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UNMIK- OSCE - EU - UNHCR Press Briefing, 31 January 2002
Acting UNMIK Spokesman Sunil Narula
OSCE Spokesman Sven Lindholm
EU Spokeswoman Betty Dawson
UNHCR Spokeswoman Astrid van Genderen Stort
Acting UNMIK Spokesman Sunil Narula
Monday arrests
The three persons arrested on Monday were produced before an investigative judge. They detention has been extended by 30 days and investigations opened into charges of war crimes. The charges were filed for alleged crimes committed between September 1998 and June 1999. They have 24 hours to appeal their detention and three days to appeal the charges for which they are being investigated.
UNMIK Police
UNMIK Police has arrested two K-Albanian men who had fired at two Serbian teenagers. Police carried out a body search of the suspects and recovered one pistol and 19 rounds 7.62 mm and two magazines. Nobody was injured. Investigation is continuing.
Correctional officers
On Tuesday, 7 correctional officers from Italy arrived to join the Kosovo penal management system. They join 8 Austrian correctional officers, who were already here. The Italian officers will go to the Dubrava prison.
Spatial Planning
The Department of Spatial Planning in the Transitional Dept. of Health, Environment and Spatial Planning has organized a day long discussion on Spatial Planning in Kosovo. There will be participants from different transitional departments, such as Environment, Local Adm., Emergency Preparedness, Pristina University, Kosovo Municipalities. If you are interested in talking to anybody from this department at the end of the day today, say around 6 p.m., please get in touch with me and I will fix up something for you.
OSCE Spokesperson Sven Lindholm
Democratisation activities of the OSCE
Institution building means supporting the development of democratic structures which represent and work on behalf of society. The OSCE has been working with the three main "institutions" of society - government, political life, public life - to build up their capacity to operate in an open, transparent and publicly accountable way. OSCE's commitment to their continued development will now focus on the mutual understanding and interaction of actors, which is necessary for the institutions to survive and thrive.
So what are these institutions?
Institutions of government - Once an election has ended the real work of self-government starts. Specialised training programmes have and will enable institutions to develop themselves, which is critical to democratic and responsible self-governance. In 2001, the focus was on the newly elected municipal assemblies while now the emphasis will center on the Assembly, its members and responsibilities. The OSCE will also continue to play a role in building skills and giving assistance to a professional and service-oriented civil administration. Out training programme for 2002 is anticipated to begin in the coming weeks.
Institutions of political life - OSCE assistance to political parties has been primarily to strengthen their organisational capacity to develop policy platforms that enable them to participate in the political process. These commitments will slightly shift to further develop an awareness to concerns of people, of the voters, as such input can be an important tool in future electoral success.
Institutions of public life - The promotion of citizen participation from all walks of life with other institutions assists with the development of good governance. NGOs and civic groups and other representatives of civil society are becoming more active. Their voices aim promote democracy and good governance, in areas such as public policy making and its implementation, through a process of dialogue with other institutions that make up society.
While this touches only on the overall strategy guiding democratisation programmes, the goal of institutional interaction, the participation of people from all walks of life, is crucial to good governance in any democracy.
Photo Exhibit
Images taken over the past 2 years by the OSCE's photographer, which not only highlights our work but also pays tribute to Kosovo and its people, will be on exhibit at the National Theatre. The exhibit will be in Pristina, from 30 January to 9 February, and it will then travel to Vienna, Warsaw, Lisbon and Paris.
EU Spokeswoman Betty Dawson
Euro
Euro conversion is still continuing and the process will end on February 28th. After that date transactions in DM, throughout Kosovo, will become illegal. This will apply throughout the territory of Kosovo.
Euro conversion in minority areas is going well. Co-Ordinated plans have been drawn up for these areas and the schedule is being maintained.
EAfR
The European Agency for Reconstruction will being work next week on the
repair the pumping station at Batllava Water Company which supplies water
to most of the Pristina region. All three pumps at the station and the
electrical transformers will be replaced. The building will also be rehabilitated.
When repairs are finished at the end of June this year,
There will be a much greater reliability and efficiency in the supply
of water at Batllava. (There's a press release outside with more information)
Energy
The energy situation remains good. The 4 hours on and 2 hours off load shedding schedule will continue to be maintained.
UNHCR Spokeswoman Astrid van Genderen Stort
Go and see visits for the displaced
UNHCR has actively continued the organisation of go and see visits as well as go and inform visits for members of the displaced communities who have an interest in returning to their homes. Following the go and see visit to Klina/Klinë municipality mid January, another go and see visit was organised last weekend to Pec/Pejë municipality for Kosovo Serbs presently displaced in Kraljevo. The participants were given the opportunity to assess the situation in their homes and their village of origin. Local authorities are always informed about upcoming go and see visits directly by our offices. The office for the Return and Communities was also present during the go and see visit.
In addition a go and see visit for RAE refugees presently displaced in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia took place to Prizren and Suharekë/Suva Reka. This GSV to Suharekë/Suva Reka should be seen as a positive development towards the return of RAE refugees to this particular area. So far no returns had taken place here, despite the large number of RAE refugees in fYROM originating from this location.
Go and inform visits
Several of UNHCR's staff are presently in FRY on a go and inform visit
with the intention to give potential returnees a realistic picture of
the present situation on the ground in Kosovo.
UNHCR has been organising go and see and go and inform visits since the
beginning of 2000 with a view to providing the displaced population with
an opportunity to assess the situation in their homes and make a well
informed decision on returning home. UNHCR has been constantly advocating
the right of every individual to return home regardless of their ethnic
background.
Launch of UNHCR's book "A Journey Home"
On the 5th of February UNHCR will launch the book "A Journey Home".
The book has been worked on over the past 1,5 year and contains photographs
taken during the period 1999-2001 covering the exodus, return and displacement
of the people of Kosovo.
Departure of UNHCR's Chief of Mission.
On the same day UNHCR's respected Chief of Mission Mr. Lennart Kotsalainen
will bid farewell to Kosovo after an assignment of over 2 years in Kosovo
and Mr. Walter Irvine will take up his functions as the new Chief of Mission
of UNHCR in Kosovo.
Visit of the Regional Co-ordinator
UNHCR's regional co-ordinator for the Balkans, Mr. Werner Blatter will be visiting Kosovo over the coming four days: apart from meetings with several prominent international and local authorities and public figures he will pay visits to the Pec/Pejë, Prizren and Pristina/Prishtinë region where he will visit UNHCR projects, minority areas and return locations.
Tolerance building
UNHCR would like to make a positive remark about ICMC's Tolerance Building Youth Program in Orahovac/Rahovec, where youth volunteers from Serb and Albanian communities work together on a project of cleaning burned houses on the border of two communities in order to create a better environment. Only one year ago such initiatives and examples of co-operation between the different ethnic communities would not have been heard of.
Questions:
Q: Sunil, you said that the investigative judge has met the people and studied their investigations, they were given thirty days. The question is why were the charges labeled crimes?
SN: I am really not investigating war crimes myself. I think we will have to check this out for you.
Q: Who has accused them of war crimes?
SN: As I said, I am not really investigating these things, I cannot answer these questions. It is UNMIK Police and Department of Judiciary Affairs…
Q: Can anyone today answer some questions?
SN: I am sure we can check but not this question. Who has accused is the matter of investigation. Nobody will tell you these things, nobody will answer these questions.
Q: Have the people who have accused them been in relation with the Serb regime before and during the war?
SN: I have said and I will say it again. I am not an investigator and
as I said investigations are open, there are ongoing. Nobody is going
to talk on what is going on with the investigations.
We can not talk about investigation at this point.