UNMIK- OSCE - EU - Press Briefing, 24 January 2002

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel
OSCE Spokesman Sven Lindholm
EU Spokeswoman Betty Dawson

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel

New SRSG for Kosovo Appointed

Yesterday, - Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed German diplomat Michael Steiner as his Special Representative for Kosovo and the head of UNMIK.
Michael Steiner, a former Foreign and Security Policy Adviser to the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, replaces Hans Haekkerup, who left Kosovo when his contract expired at the end of 2001.
Mr. Steiner is expected to take up his duties in Pristina early next month.
There is a CV for Mr. Steiner outside, but I'll give you a brief summary:

He was born in Munich in 1949. He is 52. Most recently was the Director-General in the German Foreign Office (Berlin)

From 1998 to 2001, he was the Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to the German Chancellor. Previously, in 1998, he served as Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

And from 1996-97, he was the Principal Deputy High Representative in Sarajevo.

We are very much looking forward to the arrival of Mr. Steiner, who will first go to New York to meet with relevant UN officials.

Mr. Solana visits Pristina

EU High representative for Security and Foreign Policy Javier Solana will visit Pristina tomorrow. He is expected to arrive at the airport at 10 a.m. Then he will have a series of meetings in the UNMIK HQ.

10.30-11.00 Meeting with A/SRSG
11.00-11.30 Meeting with COMKFOR
11.30-12.00 Meeting with Amb. Fieschi, DSRSG Pillar III
12.00-12.30 Meeting with Dr. Rugova
12.30-13.00 Meeting with Mr. Kuci and Mr. Limaj, PDK
13.00-13.30 Meeting with Mr. Haradinaj
13.30-14.00 Meeting with Mrs.Trajkovic
14.00-14.20 Kosovo Assembly President DACI
14:15 Press Conference in the first floor auditorium.

Political talks between the leading parties in the Kosovo Assembly continue

Regarding the ongoing political talks between the leading parties in the Kosovo Assembly, we continue to support their efforts and we are encouraged by recent reports of progress. But UNMIK is not intervening in the process.

I would like to correct a misquote from earlier this week published in KosovaLive and Zeri.

I did not say that the new SRSG would intervene in the ongoing political process.

Strpce

Regarding the situation in Strpce, UNMIK Police and KFOR are sharing responsibility for securing the area. UNMIK and KFOR staff have restricted movements of internationals in the area.

UNMIK is in the process of finding a more safe and suitable location at which the Assembly president can work. Also UNMIK and KFOR are hosting talks on how to resolve the situation tomorrow afternoon in Camp Bondsteel between the leading Serbs and Albanians of Strpce municipality. Participants will include Municipal Assembly president Hyseni and Kosovo Assembly member Sokol Djordjevic.

Regarding Mr. Saric, we may have some further news today on his detention. So please give me a call in the late afternoon for more information.

Pensions

On the issue of pensions, there has been some confusion in the public.
Hans Haekkerup did sign a regulation setting up pension system on 22 December 2001.

We will have a pensions expert come to explain the regulation in detail at a press briefing next week.

Briefly, the pension plan must be implemented by the Kosovo Assembly, which will set the method, timing and amount of payments.

There are 130,000 pensioners over 65 in Kosovo. All of them will be paid pensions, whether or not they paid into the state pension system in the past.

Between 32 and 37 million DM of the Kosovo Consolidated Budget has been set aside for the pension system in 2002.

It was planned that hose over 70 will begin receiving benefits around March of this year. While those between 65 and 70 will get payments beginning in October. But again, this depends upon how soon the Assembly begins its normal functions of governance.

No monthly figure for pension payments was set in the regulation. The amount of the basic pension shall be set according to the methodology to be adopted by the Assembly.

In the planning phases, UNMIK officials estimated a payment amount using the price of a basic basket of food for one month. That price was calculated at roughly 55 DM a month. However, due to the limited financial resources in the budget, the actual payment figure could be lower.

The pension payment system will be administered by the Pensions and Benefit Administration to be under the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.

There will also be a system by which current workers will begin to make contributions, matched by their employers, to the Kosovo Pension Saving Trust, which has been set up by the regulation as an independent entity to administer and manage the pensions savings accounts.

Again, for more details we will have an expert to address you next week.

The trichonosis outbreak

The trichonosis outbreak in Serbia proper has reached northern Kosovo. In the past week, 14 trichinosis cases have been registered in Zubin Potok municipality. Three UNMIK Policemen also hospitalized. Trichonosis is passed by means of eating bad pork, so take care in the pork being consumed.

OSCE Acting Spokesperson Sven Lindholm

Rule of Law activities of the OSCE

The OSCE, through its institution building mandate, is working on the re-establishment of a judicial system based on democratic principles and international human right standards. Great efforts have been taken to support the legal community and provide solutions to problems identified in the development of rule of law in Kosovo.

