UNMIK- OSCE - EU - UNHCR Press Briefing, 14 February 2002

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel
OSCE Spokesman Sven Lindholm
EU Spokeswoman Betty Dawson
UNHCR Spokeswoman Astrid van Genderen Stort

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel

The arrival of SRSG

The arrival of SRSG Michael Steiner has been delayed due to a flight cancellation in Germany. He is due to land at 3:15 this afternoon and the media invited to the airport have been notified.

That means the press opportunity in front of the HQ building will be moved back to 5 p.m. today.

Tomorrow he will give a full press briefing at 11 a.m. in the UNMIK HQ auditorium.

From the police

In southern Mitrovica yesterday UNMIK police arrested two TMK members on suspicion of attempted robbery. Three suspects stopped a van with civilian driver. The three pretended to be police officers and hijacked the van which was carrying motor oil. Later UNMIK Police stopped the van as part of a routine check and discovered the heist. Two suspects were arrested and the third remains at large.

One man was found shot to death in Vushtrii yesterday outside his home.

In Suva Reka, there was a major accident when a large truck its brakes failed as it descended a hill and crashed into a bus station. Twenty people were injured and one died. UNMIK is planning to introduce a vehicle inspection program to help prevent such an accident from recurring.

OSCE Spokesperson Sven Lindholm

Property Rights

The OSCE yesterday release its report on property rights in Kosovo. It is an overview of progress made by the Housing and Property Directorate (HPD) and the Housing and Property Claims Commission (HPCC) in ensuring effective remedies for property rights violations. The findings demonstrate the resolving property ownership issues are crucial in the respect for human rights, the rule of law and ensuring the conditions for return.

Media Hearing Board

Yesterday the Media Hearing Board met to review a complaint against Bota Sot, and found that the paper did not "endeavor to achieve accuracy, fairness and impartiality in all reporting." The Board decided to recommend to the TMC that Bota Sot will clearly acknowledge editorial responsibility and accountability for the articles published in its newspaper.

Financial Disclosure

The OSCE has submitted a complaint to the Election Complaints and Appeals sub-Commission regarding the post-election financial disclosure reports submitted by political entities. The filing of such reports is a sign of public accountability, transparency, and compliance to the electoral rules. It also intends to provide and accurate depiction of the income and expenditures of each entity during the campaign period. According the electoral rule, if an entity fails to comply with any obligation, whether by a reporting omission or exceeding the set spending limit, sanctions can be imposed.

EU Spokeswoman Betty Dawson

Euro Conversion

Conversion to the Euro is progressing well and the public are reminded that DM will not be legal tender in Kosovo after 28th February. So please, during the last 2 weeks of the changeover period, ensure that all your DMs are returned to the bank. Retailers are reminded that special facilities are open for them in BPK to assist them with their DM/Euro exchange.

Electricity

The electricity supply situation remains stable. In support of a cleaner more environmentally friendly Kosovo, it is planned that Unit B2 will be shutdown at 24.00 hours tonight for 48 hours to clean the filters and thus reduce the smoke and ash coming from the chimney. In order to minimize the disruption in supply the MWs deposited in EPS will be used to support consumer demand in Kosovo. It is anticipated that the load-shedding schedule will remain at 4:2.

Water

Batllava Water Company has announced more widespread water restrictions. These are caused by an increased demand in the water supply due to the resumption of building work etc. Disconnections will be put in place in areas where the bills are not paid. It is proposed that during the weekend, the area of Sunny Hill will be disconnected for this reason. The area around Obiliq is already disconnected for non-payment of bills.

Waste

The clean -up around Pristina continues, to the delight of the citizens. Meetings have taken place between the Utilities Chiefs in the Transitional Department of Trade and Industry and the CEO of Pristina Municipal Council and as a result of these meeting a closer co-operation has been achieved between the department and the municipality - this progress will be of benefit to the citizens.
UNHCR Spokeswoman Astrid van Genderen Stort

Questions:

Q: Susan if the negotiations between the albanian political parties fail; is UNMIK going to organize the parliamentarian elections together with the local elections this autumn.

SM: No, we have no plans for early assembly elections this year, next Assembly elections will be in three years. We don't imagine that the negotiations will fail in the long run