Briefing Notes, 24 September 2002

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel
KFOR Spokesperson Sq. Leader Tony Adams
Police Spokesperson Derek Chappell
OSCE Spokesperson Poul Smitt
Spokesperson of EU Monique De Groot

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel

SRSG Michael Steiner is currently visiting two returns projects in the Gnjilan area: one a small village near Novo Brdo (Stara Kolonija) where work is ongoing to return 23 Serb and Albanian families. The other is Gornji and Donji Makresh where both returned Serbs and Albanians are receiving assistance.

The returns projects in the Gnjilan region demonstrate UNMIK's 'bottom up' approach to returns which are organized almost entirely at the local level, by local participants in small, carefully prepared projects. UNMIK's role has been to provide the conditions for people to make their own, individual decisions on return. This is our priority, not numbers. It is important that security, water, electricity, freedom of movement and a welcoming attitude by local residents are secured so that returns can be sustainable.

Mr. Steiner goes to Slovenia Friday as part of his series of visits to capitals in the region.

UNMIK along with the International Commission on Missing Persons is issuing a press release today on the first joint DNA-led identifications; DNA testing is underway on more than 1,000 exhumed bodies.

We issued two press releases yesterday-one stating that no mass grave has been found near the Balkan factory in Suva Reka, after a team from the Office of Missing Persons and Forensics dug nine test trenches in the dump where information we received had indicated their may be human remains. Again, none were found there.

Another press release announces the selection process for the Medical Examiner's office, to be established under the Office on Missing Persons and Forensics, which will take place this week.

UNMIK Police Spokesperson Derek Chappell

Murders

On 20/09/02 at about 23:00h in Gnjilane Region (Ferizaj town), police responded to a report of gunfire. Upon arrival, the officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He was transported to Pristina Hospital, where he died on 21/09/02. There are no known witnesses and the motive is unknown.

On 18/09/02 at about 2155h in Pristina Region (Lipljan town), six men became involved in a fight during a dispute between two families. One man was killed and two were injured during the altercation, which involved knives and axes. Two suspects have been arrested.
Please contact the appropriate Regional Press Officer for additional information:
Gnjilane: 038-504-604-7682
Pristina: 038-504-604-5110

KPS Officers Assigned To Pristina Airport

Starting yesterday, Monday the 23rd of September, a platoon of 15 KPS officers were assigned to Pristina Airport. They form part of the normal police
detail that provides security for the airport. This represents one of the many steps in the process of transition of authority from UNMIK Police to the Kosovo Police Service.

Vehicle Insurance Warning

The police Traffic Services Unit has asked us to remind everyone that third party liability vehicle insurance is compulsory in Kosovo. Drivers found operating a vehicle without insurance will be ticketed and will appear in Court. Their uninsured vehicle will be towed.

Monique De Groot, EU Spokesperson

Energy

Unit Kosovo A1 is expected to be back in service on 26th September. This will release the pressure on the Hydro Power Plant Gazivode. The load shedding schedule of 4 hours ON :2 hours OFF will be maintained.

The SRSG, on Friday, signed the Orders on Disconnection of electricity and the Payment of Debts. This now regularizes these procedures for KEK and will help them when faced with those who still refuse to pay for what they use. Copies of the orders are available from the UNMIK press office.

Also on Friday, Mr Rieder and the Supervisory Board of KEK confirmed the appointment of Mr Ali Hamiti as Director of Operations. Prior, to this appointment, Mr. Hamiti has been acting Director of Operations.

The daily energy update report can now be found on the UNMIK web page:
http://www. unmikonline.org.
We continue to urge the citizens of Kosovo to save energy as much as possible and not to leave electric appliances switched on when not in use.

KTA

The Kosovo Trust Agency is concluding this week with its series of seminars in each of the regional centers with meetings in Peja and Mitrovica. The seminars are directed at SOE managers and workers councils representatives. The discussions focus on the responsibilities of the KTA, details of the regulation, how spin-off and liquidation will work and what it all means for the managers and workers. Media are invited to attend the seminars.

Customs

In addition to the case of the 140 brand new long-barreled weapons found at Hani I Elezit border crossing, I would like to add that the detection was made by one of the Mobile Support (anti-Smuggling) Teams of the Customs Service, and was found in packages of used clothing claiming to be a consignment of Humanitarian Aid. The case has been handed over to the Border Police and the investigation is continuing. The Customs Service fully supports the fight against any form of corruption or crime and this includes smuggling.