Support is provided to Kosovo's legal community - such as lawyers, bar associations and NGOs - to build their capacity and empower institutions. Projects worked on include offering support to the now revitalised Kosovo Bar Association [KBA] and coordinating the efforts of NGOs who deal exclusively with providing legal aid to the people of Kosovo. The KBA and NGOs, with support of the European Agency for Reconstruction, are now involved together on a civil legal aid project.

Other capacity-building activities include legal aid for trafficking victims and training of candidates for the bar/judicial exam.

The OSCE has also facilitated the beginnings of three associated institutions, which will continue to benefit the continued strengthening of rule of law in Kosovo. Each specialise on a different aspect of legal education, providing training and legal education seminars.

Kosovo Law Centre

The KLC was set up as a legal think tank, and help develop the professional skills of local legal talent. It has been active in assisting the Law Faculty at Pristina University on a variety of issues, including reforming its curriculum, establishing scholarships and exchange programmes, improving the legal library, and providing practical legal clinics. One of the KLC's most important projects has been to compile applicable laws in Kosovo for use by the legal community. Three compilations have been published to date [criminal law, family law, property] with three more planned for 2002 [administrative laws and procedural codes].

Kosovo Judicial Institute

The KJI was set up to enhance the legal education of judges and prosecutors and is composed of both regular and specific training. Most seminars, on facets of criminal and civil law as relating to international human rights standards, intend to refresh
and update legal knowledge. The legal education programme also consists of study visits to countries in the region, which intend to foster and promote discussions about the challenges faced by judicial systems in transitional societies and devise solutions to improve actual judicial practices in Kosovo. A continued focus is the training of local trainers, for which a number of members of Kosovo's judiciary have assumed positions as judicial trainers at KJI.

Criminal Defence Resource Centre

The newest of the OSCE-founded institutions focuses on improving the capacity of defence lawyers so they can adequately represent their clients, through direct case-related assistance, research and training. The CDRC provides a balance to support, resources and expertise provided to the judiciary and prosecutors.

EU Spokeswoman Betty Dawson

Euro conversion

The conversion to the Euro continues with the first cash exchanges taking place in North Mitrovice/Mitrovica. BPK confirm that the final date for conversion is 28th February 2002.

Taxes

The IAC passed the wages and profits tax bill on Tuesday. Both taxes will begin February 1 2002 and will not be annual this year.

Energy

The MW's of power produced (around 700) in Kosovo is at an all time high but consumer demand has also increased. Load shedding schedule of 4 on and 2 off continues. This schedule helps maintain stability in the system and spreads the demand over a larger number of hours. Because of the good power production KEK has been able to substantially reduces the MW debt to EPS of power borrowed during the past weeks.

Questions:

Q: Betty, do you trust KEK?

BD: I think I can lead with that. I work very closely with KEK, but I work for Pillar IV at UNMIK and certainly I trust the people that I work with. I've talked with the different workers out at the power plant, I've talked with the workers in the mines. There are oppressive because they work very hard, they work long hours and they get very little salaries in comparison. So, I would defend those workers because they are honest, hard working people. I mean I know where you are coming from, there is always a speculation going around, but it is a speculation and we have to remember that powers systems throughout the word need a lot of money. They need a lot of money to keep the maintenance going. So that is what we are trying to do and we have a backlog of maintenance so we've had to catch up over the past three years.

Q: So you found the way to get money from the consumers through this kind of paper that I can buy on the street. We used to have bills specifying how much electricity we have spent. Are you establishing a kind of corruption?

BD: I appreciate your straightforwardness but I think that is the (SEEC?) system which is supplementary to the invoice system, and the aim of that system is to safeguard both the cashier and KEK and the customer so that everyone has an additional receipt for the money received across the cash desk at KEK.

Q: I want to know why this kind of receipts and not the old ones?

BD: You do get your bill, I certainly have got my bill and I am hoping that when I go to pay my bill, I will also get a receipt, this new receipt. But I do get both.

SM: Could you please show respects to your own colleagues and turn off the cell phones. It screws up their recordings, it is just hurting other people here, so please turn them off when you come into this room.

Q: Question for driving licenses

Q: Last night Saramati was sentenced to 5 years in prison by at the Pristina District Court. Was he sentenced for injuring former Serbian police officers or also for the KFOR charges that he was accused of and still remains in prison for?

SM: Andrea can confirm but I believe that this sentencing of the 5 years was for attempted murder involving attack on a Serbian policeman in 1992. As far as the other charges are concerned he is still to receive the final, official verdict. We will get that verdict to you later.

Q: