United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT

Briefing Notes, 15 October 2002

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel
KFOR Spokesperson SQ. leader Tony Adams
UNMIK Police Spokesperson Derek Chappell
OSCE Spokesperson Poul Smidt
EU Spokeswoman Betty Dawson

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel

SRSG Michael Steiner is currently opening a Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) terminal at the Kosovo Polje/Fushe Kosovo goods terminal. This new terminal will be able to supply a clean and safe form of energy to domestic and industrial uses and will provide 50 new jobs through a private investment of 8 million euros.

President Ibrahim Rugova and Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi were also to be at the terminal opening.

Yesterday Mr. Steiner chaired the meeting of the Economic and Fiscal Council, which he said was very successful. The long session was attended by President of the Assembly, Mr. Nexhat Daci and UNMIK Pillar II head Francesco Bastagli.

There will be a press release later today, but two highlights of the meeting are the following:

The EFC reached agreement on the 2002 Budget mid year review, with details to be defined at the next meeting.

The Central Fiscal Authority will cease to exist by the end of the year. Most of its functions will be transferred to the Ministry of Economy and Finance with some remaining with the SRSG.

Today at 16:30, he will meet with members of Coalition Povratak in his offices. There will be a photo opportunity at the opening of the meeting.

From the justice Department, Clint Williamson has announced the establishment of a Conditional Release Commission under the Penal Management Division.

According to applicable law in Kosovo, sentenced persons who have served half of their sentences are eligible for consideration for conditional release.

Members of the Commission, which will meet under Penal management Division head William Irvine, will include two international judges, three local judges and several others listed in the press release outside.

Finally, the photographs you see around you are by UNMIK photographer Afrim Hajrullahu. He will open an exhibit tonight called "How do we get the light," which is his study of power production and the power plants. You're invited to attend the opening at 7 p.m. in the Kosovo Art Gallery.

KFOR Spokesperson SQ. leader Tony Adams

UNMIK Police Spokesperson Derek Chappell

EU Spokesperson Betty Dawson

Electricity Update

The electricity situation has eased a little with the bringing into operation of unit A3 (100MW). The HPP at Gazivode/Ujmani HPP in the north, is running from 7.00 in the morning until midnight providing 16 MW. The rest (265MW from 09.00 until midnight and 165 during the night hours) is being imported from NEK in Bulgaria so that the load-shedding schedule of 4 ON: 2 OFF cam be being maintained

Ratification of the appointment of the newly selected Executive Directors of KEK, is expected at the meeting of the KEK Supervisory Board tomorrow.

The KTA is participating in the third Kosovo Investors Conference that is being held in New York on Friday and Saturday. The KTA will make a presentation to the potential investors from the Diaspora.

The two previous investors conferences, organized by the Department of non-Resident Affairs, were held in Germany and Switzerland.

Questions:

Q: Derek, last weekend police said that they will identify those who have attacked Serbs, police and KFOR in Peja during the riot through the video footage by a journalist. Don't you think this will make us targets of eventual riots in the future?

UNMIK Police: Whenever there is a public order situation, generally the police is present, taking video and still photographs, doing surveillance themselves. That is standard tactic. In the UK I actually managed a unit and our job was to videotape public order and we would put cameras out to film crowd control problems, potential strike situation, and riots. If we start using film shot by commercial video, then of course, yes, it does put you in a dangerous situation because people will regard you as targets. On the other hand if you are there filming, performing your journalistic function and you capture evidence on that tape, then we have a right to look at your broadcast material. If we want to look at things that you haven't broadcast publicly, we need a court order. But if you have material evidence of a crime on publicly broadcast tape, then my understanding of the law is that there is no right to privacy to that. That is public material that we should and can look at. But most of the film we will look at was shot by the police, not by private citizens.

Q: But it was reported also reported that you will identify persons there through the videos of journalists. Is this still making us targets?

UNMIK Police: No, I don't believe it is, and I think that we have to accept that in any public order situation there is a certain amount of risk. No criminal wants to be filmed or identified performing his crime and if they see you there as a member of the legitimate media filming, even without the knowledge that it might be handed to the police, then you are potentially a means of identifying them. Now the only film we will look at is the film that has already been shown to the general public on distribution. That is public information.

Q: You seized some amounts of the new drug ecstasy. Was that in a public pub or disco and has police taken any measures to close down these clubs?

UNMIK Police: Two of the seizures were made in a search of private vehicles, one seizure was made in a search of a coffee bar in Pristina for other grounds and we came across a bag of ecstasy tablets in unintended way, we were looking for other things, and that business has been closed down.

Q: KTA has decided to suspend Adnan Merovci from his duty. Why did this happen - here it says violation of of the duties in the contract in the newspaper today. Is this a way of shutting him down because he was very critical of corruptions in the Post & Telecom?

EU: Though in any of the organizations there are strict rules and procedures for all sorts of issues and it is not necessarily because one speaks out to the media but it is one of them if you do not go through the correct channels. I am not privy to the exact reasons for his sacking, sorry, he is not sacked, he is suspended so I couldn't really make any comment but I probably could find our for you later on today and come back to you on that.