection of property rights in Kosovo is approaching a crisis. Establishing a functioning structure to adequately deal with property rights will be one of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo priorities this year. This is crucial aspect in the respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Property rights are complex as they affect all communities in Kosovo. They also have a significant impact on current issues such as returns. Ambassador Daan Everts, OSCE Head of Mission, will discuss these issues, amongst others, with OSCE staff in Lipjan/Lipljan and Viti/Vitina on Friday, 19 January 2001.

Property has been a priority for the OSCE since the release of a report in September 2000, The Impending Property Crisis in Kosovo, which highlights concerns. This spring, the OSCE plans to publish a comprehensive progress report on the status of property issues. It will be followed up by full assessments every three months.

The deprivation of a person's right to their property is one of the most fundamental human rights violations. Many properties in Kosovo have multiple claimants to ownership, and proving ownership has been exceptionally difficult. The level of destruction, both of physical property and of records, the years of discriminatory legislation, and the mass movements of persons since 1989, led to a near total collapse in the structures that previously existed for the protection of property rights.

The OSCE has taken a number of measures, at a variety of levels, in attempt to deal with the protection of property rights in Kosovo. Human Rights Officers in the field are monitoring and highlighting serious issues of property such as illegal occupancy and evictions. This includes monitoring the work of the Housing and Property Directorate, the institution created by UNMIK to resolve residential property disputes.

The OSCE continues to press for greater clarity on the applicable law for determining property rights, as inconsistent approaches to property is one of the major problems in tackling the issue. The legal and judicial communities are being informed about property issues through training by the Kosovo Judicial Institute and conferences hosted by the Kosovo Law Centre. The OSCE has also lent its expertise on property issues to the Joint Committee on Return. While the denial of property rights affects all communities in Kosovo, it impacts particularly harsh on minorities.

As part of its mandate, the OSCE takes a lead role in monitoring the protection and promotion of human rights in Kosovo.

JAN 19, 2001, M2 Communications - The Security Council was briefed on the situation in Kosovo this morning by Jean-Marie Guehenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping operations.

In his briefing, the Under-Secretary-General said the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) had continued to work to create inclusive local administrative structures. To underpin that effort, the outgoing Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner - who has been succeeded by Hans Haekkerup of Denmark -- had emphasized that Kosovars were responsible for building a tolerant society. He had also urged the provinces political leaders to use their influence to reject intolerance and curb extremism.

He said the Kosovo Transitional Council had been partially enlarged. Further enlargement was planned to make it as representative as possible of the provinces religious and ethnic communities. The structure of the Interim Administrative Council, however, had yet to be reformed. Any changes would take into account the results of the 28 October municipal elections, which had enabled the Mission to gauge the popularity of political parties on a Kosovo-wide basis more realistically.

Despite incidents of violence, UNMIK had made significant progress in strengthening the rule of law in the province, he added. The police service had improved in both quantity and quality and, despite threats and intimidation, personnel in that service were largely performing in a professional manner. He said UNMIKs initial focus on emergency reconstruction had now shifted to economic development and the promotion of private sector enterprise.

During the discussion that followed the Under-Secretary-General's briefing, speakers expressed their support for the new Special Representative, underlined the importance of cooperation between the parties in the region, and stressed the need to curb continuing ethnic violence and address the issue of Kosovo-wide elections.

The representative of Sweden, speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said the Union welcomed the progress made in Kosovo in the implementation of resolution 1244 (1999) and fully supported the efforts of the new Special Representative to establish democratic, self-governing institutions in Kosovo in order to provide substantial autonomy for the people there. The Union also supported efforts to increase dialogue and cooperation between UNMIK and the relevant institutions of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and condemned the use of violence, extremism and any act which made the coexistence of communities more difficult and which adversely affected regional stability.

