 |
 |
 |
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT
Press Briefing Notes,28 October 2003
UNMIK Spokesperson Neeraj Singh
KFOR Spokesperson Chris Thomson
OSCE Spokesperson Sven Lindholm
EU Spokeswoman Monique De Groot
UNMIK Spokesperson Neeraj Singh
SRSG in New York for UNSC meeting
The SRSG has left for New York where he will be participating in discussions
on the Secretary General’s quarterly report on Kosovo to be presented
to the Security Council on Thursday 30 October 2003. The Secretary General’s
report relates to the current situation in Kosovo. We will be releasing
the SRSG’s speech to the media after it is delivered on Thursday.
Extra security
You may have seen some extra security measures now being taken in the
form of constructions around the Mission HQ (and later other UNMIK compounds).
This is happening at all UN missions because of a security review by UNHQ
in the wake of the incident in Baghdad. It is NOT Kosovo-specific.
Arrests
In the early hours on 27 October 2003, investigators of the Central Criminal
Investigation Unit arrested five Kosovo Albanian males in Kacanik on charges
related to war crimes committed during 1999. The suspects are currently
being investigated for the charges by UNMIK Police.
New courts
From 22 October 2003 in Strpce, a Department of the Municipal Court of
Uroševac and a Minor Offences Court have become operational. The
new courts in Strpce are an integral component of the judicial system
under UNMIK administration and are governed by the applicable law in Kosovo.
The Department of the Municipal Court of Urosevac has jurisdiction over civil, administrative and criminal matters. The Minor Offences court has competency over offences that do not require criminal prosecution and are punishable with a fine or imprisonment for up to 60 days.
Both the courts are located in the same building in Strpce town on the main street and will remain open from 0800 to 1400 hrs Monday to Friday.
Judicial inspectors in Albania
Four national Judicial Inspectors and four national members of the Kosovo
Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (KJPC) are currently visiting Albania
for professional interaction with their counterparts there. The delegation
will be meeting representatives from the Ministry of Justice of Albania,
various courts and the General Prosecutor’s Office. This study trip,
the first of its kind, is an initiative of the Judicial Development Division
of the Department of Justice and is aimed at enabling Kosovo judicial
functionaries to exchange ideas and experiences with their counterparts
in neighbouring jurisdictions.
Attacks on Kosovo Serbs
During the weekend there were 3 incidents of attacks directed at Kosovo
Serbian targets in Obilic. On 25 October a hand grenade exploded in the
yard of a Kosovo Serbian home causing some material damage but no injuries.
Two shooting incidents occurred, one shortly after midnight of 25-26 October
and the other at 2345 hrs on 26 October. The shootings were directed at
Kosovo Serbian houses causing damages to property. There have been no
injuries to persons in any of these incidents and Police are currently
investigating them.
KFOR Spokesperson Chris Thompson
Use of unmanned air vehicles by KFOR
In pursuance of its mandate to provide a safe and secure environment
for all the citizens of Kosovo KFOR utilizes Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs)
in the surveillance role. The type deployed within this theatre of operations
is the LUNA. This multi-role UAV is approximately 2.5m long and has a
wingspan of about 4m. It has a service ceiling in excess of 3,000m, an
endurance of over 2hrs and a top speed of over 100kph. It weighs about
40kg. The LUNA is equipped with video, still and infrared cameras and
has the capability to transmit real time images back to its control point.
KFOR uses UAVs as, for the missions conducted within this theatre, they
are considerably less expensive to operate than traditional aircraft and
are also very flexible in the way that they can be tasked. They are used,
in border surveillance, to combat smuggling and illegal border crossings.
LUNA’s area surveillance capabilities can be used against a wide
range of problems including organized crime and money laundering. In all
such areas of operation the UAV’s small size and inconspicuous noise
profile ensure that its presence is a great deal more discrete than that
of a manned aircraft. So, UAVs make a considerable and very positive contribution
to the provision of the safe and secure environment that is at the core
of KFOR’s mission. They will continue to do so for the foreseeable
future.
Weapon seizures by KFOR 20-27 Cct 03
In the last week KFOR has seized:
· 14 Rifles.
· 7 Pistols.
· 2 Grenades or mines.
· 34 Miscellaneous items.
1,220 Rounds of Ammunition