Briefing Notes, 21 January 2003

UNMIK Spokesperson Simon Haselock
KFOR Spokesperson Wing Commander Anthony Adams
UNMIK Police Spokesperson Derek Chappell
OSCE Spokesperson Edita Bucaj
EU Spokeswoman Monique De Groot

UNMIK Spokesperson Simon Haselock

SRSG going to Zagreb

SRSG Michael Steiner should be leaving for Zagreb today shortly. In Zagreb, he will meet the Croatian President Mr. Stjepan MESIC, Minister for foreign Affairs Mr. Tonino PICULA, Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Slavko LINIC and Minister for Economy Mr. Ljubo JURCIC.

Trials
On the trials, the Atanga trial, the policeman accused of killing the two children, that trial is starting again on 31 January.

Guardia di Finanza
I also understand, as you saw from SRSG’s speech yesterday that the Guardia di Finanza will start operating today. And there are members already in Kosovo, who are starting formally there work today. And there will be even more of them working by the end of this month.

KFOR Spokesman Wing Commander Anthony Adams

Operational Rehearsal – Rapid Guardian 2003
The Operational Rehearsal, Rapid Guardian 2003 (RG 03), started on 15 Jan 2003 with a highly successful insertion and extraction exercise. This airborne operation of in excess of 150 paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade exited from 3, C130 aircraft and successfully secured the drop zone in a matter of minutes. This mass parachute drop marked the beginning of the month-long rehearsal which demonstrates NATO’s ongoing commitment to peace and security in the Balkans and the capability to rapidly reinforce NATO troops.

The participating soldiers from the Operational and Strategic Reserve Forces, who can deploy their first elements within 72 hours, used the first few days of the rehearsal to conduct battle hand-over and reconnaissance operations in Multinational Brigade East and Southwest. The Aviation Taskforce conducted reconnaissance operations over the Administrative Border Line and provided demonstrations of air and land power in the Multinational Brigade East. Over 120 sorties were planned in the last week, and one section that is already working with local KFOR troops discovered an arms cache in a deserted house.

In the following week the U.S. and British Reserve Forces will conduct combined patrols, as well as undertaking airborne training. The soldiers will be integrated into the Multinational Forces to train and support current peacekeeping operations.

This operational rehearsal provides the leaders and troops of the Reserve Forces with first-hand experiences in the KFOR Area Of Operations giving them detailed knowledge of the geography of Kosovo and a further opportunity to train and practice their skills in the theatre in which they would be called to operate.

Rapid Guardian 2003 provides ongoing evidence that NATO remains committed to peace and stability in the region and demonstrates our capability to rapidly reinforce KFOR troops, wherever and whenever required.

Reminder
COMKFOR launch of 4U magazine 1430, 21 Jan 2003. Contact CPIC for details.

UNMIK Police Spokesperson Derek Chappell

Murders
On 20/01/03 in Kosovo Polje, four men became involved in a knife fight. A 19 year-old man was injured in the fight and he later died at hospital. Four suspects have been arrested and the weapon used has been confiscated. One of the suspects was also injured during the fight.

On 15/01/03 in Pec Region, a K-Albanian man was murdered during the course of a home-invasion robbery. Police have arrested 3 suspects and are seeking a 4th. The suspects are believed part of a gang that is responsible for approximately 15 such crimes over the past six months.

Grenade Attack Arrest
On 19/01/03 in Pristina Region, two hand grenades were thrown at a K-Serbian’s residence. One exploded, causing damage but no injuries. The unexploded grenade was disposed of by KFOR EOD. Police have arrested a K-Serbian suspect and a search of his home discovered 2 rifles and 2 hand grenades.

Death Investigation
On 17/01/03 in Prizren Region, the body of a man was found inside a burned automobile. The body was badly damaged by the fire and the cause of death is not yet known.

Child Abuse Arrest
On 17/01/03 in Prizren Region, a 14 year-old boy reported to the police that he had been beaten by his father and uncle. Investigators confirmed that the youth had been chained in an outbuilding for three months and repeatedly abused. The suspects have been arrested.

False Complaint of Robbery
On 14/01/03 in Pristina Region, the driver of a petrol tanker truck reported being robbed of the 32,000 liters of fuel that was the cargo in his truck. Investigators arrested the driver and another man after confirming the claim of robbery was false.

Please contact the appropriate Regional Press Officer for additional information concerning these incidents.

Pristina: 038-504-604-5110
Pec: 038-504-604-3448
Prizren: 038-504-604-8306

Vigilante Group
On 16/01/03, Kosovo journalists began receiving a flyer from a previously unknown group calling itself “Homeland Security” or another translation is “National Security”. The flyer claims the group will take the law into its own hands and implies that it will execute all enemies. We do not yet know how serious this threat is. However, such a group has no place in any civilized society.

Crime Stats
Finally I was questioned on crime statistics and I promised to get them to you as soon as possible. We released them on the week end and I hope most of you did release them. I think when you look at them, contrary to some suggestions, crime is not out of control in Kosovo.