The situation in Kosovo remained extremely difficult, the representative of the United States said. He urged the new Special Representative to continue his successors work and to focus on two overriding issues, the first of which was the holding of Kosovo-wide elections as soon as possible, so that the people could govern themselves. He said that there should be no disagreement about the holding of elections, even if there was disagreement on the final status of the province.

Following the elections, the Council and the international community would face an even greater challenge - the final status of Kosovo, he said. Kosovo would never be peaceful and stable until its status was resolved.

The representative of the Russian Federation said the new Special Representative had inherited a difficult situation.

His predecessor had allowed several distortions to resolution 1244 (1999). Hopefully, that flawed practice would now end.

In his work, Mr. Haekkerup must strictly respect the principle of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that was enshrined in resolution 1244.

There were new winds in the region and full use must be made of them. Any decision on matters of great importance to the province must be taken in agreement with the authorities in Belgrade, he added.

The representative of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia stressed the need to resolve the security problems in the Ground Safety Zone in parts of the municipalities of Bujanovac, Medveda and Presevo, brought about by the incursions of ethnic Albanian terrorists. He underlined his Governments commitment to resolving the situation in the Zone, as well as for a comprehensive solution for Kosovo and Metohija, in a negotiated, peaceful and diplomatic way, proceeding from full respect for resolution 1244 (1999). His Government was convinced that only by abiding by democratic principles and building confidence among all residents of the province would lasting reconciliation be possible.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Bangladesh, Jamaica, United Kingdom, Tunisia, Ukraine, Norway, France, Mali, China, Colombia, Ireland and Mauritius.

S. Jayakumar, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore and Council President, made a statement in his national capacity.

Under Secretary-General Guehenno made brief concluding remarks.

The meeting began at 10:20 and adjourned at 1:03 p.m.

Council Work Programme

The Security Council this morning held an open briefing on the situation in Kosovo, in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guehenno, addressed the Council.

Statements

JEAN-MARIE GUeHENNO, Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) had continued to work to create inclusive local administrative structures. To underpin that, the outgoing Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, had emphasized that Kosovars were responsible for building a tolerant society. He had also urged the provinces political leaders to use their influence to reject intolerance and curb extremism.

He said the Kosovo Transitional Council had been partially enlarged. Further enlargement was planned to make it as representative as possible of the provinces religious and ethnic communities. The structure of the Interim Administrative Council (IAC), however, had yet to be reformed. Any changes would take into account the results of the 28 October municipal elections, which had enabled the Mission to gauge the popularity of political parties on a Kosovo-wide basis more realistically. Reforms of the IAC would also be designed to help prepare for elections.

He said that, on 10 January, the first meeting of the working group on the legal and institutional framework for Kosovo-wide elections was held. It was attended by Kosovo Albanian and Serb experts nominated by the IAC. Its work would concentrate on proposals for the functions and composition of the provisional assembly and on an appropriate electoral formula. Assemblies in the 27 municipalities where election results had been certified were now fully established. Three mandatory committees - Policy, Finance and Communities and Mediation - had been established in 12 assemblies.

In eight other assemblies, he continued, the process of setting up committees was under way. Eleven chief executive officers and four full boards of directors had been appointed. The appointment of those senior civil servants, however, had been complicated in some municipalities by the deliberate politicization of the election process by two major Kosovo Albanian parties. That had partially undermined UNMIKs efforts to develop functioning, democratic municipal assemblies.

He said the inclusion of Kosovo Serbs in assemblies in non-Serb areas was still a problem. Negotiations with leading representatives of the Kosovo Serb community had been complicated by demands from Serb leaders that their communities be allowed to set up their own distinct municipal structures separate and apart from elected assemblies. That had been rejected by UNMIK as being contrary to resolution 1244.

He said that, on 23 December, Serbian parliamentary elections were held in Kosovo without major incidents. On 30 December, the Serb National Council Gracanica held its year-end meting.

