UNMIK-OSCE-EU-UNHCR Press Briefing, 21 February 2002

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel
OSCE Spokesman Sven Lindholm
EU Spokeswoman Monique de Groot
UNHCR Spokeswoman Astrid van Genderen Stort

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel

New round of talks with political leaders

Today SRSG Michael Steiner will complete the first round of his talks with political leaders from the Kosovo Assembly and he begins the second round as well this afternoon with a meeting with Assembly president Daci. This new round of discussion will continue over the next two days.

Police

This morning around 4.30, special teams of UNMIK Police raided three apartments in Northern Mitrovica and arrested 2 Kosovo Serbs. They are suspects in the murder of a Kosovo Albanian, Sokoli, on 3 February 2000. Sokoli was killed in North Mitrovica in a grenade attack. The arrests were carried out following an arrest warrant issued by an international judge.

About half an hour after the arrest, which went smoothly, people came out on the street and started protesting. They threw stones at two UNMIK police vehicles and one was shot at… One officer received minor injuries. KFOR soldiers were also attacked by stones. The N. Mitrovica police station was briefly surrounded. The situation has calmed down.

We join UNMIK police in asking that people allow police to enforce the law and the justice system to handle criminal cases without restoring to violence in the streets.

This morning's arrest was the result of a two-year investigation of a brief period of intense violence in Northern Mitrovica when several Albanians were killed and more than a dozen Serbs seriously injured.

Yesterday morning, six Kosovars crossed the Albanian border into Kosovo at a field near Cafa Prusit. One stepped on a mine and was seriously injured. The Albanian police rescued them and brought them to UNMIK police. The station commander drove the victim to the Djakova hospital.

Two days ago, in a joint KFOR/UNMIK operation, several houses in Jablanica village, southeast of Kulina pass, they found a sizable quantity of explosives, weapons and ammunition. UNMIK Police arrested three people in connection with weapons possession.

Launch of Empowerment Project Training Program

At 3 p.m. today, in the conference room of the Pristina Student Center, education officials will launch the Ministry of Education and Science empowerment project training program and answer questions about the future of the Ministry. Speaking will be Ministry Principle international officer Michael Daxner, DSRSG Tom Koenigs, Mr. Zenun Rexhep.

Media are invited to attend.

OSCE Spokesperson Sven Lindholm

Victim Advocacy Manual

Victim advocacy is the providing access to justice and fair treatment to victims of crime. The first concrete result from a conference the OSCE hosted last December is today being released. This manual is meant to be a practical tool for dealing with victims and working towards the development of a comprehensive and integrated system of victim advocacy
in Kosovo. What is presents are a variety of mechanisms, models and skills involved in crime-victim response. It is meant to be a starting point to address what victims of crime want and need. The aim of this manual is not only to raise awareness of the issue, the impact of victimisation and ways to deal with it, but also to ensure the protection of the victim's right and foster a more "victim friendly" criminal justice system.

The launch is today at 14.00, at the OSCE, and will include a series of skits called "Our Stories" that represent the issues presented in this manual through real-life stories of victimisation.

Monique de Groot, new spokesperson for EU Pillar

Euro

As of today there is exactly one more week to go before the Euro conversion will come to an end.

So far the Euro changeover activities continue with no major problems. Also the conversion in the minority areas is going well. Mobile teams will continue to visit those areas until 28 of February.

I would like to stress once more:

February 28 is the last date when DM can be exchanged to Euros so everyone should make sure they do so before the final date.

Announcement

EU Pillar in co-ordination with the Stability Pact will organise a conference entitled 'Shaping Market Economy Legislation in the context of the EU Stabilisation and Association Process next week, Wednesday and Thursday, 27 and 28 February.

Keynote speakers represent various European institutions.

More information and the final program of the conference will be issued later.