OSCE Spokeswoman Edita Bucaj

Just to follow up on the very important speech SRSG delivered last night:

On behalf of Ambassador Pascal Fieschi I can assure you that the OSCE Mission in Kosovo will be in front in the area of handing over – e.g. directing over support to the democratic institutions in such a away that they can manage what is handed over.

As an example of handing over I can inform you that another meeting of the Election Working group is taking place today.

The overall task is to develop recommendations as a basis for a future Kosovo Election Law.

EU Spokeswoman Monique De Groot

Macro economics Seminar
In its series of seminars on macro economic topics the Ministry of Finance and Economy, Riinvest and the Statistical Office of Kosovo will organise, a seminar on “Consumer Price Disinflationion” where researchers of the unit will present the overview of consumer price trends during 2002. The seminar will be held in the Statistical Office of Kosovo (SOK) conference room from 10:00 to 11:30 am on FRIDAY, January 24, 2003.

EFC
An extraordinary Economic and Fiscal Council meeting on the specific topic of income taxes is scheduled to be held this coming Friday. Further details to the media will follow.

Energy
The daily energy update report can 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.

Questions

Q: Simon, can you clarify something on these agreements that have been signed that the media is talking about and the withdrawal of the KPS from the North?

SH: I have a comment on the counter publishing of documents which in some case purport to be genuine and in others not. What I can say and what everybody should know and knows already and that is that following the elections when the northern part of Mitrovica was boycotted by the Serbs, we said that we needed to fill the vacuum that was caused by the fact that there was no elected representation there. We wanted to fill that vacuum because we wanted to make sure that we undermined and undid the parallel structures there, especially the bridge watchers and with that in mind Mr. Steiner as you know went to Belgrade to talk to the highest authorities in Belgrade, the personalities you know well and he wanted to get from them obligations that this vacuum was filled by UNMIK and that these institutions were not funded, not supported by Belgrade. This is what we did; this is what we said publicly. We have also said that they took on their obligations in accordance with what we spoke to them about and what we have is that we have a common understanding that UNMIK is solely responsible for northern part of Mitrovica. UNMIK Administration was established on that basis, with the backing of the highest authorities in Belgrade. But there is no treaty. And that’s all I have to say on that matter.

DC: On your second point about the police, multi-ethnic policing, joint patrols has always been our ambition and in fact, there are many parts of Kosovo now that are enjoying Serbian and Albanian KPS together. Now obviously placing Albanian KPS in the northern part of Mitrovica is a sensitive thing to do. We did not give this a huge amount of publicity, it was done as a pilot scheme, there were very well received, they were made welcome by the public and that pilot scheme has ended. That’s it. There will be more KPS patrols in the north in the future, but that would be at the discretion of the director of the KPS, that is a police decision, based on the availability of people who are suitable and on the need for training.

Q: Simon I have a follow up. Does this mean that two documents were signed between Mr. Steiner and the Serb authorities?

SH: No. I mean exactly what I said. There is an understanding, which covers the areas that I have discussed. There was no treaty and that’s exactly what I am saying and that’s what I mean to say.

Q: So no signing of documents?

SH: No treaty.

Q: Simon, on Mitrovica again. On the understanding. Does this mean that it would be fair to say that Belgrade is complaining to UNMIK that parallel institutions still exits?

SH: I don’t understand the question.

Q: You had an understanding for the parallel institutions to cease and Mr. Covic is complaining that you did not hold your part of the agreement or the understanding.

SH: My understanding reading the letters in the newspapers is specifically about policing in northern Mitrovica and there is an allegation taken from the press and the dialogues and dialectic in the press that somehow we had agreed that there should be no Albanian policeman, north of the River Ibar. That has not been excluded, there will be no exclusion as Derek has said, we have to be practical and from our point of view and not through any agreement that it should be done one step at a time. I think that’s just common sense. Certainly no exclusion in anything that’s been discussed between us and Belgrade of who should be on the north side from the KPS in terms of ethnicity.

Q: On the Homeland Security, based on the journalists who have received the threat. Is there any indication of the political affiliation of this group?
DC: I have read the newspapers and I am aware of the discussions in the newspapers as to who is responsible. We have no hard evidence, nobody has claimed responsibility, nobody has put their names to this group and let me just make the point. What we have here is a sheet of paper with a badge and a title. Let’s not immediately make the assumption that this represents a large group of people.

Q: What will be UNMIK’s next step after the formation of the union of Serbian municipalities in north Mitrovica?

SH: Watch this space. You will see it before I tell you about it. Watch this space. It means wait and see.

Q: You said after the elections there was a vacuum in Mitrovica. Since you are claiming that there was no treaty signed, what did you come into common understanding or agreement with Serbian authorities?

SH: First of all I am not claiming anything. I am telling you. Secondly, we have been quite clear about the fact that there has been a vacuum in north Mitrovica after the elections. We have also been quite open about the fact that the situation prior to the elections was quite unsatisfactory. We wanted elected representatives, we wanted the election to take place, they boycotted it in the north, so we had to move in to fill out that vacuum ourselves, which is what we did. I told you about our common understanding, our common understanding was to go to Belgrade and tell them, essentially us telling them what we required from them in order to fill that vacuum. That covers a number of things and I have explained to you that covered things like parallel institutions and the bridge watchers etc.