The Gracanica Assembly strongly criticized Belgrade-based Serb leaders and their representatives in Kosovo who continued to sponsor a policy of non-cooperation with UNMIK. In a meeting between UNMIK and the representatives of the Yugoslav Government on 14 December, a request by the Mission to allow international doctors to visit and evaluate ill Albanian prisoners in the Yugoslav detention centres was refused.

He said that, on 18 December, the UNMIK municipal building in Zubin Potok was the scene of a shooting and a grenade attack.

Also since the last briefing to the Council, Kosovo Serbs and their property had continued to be the targets of violent incidents, including arson and grenade attacks. The recent unrest in the provinces northern municipalities had resulted in increased pressure on Kosovos Albanians and other minorities in those areas. Nevertheless, the Mission had made significant progress in strengthening the rule of law. The police service had improved in both quantity and quality and, despite threats and intimidation, personnel in that service were largely performing in a professional manner.

He said UNMIKs initial focus on emergency reconstruction had now shifted to economic development and the promotion of private sector enterprise. Attention had focused on the development of small- to medium-sized enterprises, which should generate the bulk of sustainable job growth. The security situation in the Presevo valley was still tense, although the risks of major conflict appeared to have diminished.

Most of the 5,000 ethnic Albanians who fled in November 2000 had since returned to their homes in southern Serbia, he continued. The situation, however, was not yet stable. In addition, several incidents in that region had threatened the ceasefire understanding reached in early December of last year. That included the abduction on 31 December of six ethnic Serbs near a crossing point into Kosovo. They were, however, released the next day after intervention by the Kosovo Force (KFOR).

In November 2000, an UNMIK-invited team of scientists, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and including representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), studied the possible presence of radioactivity and around sites where depleted uranium ammunition was used.

Eleven locations were visited. The teams preliminary field findings showed three sites with no signs of high radioactivity nor any remnants of depleted uranium ammunition. At eight sites, the team found slightly higher amounts of radiation. The final report is expected in March, although a further follow-up mission might be needed. A public information campaign was being developed to inform Kosovo residents about depleted uranium and about related illnesses such as leukaemia.

RICHARD HOLBROOKE (United States) said, at the outset, that he strongly supported the role of troop-contributing countries in the Councils deliberations. He added that changes in the rules of the Council should be part of a comprehensive reform. He then made general comments about the situation in the Balkans. There was much left to do in Bosnia, but the nation was at peace with itself and with its neighbours, he noted. In the short term, the strengthening of the national parties in Bosnia following the recent elections was not good news. The extreme national parties had no future. There had also been good news, however -- moderate politicians now had a good chance to assemble a functioning national assembly. He added that the Serb Democratic Party should have been banned a long time ago. They were the Nazis of the Balkans.

The situation in Kosovo remained extremely difficult, he said. He urged the new Special Representative to continue his successors work and to focus on two overriding issues, the first of which was the holding of Kosovo-wide elections as soon as possible, so that the people could govern themselves.

He said that there should be no disagreement about the holding of elections, even if there was disagreement on the final status of the province. He hoped that the elections would be held as early as this spring. He urged the relevant parties to start planning them now.

Following the elections, the Council and the international community would face an even greater challenge - the final status of Kosovo, he said. Kosovo would never be peaceful and stable until its status was resolved. Resolution 1244 (1999) stated clearly that all options remained on the table, he said. The Special Representative must facilitate a process that would resolve the issue. The process should begin as soon as the two sides were ready, and the terms of any settlement must be mutually acceptable to both sides. He added that his greatest regret was that the major perpetrators of the crimes in the region were not yet in The Hague.

ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said the new Special Representative would have to focus on curbing violence in Kosovo. That would be one of the top issues on his agenda, as would facilitating the holding of Kosovo-wide elections.

Participation by all of the population, irrespective of ethnicity, was also key. A greater level of judicial activity must also be seen. Further, the issue of refugee return must be effectively addressed. He also stressed the need to deal with the issues of missing persons and detainees, and development and reconstruction.