UNHCR Spokeswoman Astrid van Genderen Stort

No New Refugee Flow Expected from FYROM

I want to continue on the issue of disruptive misreporting, this time in the Macedonian press: contrary to some beliefs UNHCR is not envisaging a new exodus of refugees from Macedonia due to new clashes, as was claimed in the daily newspaper Dnevnik two days ago. On the contrary, while UNHCR Kosovo and fYROM in 2001 carried out emergency programmes, the agency will in 2002 concentrate on long-term activities in co-operation and co-ordination with the Government of fYROM and other agencies, aiming at facilitating return and revitalising the former conflict zones. This planning reflects the current situation, when the country is gradually returning to stability and normality and less than 24,000 of a total 170,000 refugees and internally displaced remain displaced. The reception centre in General Jankovic and the transit camp near Urosevac/Ferizaj that are mentioned in the article, were measures established by UNHCR Kosovo in 2001 to enable the organisation to assist some 82,000 refugees who entered Kosovo during the spring and early summer of 2001. These facilities have now been closed.

This information was clearly communicated to Dnevnik prior to publicising the article, for unknown reasons the newspaper decided not to include UNHCR's comments.

UNHCR Kosovo continues to take care of the remaining refugees from fYROM, mainly those from the northern mountain ranges of fYROM. The main focus of UNHCR Kosovo is to assist these displaced in returning home as soon as possible. For some of them access to their homevillage is still difficult and reconstruction of their houses can only start when Spring sets in. For others the absence of a clear amnesty arrangement proves an obstacle to returning home. As for all displaced in and outside Kosovo UNHCR continues to advocate for a spedious return and will facilitate this return whenever possible, in cooperation with other actors.

Goodbye

After almost three years in this part of the world I will finally be leaving Kosovo/a. Ever since those first months at Blace border between April and June 1999, a lot has happened. I have been lucky to experience many of the different phases Kosovo/a went through, the exodus, return, reintegration, reconstruction, new displacements and development at all levels. From the plains of western Kosovo into the heart of the province, Pristina, I have learnt a lot. I wish you all the best in your efforts to move forward in building a new Kosovo/a. Thank you all for the intensive cooperation over the past years. We will meet again soon!

Questions:

Q: Susan, you do say that the situation in Mitrovica has clamed down. What does "calm down" mean?

A: The people are off the streets. They are not demonstrating anymore, as far as I know.

Q: Who are the persons who have been arrested? Bridge watchers? Former bridge watchers?

A: I just know that they are two Kosovo Serb men.

Q: So, they are charged with killing?

A: They have not been charged yet. They are arrested on suspicion, in connection with the murder, I mentioned of Mr. Sokoli, in the night of 3 February 2000.

Q: Can I mention one other thing? Does UNMIK or the UN Mission recognize the Yugoslav - Macedonian border Agreement and especially the bit about border between Kosovo and Macedonia?

A: Basically, our position is that UNMIK continues to administer Kosovo, as it was defined on 10 June 1999 in SC Resolution 1244, and for anything beyond that we are going to ask you to call the Spokesman's office in NY.

Q: So do you recognize the agreement or not?

A: It is not up to us to recognize the Agreement or not. We administer the territory as it was defined by the 1244.

Q: So you will not recognize the Agreement in case, lets say, Macedonia wants to take a part of Kosovo as it is in the Agreement?

A: I just have to repeat what I said. We consider Kosovo to be the territory that was defined by 1244.

Q: I would like to ask about Euro change over, you said that it is going to be on February 28, in a week's time. Will the people still be able to use Deutsch Marks in shops after that date?

A: No we strongly encourage people not to use any Deutsch Marks because the shop owners would not accept them.

Q: But at the moment a large majority of the shops are still accepting or taking huge amounts of Deutsch Marks as opposed to people using Euros.

A: The change over period has not ended. My personal experience is to the contrary.

Q: General Hubert, the Commander of the MNB East, was accused by the Macedonian press yesterday that he was in a sense proclaiming war on Macedonia because of his statements a few days ago. It is definitely about this Agreement between the Yugoslav and Macedonian authorities. Who can change this Agreement and who can change things like border agreements between two countries?

A: As I said this is a legal situation which will have to be resolved at the level of NY, so there have been various statements made but this is a complicated and sensitive legal issue which is now becoming a political issue and it is going to have to be resolved in NY, so I cannot comment on what General Hubert said.

Q: KFOR will not answer this?

A: I am not going to be drawn on specific comments that were made. Quite clearly the US will not declare war on Macedonia. What I can say is that KFOR is providing safe and secure environment for the whole of the Kosovo province and that we are carrying out our military operations and we are going to continue to do so in line with the current standing arrangement.