Questions:

Q: Question for both OSCE and UNMIK. Yesterday Prime Minister had an interview with Vecernje Novosti and in that interview he said that if OSCE handling presidential the elections in Serbia and if OSCE allows that presidential elections are organized in Kosovo too, that is out of the OSCE's jurisdiction. Could you comment on that? Second - what about those posters in Gracanica with Seselj's portrait and that are organizing a campaign - is that against Constitutional Framework or not?

OSCE: I can assure you that the OSCE Mission in Kosovo is in no way involved in the elections you spoke about, so there is no question about having problems with that.

UNMIK (SM): Our policy has been that we will neither help no hinder the Serbian presidential elections, but people have the democratic right to vote in elections for which they are registered. As far as posters of Seselj, I don't know that we would have any policy on posters: however, we are not inviting candidates to campaign here physically as it might pose security problems.

Q: Seselj knows that on Thursday he is going to have a big rally meeting in Mitrovica North. Will UNMIK allow him to have the rally?

UNMIK (SM): As I said our policy is that we will not help organize these elections nor will we try to hinder them, but allowing candidates to come here I think would fall under the category of helping the elections, because we would have to put on quite a bit of security for candidates to come. So we will not be authorizing candidates to campaign here.

Q: It means that he will not be allowed to cross Kosovo boundary to come for the rally?

SM: His visit will not be authorized.

Q: For KFOR and UNMIK Police; will there be any extra security measures on the day of the elections?

UNMIK Police: The day of Serbian elections? As Susan has said, if we were to put special security arrangements in place in fact we would be assisting with the management of elections. We have not been requested to do so and we've made no plans to do so - it is just another day.

KFOR: That is not different for KFOR. I agree with what Susan and Derek have said - it just a normal day for us.

Q: Question for OSCE. You said that some parties are using propaganda speeches in rallies. Are you planning to punish them because of that and if they are misusing numbers why is OSCE not preventing them from that?

OSCE: Firs of all as I said we have no registration on ethnicities so we are not able to provide the numbers. We are able to provide the numbers for the participation in the elections and if you look at the numbers you will see that there are no significant changes from the last year and the years before. There are more people getting 18 years of age and not so many dying, that means that there is more people voting and more people having the right to vote. The increase is about 5% and there is no big change all over the country so if people are creating numbers - hundred thousand people coming from here and hundred thousand people coming form there - this is propaganda in an irresponsible way. And you can look up the numbers yourself and see that it is a quiet normal election and the changes of numbers are so normal. It is a sign of life and not so many deaths so I think it is great.

The second question was on the hate speech. If there are violations of the regulations in the fact book you can see what has to be done. If there is a violation of the code of conduct for the media complaints will be for the temporary Media commissioner to deal with and complaints about political parties, but we are going to file the complaints ourselves. Someone has to file a complaint, but in many ways all these cases will be studied and the right institutions will deal with the political parties and the media.

Q: Are you concerned that any of the campaign financing for any of the political parties might come from criminal resources?

OSCE: First of all we are asking people to tell us what kind of money they have, how much money and what jobs they have, this is a question of openness and transparency in the democratic process - we want to know more about people running for office, but I don't expect that some of them would say - well I just had a million form illegal sale of CD on the streets of Pristina - although I would love it and closed down the shops but it is non of my business, so I mean, yes, there might be some people in Kosovo who had some income from criminal activities if they register them - hopefully some of the NGOs or you in the press will look into the incomes and say this is really worth researching. If you find someone with a great income and you cannot understand why he or she owns so much money then it is for the press to go and look where did they come from.

Q: You haven't actually answered the question. Are you concerned that any of the campaign financing for any of the political parties might come from criminal resources?

OSCE: But I should not estimate that one has money from criminal activities or ten or hundred. It would be unfair of me to just say that one has it because I don't know it; I don't want to charge any individual or any numbers because it is not my business, but I think that we are all concerned about criminal activities somewhere in this area and I have the same concern as you and the rest of the media has.

Q: What is the Electoral Commission's regulation that states if a particular political party or candidate thereof is discovered to be using criminal means to finance his electoral campaign. What happens to that candidate or that political party?

OSCE: Violating the process means that you can be fined, but it is a hypothetical question. What kind of political activities are we talking about and what are the violations in question? I don't think it is possible for me - I would very much like to answer your question - but it is not possible.

Q: So Can just finish your debating - you are or you aren't concerned?