Kosovo had come a long way in a short time -- from a war-ravaged inter-ethnic hotbed to a society with prospects of a peaceful future, he said. The task of building a self-governing society from the ruins of war was enormous. It was particularly so when practices of the past contributed little to the transition into a modern society. Kosovars should be given some time before the conclusion was drawn that progress was not fast enough - they deserved the international communitys constant support and encouragement.

GENNADI M. GATILOV (Russian Federation) said Mr. Haekkerup, the new Special Representative, had inherited a difficult situation. The previous Special Representative, Mr. Kouchner, had allowed several distortions to resolution 1244 to occur, as well as several precedents to be established, which could have led to the separation of Kosovo from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Hopefully, this flawed practice would now end. In his work, Mr. Haekkerup must strictly respect the principle of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that was enshrined in resolution 1244. There were new winds in the region and full use must be made of them. Also, any decision on matters of great importance to the province must be taken in agreement with the authorities in Belgrade. His delegation welcomed the establishment of such cooperation.

((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).

JAN 19, 2001, M2 Communications - He said the status of the international presence must be addressed and settled, by the signing of an appropriate agreement with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Also, dialogue among the various groups in Kosovo must be encouraged. The timing for Kosovo-wide elections and the parameters of the special autonomy for the province must be decided in close consultation with Belgrade. Questions about the holding of elections must be decided against the projection of a comprehensive settlement in the province. He also stressed that any actions that further reduced the ethnic diversity of the province would complicate efforts for the future.

He asked whether the Secretariat of the United Nations had any information on the draft provisional constitution for Kosovo, and whether the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had been consulted on the creation of that draft.

He drew attention to reports that a weapons stash had been found last month in the province. That discovery pointed to the fact that everything had not been done to stem the flow of arms into the province.

He said that so-called Balkan syndrome, caused by the use of depleted uranium in Kosovo and the resultant impact on the health of Kosovars and international personnel, was a source of concern. Thorough international expertise was necessary to judge the results of that situation. The issue was not a secondary matter or minor issue for the Council, but one that fell firmly within its sphere of competence.

M. PATRICIA DURRANT (Jamaica) said her delegations major concerns on Kosovo were unchanged since the Councils last briefing on the province. That included the situation in the Presevo Valley. While she agreed with Mr. Haekerrups stated first priority -- speeding up the preparatory process for Kosovo-wide elections - the question of the provinces assemblies had to be settled before such elections could take place. Resolution 1244 must be the framework that guided everything. She also encouraged UNMIK to continue its work to reconfigure Kosovos administrative structures so as to prepare residents for local self-government.

Her delegation fully supported the priorities set out by the Under- Secretary-General this morning, she said. Those included law enforcement to provide a safe environment for Serbs returning to Kosovo and fighting organized crime. The latter threatened stability. Jamaica also welcomed the focus on economic development, particularly as it related to small- and medium-sized enterprises. The priorities underlined in that area by the Under-Secretary-General this morning were essential in light of Kosovos future development.

She said if the sources of tension in southern Serbia were to be removed, the spirit of reconciliation must be fostered and the flow of illegal weapons halted. She reiterated the call to end illegal activities. Her delegation also welcomed and supported UNMIKs approval of legislation that made the trafficking in human persons punishable by 20 years in prison.

STEWART ELDON (United Kingdom) said the new Special Representative would face tasks just as challenging as his predecessor had. It was most important that the Special Representative knew that he had the full support of the Council. The security condition in the Presevo Valley and southern Serbia continued to be of concern, and he welcomed the action of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) KFOR to address the problem. He welcomed the restraint shown by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbian forces.

Dialogue between the parties was the only way to assure a peaceful resolution, he stressed.

He said that in most meetings on the subject during the past year, his delegation had expressed its concern over missing persons and detainees. He welcomed the proposal for a draft amnesty law and supported the earliest possible release of political prisoners. That would be a very important step towards reconciliation.

