United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

Briefing Notes, 11 November 2002

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel
KFOR Spokesperson SQ. leader Tony Adams
UNMIK Police Spokesperson Derek Chappell
OSCE Spokesperson Sven Lindholm
EU Spokeswoman Monique De Groot

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel

SRSG Michael Steiner delivered a speech to Humboldt University in Berlin: we will distribute a copy of the address to you later today.

On Thursday he goes to Luzerne, Switzerland, where he will participate in a meeting sponosored by the Project on Ethnic Relations called "Albanians and their Neighbors: Is the status quo acceptable? Alternative Futures."

He returns to Kosovo on Friday.

On Monday as you know United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan arrives in Pristina for a 24-hour visit, as part of his tour of the Balkans region. We have contacted media about his schedule, which includes meetings with local leaders and brief visits to Mitrovica and Gornji Makresh. All media intending to cover the visit must be registered with Sunil Narula by today. The Secretary-General will give a press briefing on Tuesday, therefore there will be no regular press briefing on Tuesday, but perhaps later in the week.

Regarding President Rugova's appointment of Senator Bob Dole as "Senior Representative of Kosova, with the title of Honorary Ambassador," PDSRSG Charles Brayshaw wrote the President a letter reminding him that under the Constitutional Framework, external relations is a reserved power of the SRSG. (CF 8.1.o) The Constitutional Framework also requires that the activities of the President in the field of external relations be coordinated with the SRSG. (CF 9.2.2) "Any appointment of an external representative of Kosovo, such as an "honorary ambassador," without regard to these provisions in law is not valid and therefore not acceptable."

On another subject, I would like to express our concern at the recent incidents of violence seemingly aimed at the Kosovo Serb population of Klokot which have occurred over the past few months. Following the explosions which leveled five houses, three incidents of mines have occurred including one which killed a local woman. This appears to be a disturbing pattern and we urge local leaders to speak out against such violence which can only further discourage minorities living in Kosovo or contemplating return.

Finally, I"d like to note that during the donors' meeting in Brussels, SRSG Michael Steiner announced that the Housing and Property Directive is to come under the authority of UNMIK.

HPD was established by the international community in November 1999 to restore housing and property rights in Kosovo. It has been managed by Nairobi-based UN-HABITAT until now. The handover in Brussels marked the formal transfer of HPD from UN-HABITAT to UNMIK.

HPD has collected 21,000 claims from individuals who either lost their properties as a result of the discriminatory laws of the Milosevic era, or during and just after the Kosovo conflict. HPD's new focus will be on processing these claims. HPD is currently processing each week more than 125 claims and conducting over 30 evictions of illegal occupants.
New Property claims must be filed by 1 December.

HPD's budget for 2003 will amount to $5.5 million, of which $2.7 million has already been secured. It is hoped that with the new institutional arrangements in place, a renewed commitment of donors will allow HPD to increase its productivity and reach its projected targets.

KFOR Spokesperson SQ. leader Tony Adams

UNMIK Police Spokesperson Derek Chappel

Handover Of Police Station

On 15/11/02 the Kosovo Police Service will assume full responsibility for operations at the police station in Gracanica, with international officers acting strictly in a monitoring capacity. There have been several instances in the past when Kosovo officers assumed temporary responsibility for a police station in Kosovo, but this is the first permanent handover of responsibility from UNMIK Police to the KPS.
There will be a handover ceremony at the police station on the 15th, and a press release will be issued in advance of the event giving details.

Murders

On 04/11/02 in Pec town, a K-Albanian attorney was shot to death in front of his home by an unknown assailant, who apparently used a silenced handgun. The motive is currently unknown, but the victim was specifically targeted and the murder is not believed to involve normal criminal activity such as robbery.

On 09/11/02 in Pristina Region, a 68 year-old K-Albanian man was found dead of a gunshot wound. The crime occurred in the office of the engineering company where he was working as the night security guard. The motive is unknown but robbery is not believed to be involved.

Kidnapping Arrests

On 03/11/02 at about 15:00h, a 12 year-old boy was kidnapped in Pristina Region. Police located the victim that night and rescued him. Arrested in the operation were two men, ages 23 and 22. Investigators have discovered the motive for the crime involved a dispute between the two suspects and the boy's father. The suspects had earlier sold a car to the father and apparently had not been paid, so they kidnapped the child in order to extort the money from the father.