OSCE: I am not aware of what I have not answered. I am aware of the fact that you have asked the same question in many ways, so please tell me what do you want me to say; then I can maybe deliver?

Q: Just whether or not you are concerned at all whether any of the political parties in the forthcoming elections may or may not be using criminal resources to finance their electoral campaigns - it is a Y or an N.

OSCE: I am not here to make accusations against any political entity.

Q: Thank you.

Q: Susan is there any explanation why training of police cadets was suspended in north of Mitrovica yesterday afternoon and will you resume that again?

UNMIK (SM): I don't think that is has been suspended.

UNMIK Police: you are quite wrong to say it was suspended; it was not. Yesterday was the first day, they arrived at the station in the morning as in Mitrovica north Station for the much of the day. They were in the station, meeting people, doing familiarization they did not got out on the street yesterday - we expect them to go out today. In the very near future, if not as we are speaking, they should be out on the streets of Mitrovica - it has not been suspended.

Q: But initially it was planned that they would be patrolling the streets with UN police yesterday. Was this because of a threat, or because of the Covic meeting or because the Serbs are asking that chief of the Serb police negotiate their presence in the streets in the North?

UNMIK Police: Let Susan talk about the politics, I will just speak about the simple matters of policing. And you have to remember these people have never been police officers, they have only been in trying for a few weeks, many of them probably haven't been in a police station before. Their entire training has so far been in the classroom. They arrived at Mitrovica north police yesterday morning and common sense would say that before you put man on patrol you familiarize themselves with things like radio procedures, procedures in emergencies, use of vehicle and equipment, very simple and basic things such as that. We said they would be in north Mitrovica on Monday and they were, and they should be out on the streets today.

Q: You got a letter from General Durdevic, head of the Serb Police, and he said it was very clever and professional decision not to allow cadets to go on the streets. Does it mean that you have an agreement with Serbian Government not to allow KPS cadets to go in the streets of north Mitrovica?

UNMIK (SM): No, there is no such agreement. Durdevic is in the office of Mr. Covic, he is, I believe the police adviser with the Coordinating Committee for Kosovo. We are not going to postpone training: it will go ahead. The training and the recruitment of local Kosovo Serbs in northern Kosovo is one of our highest priorities and we have urged the CCK to help us to get the local community leaders and the local community on board in supporting this. This is a project that we have been working on, as you very well know, and wanting for nearly a year. It is the only area where we do not have Serbs deployed and now they are under training and there is no agreement to postpone their training.

Q: But how do you comment the letter from Mr. Durdevic?

UNMIK: Mr. Cady has spoken to Mr. Dudevic today and he has also responded to him in writing reminding him that it is desired that they support us and that they have supported us as it is one of their priorities as well to have Kosovo Serb police in north Mitrovica and it is their duty to help us bring community leaders on board. So we have responded to him today.

Q: Are you concerned that something might go wrong with the training program - sabotage from the people in north Mitrovica?

UNMIK: Maybe Derek should address that…I have been gone for two and a half weeks but you have clearly seen in the press there is some political back and forth about this, but these cadets, and perhaps KPS can speak about it--were selected from the local community, these are not outsiders, they are locally recruited KPS, and I think in the long run that is what people of north Mitrovica want. They want their own police force.

UNMIK Police: You asked if we are concerned that something could happen when cadets go out on patrol. There is a certain element of risk that goes with doing the job of a police officer, and it is impossible to do the job with a guarantee of no risk. So of course there is a risk when they go out on the streets for the first time. We have tried to minimize that and as I explained earlier that is one of the common sense reasons why they didn't go out on the street within minutes of arriving at a new police station to do a new job. That would not have made sense tactically in terms of professionalism in terms of providing a safe working environment.

Q: What about the letter you sent to media yesterday about threats from the underage school children that they may act violently against cadets and that training might be stopped?

UNMIK Police: We had information on the weekend that there might be attempts to disrupt this training program. The information suggests that disruption would be instigated by individual extremist in the north who are not prepared to see progress being made. The way they were going to carry on this protest was not to confront the KPS cadets themselves but to try and use the school children as their agents. You can use your imagination as to how this might have been done, but that fact that there were some people who were so solidly set to prevent any progress in north Mitrovica that they would use innocent children as their agents in a situation that could result in their injury or in violence that is another good indication how isolated these people are form the general community. We've has a great deal of interest from the Serbs in the north in joining the KPS, we believe they will be well accepted when they are on the streets and these people are isolating themselves with their resistance to change, but at the same time it explains why we are taking the security measures that we are.