SAID BEN MUSTAPHA (Tunisia) said the new situation in the Balkans made it possible to envisage the holding of a constructive dialogue on the situation in Kosovo. The process should take into consideration the rights of all inhabitants of Kosovo, he stressed. It should also prohibit hatred and attitudes based on ethnic considerations. He welcomed the fact that the new Special Representative had decided to open an office in Belgrade.

One of the new Special Representatives priorities would be to address the security situation and violence in the province, he said. He pointed out that the violence was of a political, destabilizing nature. The violence prevented efforts at reconciliation and was unacceptable. He welcomed the initiative to set up a unit to fight crime in Kosovo.

He encouraged KFOR and UNMIK to rein in the activities of the extremists. The international presence in Kosovo was needed more than ever. Any withdrawal should only be undertaken after prior reflection. The matter of missing and detained persons must be resolved, he added. Setting up a reliable and impartial judicial system was also essential.

VALERI P. KUCHYNSKI (Ukraine) said that despite international efforts, inter-ethnic violence and lack of security for national minorities, a high level of organized crime and an abundance of illegal small weapons were still among the prevailing features of the current situation in Kosovo.

Therefore, while acknowledging the work done, and being done, by UNMIK and KFOR, he remained of the view that there was still a long way to go to ensure full implementation of resolution 1244 (1999).

He expressed his satisfaction at the priorities set by the new Special Representative. He said he hoped that one of the first problems to be solved through a closer dialogue between UNMIK and KFOR, on the one side, and the Yugoslav Government, on the other, would be the restoration of proper security conditions in the Ground Safety Zone. Regrettably, the past month had seen an increase in illegal and provocative activities in the Zone by ethnic Kosovo Albanian fighters.

He added that he had learned with deep concern of the presence of depleted uranium at the sites targeted by NATO during its military operation in 1999. He welcomed all precautionary measures to protect the civilian population in the province against related ill effects.

OLE PETER KOLBY (Norway) said the security situation and level of violence in Kosovo continued to be of deep concern to his delegation. Combating violence and providing protection for all minorities in Kosovo must remain a top priority for UNMIK and KFOR. It was unjustifiable that people continued to be killed and attacked because of their ethnic background.

Inter-Albanian violence, often with political connotations, was also a serious threat to attempts to build a democratic society in the province. The local population must be encouraged to step forward and assist in the identification of suspects.

Elections were another challenge that must be dealt with, he said. Even with comprehensive international assistance, it would be some time before the proper functioning of the newly elected municipal structures could be seen. Some time should be allowed for local institutions to gain experience before moving to elections at the next level. Norway was pleased by the contacts established between UNMIK and the authorities in Belgrade following the democratic changes in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, he added. He encouraged Kosovo Albanian leaders to explore the new possibilities for a constructive dialogue with the Yugoslav authorities.

JEAN-DAVID LEVITTE (France) paid tribute to Mr. Kouchners resolve and courage during his remarkable 18-month stint in Kosovo. Improving security remained the top priority of the international community in the province. As Mr. Kouchner had said, the spirit of revenge must be eradicated. All inhabitants must have rights to safety, security, access to public services and to have their voices heard in public debate. Any obstacles to the establishment of a plural democratic society in Kosovo could not be tolerated.

He said France would do its bit to promote economic development in southern Serbia. Turning to the proposed general elections, he said they must be organized when the appropriate conditions had been met, and only when those conditions had been met. It was essential that the vote was impeccably well done and that everyone could participate.

Minorities must, therefore, be registered in advance, particularly the Serbs. In addition, any discussions on the content of substantial autonomy for Kosovo must be carried out by Kosovars under the authority of Mr. Haekkerup, he said.

