UNMIK-UNMIK Police-KFOR- Press Briefing, 18 February 2002

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel
KFOR Spokesman Squadron Leader Daz Slaven
UNMIK Police Spokesman Derek Chappell

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel

SRSG visits Sami Frasheri School

SRSG Michael Steiner has been visiting the Sami Frasheri school this morning He chose to visit this school, as one of the best schools in Pristina. It is also a participant in the European Schools project financed by the Government of France.

SRSG Steiner was expected to stress that 52 % of the population is below the age of 20 years. Investment into the education of this important population segment has prime importance for the economic recovery of Kosovo.

It is estimated that roughly half of Kosovo graduates will not find jobs here, but will enter foreign labour markets. This makes it so important that performance of the education system in Kosovo be elevated to meet European education standards.

In addition, the existing school capacities do not meet the demand for spaces and two or three teaching shifts per day are normal. Pristina is hardest hit and even has one school running four shifts.

This is due to fact that massive population influx into Pristina after 1999, with a population of some 250.000 persons before the 1999 war and about 650.000 today. This expansion in people has not been fully met by the expansion of social institutions, particularly the school system.

We need more schools and at the same time, a higher quality of education.

There is school reform underway which tries to tackle both shortcomings. Gymnasium Sami Frasheri takes active part in experimental programmes of the "European School" initiative.

SRSG meets Municipal Administrators

Later today the SRSG meets with all the Municipal Administrators of the mission. As part of his continuing meetings with local leaders, SRSG Michael Steiner will meet Mr. Ramush Haradinaj of the AAK at 15:30 this afternoon.

A press release outside describes his meetings Saturday with Mr. Rexhat Daci, Mr. Rugova, Mr. Thaci and Dr. Trajkovic.
SRSG address to the people of Kosovo

Tomorrow evening SRSG Michael Steiner will address the people of Kosovo over RTK at 7:15 p.m.

On Wednesday, the SRSG will meet His Excellency Jaime Gama, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal and the Chairman of Office of the OSCE. The two will give a brief press briefing in the UNMIK HQ auditorium at 12:20 p.m.

Following that meeting SRSG Michael Steiner will meet the Prime Minister of Saxony, Kurt Beidenkopf.

Travel documents

Regarding the production of travel documents, which is in the process of moving from Germany to Kosovo, UNMIK will start personalising travel documents this week. This means adding photos and fingerprints to the blanks. Since we stopped producing them in December in Germany in order to transfer the process here, a backlog of nearly 40,000 applications has built up.

UNMIK has so far distributed about 120,000 travel documents. We hope to begin issuing them again in the coming weeks.

Nis express bombing commemoration

UNMIK's director of Returns and Communities, Andrew Whitley, and other UNMIK officials, attended the memorial Service Saturday commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Nix express bombing in which 11 Kosovo Serbs were killed.

Demonstrations in Mitrovica against opening of an UNMIK community office

In North Mitrovica we are expecting demonstrations today protesting UNMIK's plans to open a community office in North Mitrovica. This office will be a branch of the Mitrovica municipal office, which is located in South Mitrovica. It will help expand services and other activities of the municipality to the people of northern Mitrovica

Fire in orthodox church in Mitrovica

Also we understand another subject of the protest will be the fire which broke out Saturday night in the Serbian orthodox church. UNMIK and KFOR continue to investigate the cause of the fire, but investigators say arson is unlikely as the site is heavily guarded. The Church was partially damaged.

UNMIK Police Spokesman Derek Chappell

Peaceful Public Gatherings

Attention has been focused on public demonstrations over the last week, after the violence of a small group resulted in damage and injury in Pristina on February 8.

Public gatherings to express dissent are a normal part of life in a free society.
Over the past week 19 demonstrations have been held across Kosovo. Almost 10,000 people, Albanian and Serb, have publicly met in villages and towns in every part of the province to speak on many issues, not only the arrests of the three former KLA/UCK members.

All of these demonstrations have been conducted peacefully with no violence and no arrests.

Cross - Border Police Cooperation

Two United Nations vehicles were stolen on Saturday night from the Pristina area.

UNMIK Police radioed a description to all police patrols throughout Kosovo.

At 2:00 am a police patrol in Leposavic spotted both Toyotas driving north. They attempted to stop them but both vehicles fled and a pursuit was begun.

Several UNMIK Police cars chased the stolen vehicles until they drove across the Serbian boundary. The Serbian police had been notified of the chase and they were waiting on the other side of the boundary.

The Serbian police in RASKA have recovered both stolen UN vehicles and have one K-Serbian suspect in custody. They are searching for a second suspect.

Armed Robbers Arrested

In the evening of 16 February three K-Albanian males were driving in a Volkswagen Golf in the Orahovac municipality. Just after dark, around 7 pm, a BMW blocked their way.
Four masked persons, two with long barrel weapons and two others with pistols, surrounded the Volkswagen. The three occupants were pulled out and beaten. A large amount of money was taken away from the victims both in Euros and Deutsch Marks.

The victims reported the robbery to the Police but were unable to provide any description of the suspects as they were masked. All they could tell us was that the suspects fled in the direction of Klina.

Some time later in Gjakova, a KPS officer on his way to the station for night shift duty noticed three K-Albanian men loitering around under suspicious circumstances. The officer knew that these men had a criminal history.

On coming to the station the officer learnt about the highway robbery in Orahovac. Acting on the information of the KPS Gjakova Police raided the homes of two of the men recognised by the KPS officer.

Recovered were a shot gun, a pistol, military equipment, two masks and narcotics from the house of one suspect and substantial amount of cash from both suspects. One of the suspects admitted to their involvement in the robbery in Orahovac.

The two suspects have been arrested and police are seeking two other K-Albanian suspects in relation to the robbery.

Police Engage in Gunfight With Criminals

Routine police work has led to two shooting incidents in the past week in which UNMIK Police and the KPS have been involved in armed exchanges with criminals.

Near PEJE on February 13 a joint patrol of UNMIK police and KPS observed three men illegally cutting wood.

When police impounded the wood they were violently attacked by all three men. One officer was overpowered and his gun was taken. There was an exchange of gunfire between Police and the armed suspect resulting in the criminal being hit by two bullets.

All three K-Albanian men were arrested. The injured criminal was taken to hospital and is recovering.

The same day near GJAKOVA, a truck loaded with a stolen tractor was observed driving towards the Albanian border. Police vehicles chased the truck for almost 5 kilometers. The suspects blocked the pursuing police cars by throwing large objects onto the road. Police continued to chase the truck on foot for another kilometer before the criminals abandoned the truck and fled across the border into Albania.

Shots were fired at the Police with an AK-47 assault rifle from across the border and fire was returned in self-defence. No officers were injured and the truck and stolen tractor were recovered.

KFOR Spokesman Squadron Leader Daz Slaven