MAMOUNOU TOURE (Mali) said the integration of minorities in administrative and political structures was an important step in Kosovos development. His delegation also supported UNMIKs efforts to reform central bodies, as the province moved towards central autonomy. Violence in the Presevo valley and against Kosovos minorities was a source of concern to his country. Such practices were unacceptable and would undermine efforts by the international community to stabilize the situation in the region.

He said all efforts for border surveillance and confiscation of weapons should be enhanced. The damaged fabric of Kosovos society must be restored. Minorities were targets and, therefore, Mali would support any special measures by KFOR to protect. In addition, the international community must make adequate means available to help those who wanted to return home to the province. The issue of missing persons was still a major concern of his delegation.

SHEN GUOFANG (China) said his delegation believed the situation in Kosovo was still very disturbing. At present, the ethnic tension in the province had not changed. He pointed out that the former Special Representative had noted that UNMIK could not effectively protect the provinces ethnic minorities. The UNMIK should take effective measures to address the situation. The proposed Kosovo elections were also very worrisome. Some were trying to politicize the situation, in violation of resolution 1244 (1999). China believed that resolution 1244 was very clear on the final status of Kosovo. The UNMIK should strengthen its work to encourage the return of Serbs and others, to ensure the legitimacy of Kosovo-wide elections.

He welcomed cooperation between UNMIK and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Dialogue between Kosovo Albanians and the Government of the Federal Republic was also key. The international community should exert a positive influence in that regard.

China had noted that investigations would be carried out into NATOs use of depleted uranium ammunition during the 1999 campaign, he said. The investigations should be carried out in a fair and transparent manner. He welcomed the new Special Representative, and noted his determination to create a secure environment for the return of Serbs and to combat violence.

He hoped UNMIK would learn from the lessons of the past.

ALFONSO VALDIVIESO (Colombia) said the new Special Representatives appointment would help to maintain the direction in which the outgoing special Representative had taken UNMIK. He welcomed the role of the new Government of the Federal Republic in finding a peaceful solution to the situation in Kosovo. It was natural to temporarily put on hold discussions of sensitive matters, he said, including the date of general elections for the province and its final status. Moving forward without Belgrade would have no meaning.

The UNMIK must continue to work to protect all ethnic minorities, he said. Albanian extremists must feel the disapprobation of the international community. He called for a joint solution to the problem of displaced persons and refugees. It was important that the situation in Kosovo be considered in a much broader context, he said. He added that the Council should do all in its power to ensure compliance with the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague.

DAVID COONEY (Ireland) said that while the overall security situation in Kosovo had improved, his delegation was concerned about the ongoing ethnically and politically motivated violence in southern Serbia, and particularly in the Ground Safety Zone. He strongly condemned the use of violence by armed groups and supported the efforts of UNMIK and KFOR to address that situation, including the recent arrest of presumed terrorists. He also commended the restraint shown by the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and their commitment to respect the provisions of Council resolution 1244 and the Military Technical Agreement.

He said it was essential that progress be made towards facilitating the return of Kosovo Serbs and others to their homes, and reversing the effects of the wide-scale devastation in the region. Chief among the tasks of Mr. Haekkerup would be the establishment of a legal framework for elections.

While it was desirable to proceed rapidly, we must be careful to ensure that certain objectives are met in advance, he said. The results of the local elections must be fully implemented, and preparations must be completed in the areas of voter registration, education and information.

He said it was important to find appropriate legal channels for the speedy release of Kosovar Albanian political prisoners, and that amnesty should be considered for people who did not bear arms during the conflict in the province.

ANUND PRIYAY NEEWOOR (Mauritius) said a number of significant changes had taken place in the region during the past year; above all, the holding of presidential elections in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In Kosovo, UNMIK had done a valiant job in difficult circumstances in carrying out the mandate of resolution 1244 (1999). He noted with concern the ethnic divide still persisted in the province, and the inability of many citizens to return to their homes.

Presently, UNMIK and KFOR were serving as vital lifelines for the people of Kosovo, by providing an essential administrative machinery and promoting peace and reconciliation, he said.

The international community must not be oblivious to the fact that there had to be a lasting and peaceful solution to the present stalemate, and that it was in the interest of all the people of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including Kosovo, to create an atmosphere for constructive dialogue to take place among them.

PIERRE SCHORI (Sweden) spoke on behalf of the European Union, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Turkey, Iceland and Liechtenstein. He said the Union welcomed the progress made in Kosovo on the implementation of resolution 1244 (1999) and fully supported the continuation of efforts by the new Special Representative to establish democratic, self-governing institutions in Kosovo in order to provide substantial autonomy for the people there. The Union also supported efforts to increase dialogue and cooperation between UNMIK and the relevant institutions of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The Union condemned the use of violence and extremism, and any act which made the coexistence of communities more difficult and which adversely affected regional stability. An important aspect of enhancing the security situation in Kosovo was to reduce the overall level of criminality and to enforce the rule of law. To that end, he noted, more than 800 civilian police, as well as judges and prosecutors, from Union member States were serving in Kosovo.

A priority for the Union was to contribute to the reconstruction and economic development of Kosovo, he said.

The Union was by far the single largest donor providing assistance to the province, and was at the forefront of the reconstruction effort. It was important to continue to create favourable conditions for the economic development of Kosovo.

VLADISLAV MLADENOVIC (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) said two different features characterized the situation in Kosovo. On one side, the international community was making efforts to stabilize the situation. On the other, there were major security problems in the Ground Safety Zone in parts of the municipalities of Bujanovac, Medveda and Presevo. Those problems were brought about by the incursions of ethnic Albanian terrorists against peaceful local populations and the Yugoslav security forces. He also cited serious security problems in many localities in the province.

The Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, he continued, was firmly committed to the quest for a solution to the present situation in the Ground Safety Zone, as well as for a comprehensive solution for Kosovo, established in a negotiated, peaceful and diplomatic way. That commitment stemmed from full respect for resolution 1244 (1999) and the Kumanovo Military-Technical Agreement. His Government was also convinced that only by abiding by democratic principles, by building confidence among all residents of Kosovo and Metohija, and by developing a democratic society would it be possible to bring about a lasting peace.

He said the use of depleted uranium during the NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its aggression against his country had led to worldwide protests that were entirely justified. Considering that the effects of radiation on people and the environment were not limited in space or time, the international community was duty-bound to take urgent and necessary measures to forestall its harmful wide-scale consequences.

His Government insisted on the establishment of all the facts and, in particular, on the elimination of all the consequences, undertaken with full cooperation from all relevant international actors, including the Council. The responsibility for the use of those weapons should be borne by those who authorized them, regardless of whether they had or had not been aware of their harmful effects.

S. JAYAKUMAR, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore and Council President, speaking in his national capacity, said the international communitys overall aim must be to return Kosovo to normalcy. Kosovo could not be allowed to languish in its present state forever. The security situation in and around the province must be addressed. He called on all Kosovar ethnic communities to put an end to the violence. All who engaged in such activities must be dealt with severely.

He stressed the need for reconciliation among the Kosovar ethnic communities. Resolution 1244 (1999) was clear on the political status of Kosovo. The issue should not be allowed to further divide the province, with all that divisions ramifications for the region. Among other measures, all political prisoners should be released. He hoped that the issue of missing persons would also be resolved.

Building self-governance capacity and promoting economic recovery was also essential, he said. UNMIKs efforts to build the requisite institutions should be commended and supported.

All the ethnic communities in Kosovo should be involved in the process for self-governance. However, Kosovo-wide elections should only be held when the proper conditions were in place.

Responses to Questions

MR. GUEHENNO, responding to a question raised this morning on work to be done in Berne, Switzerland, on a constitutional framework for Kosovo, said he was not aware of any such project and would, therefore, welcome information on it.

He also said there was no report on Racak, in reply to a question raised this morning on that issue.

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