UNMIK-KFOR Press briefing, 6 December 2000

UNMIK Spokeswoman Claire Trevena
KFOR Spokesman Steve Shappell

UNMIK Spokeswoman Claire Trevena

Good morning.

KTC

The KTC is meeting today. The Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta who is visiting Kosovo today will be addressing the meeting. He is also meeting, about now, with SRSG Dr. Bernard Kouchner.

Justice

The trial has opened yesterday in Mitrovica of Igor Simic, who is charged with genocide. It is being heard in front of international judge Christer Karphammer; the prosecutor is also international, Michael Hartmann. There are a number of other defendants in the case who have escaped or were not arrested.  The trial of Miroslav Vukovic also charged with genocide is also being held in Mitrovica. That's been adjourned until tomorrow (Thursday) as it is being heard by the same panel.

LDK

Last week when we were talking about political violence we announced that 2 LDK members had resigned from Glogovac/Glogoc municipality because of family and health reasons. We have been informed that they have since retracted their resignations.

Mirusha Deal

This morning the concession contract between UNMIK and the Italian company SACET has been signed. It's for the Klina based construction company Mirusha.  The total investment guaranteed over the coming ten years is 6.2 million DM. It's also predicted that the number of employees will likely double to 225 within four years. The concession is part of a commercialization strategy. Under this, a foreign company signs - and pays for - a lease on a Kosovo company for a certain period. This allows for investment without having to tackle the issue of ownership.

Business Registration

An update on business registration. About 70 percent of businesses have now registered - that's about 30,000 businesses. When we talk about business it ranges from a small kiosk to a large factory.

Schools

Students from 18 schools are being relocated from tents to heated containers as part of the Department of Education's winterization programme. These container-schools are being built as two-level structures; each classroom is made up of two containers without a dividing wall. The schools are in Srbica/Skenderaj, Lipjan, Vucitrn/Vushtri, Glogovac/Glogoc Podujevo, Stimlje and Obilic.  Permanent buildings should be constructed for these schools next year. There is a press release on this outside
 
B2 power plant

Yesterday the SRSG Dr. Kouchner re-opened the overhauled Kosovo B2 power plant. This is essential in power production for Kosovo. It's had four months work on it, which has cost 80 million DM. The unit will produce approximately 250 megawatts a day - about a third of the daily needs through winter.

Crime

Finally, from UNMIK police - it was a pretty quiet 24 hours.

KFOR Spokesman Steve Shappell

Good morning ladies and gentlemen

A reminder that tomorrow 7 December at 10 am, KFOR Commander General Cabigioso will pass command of Multinational Brigade South from Brigadier Fritz von Korff to Brigadier-General Wolf-Dieter Langheld. General Cabigioso will be assisted by the Deputy Commander of the German Army, Forces Commander Major-General Dieter Henninger. The ceremony will take place at Camp Progress in Prizren. All media representatives are cordially invited to attend. If you need any information please see the MNB South Liaison in the Press Center.

Questions

Q: Claire, can you just clarify for us the position of UNMIK concerning Serb elections, the possibility of these elections taking place here? And for KFOR, are you going to provide security during the Serb elections and why would you allow Serb elections to take place in the three northern municipalities?

CT: The issue of the Serb elections is still being discussed. There isn't any final agreement on what is going to happen. The only thing that I can tell you is that we are not organising the Serb elections. What approach will be taken is still under discussion.

SS: KFOR will take the lead from UNMIK. We will continue to provide a safe and secured environment like we do everyday but we will wait for UNMIK to take the decision.

Q: What problems are there with Serb elections that are making you delay taking a decision? Is there a problem with 1244? Is Kosovo part of Serbia or Yugoslavia?

CT: There are obviously a lot of questions to be answered and that is why it is taking so long for a decision to be made. We don't want to be hasty in running into this. I know it seems that we have been dragging out but we are talking to a lot of players both internally, within UNMIK and in other countries to try and work out the best approach. So it is not a question of whether or not we have a problem with this, but we need to discuss it with a lot of players and make sure that we adopt the best approach.

Q: Do you have any information of how many schools in Kosovo have been closed down due to failure to pay the professors?

CT: They haven't been paying teachers? As far as I know none, but I cant check for you. So far we haven't heard of any schools which have been closed down for that.

Q: Claire, just to go back to the question on Serb elections here, don't you think that holding Serb elections here will put UNMIK in a very strange position in Kosovo? This is the first question. Second, there are countries that are putting pressure on UNMIK and even on Dr. Kouchner to allow Serb elections in Kosovo. Do you have details of these countries and why they are putting pressure? What are their arguments in favour of holding Serb parliamentary elections here?

CT: No, I don't have any details on which sort of countries are putting pressure but as I said, we are talking to a lot of players on what we should do about the elections. There is constant discussion on it. On the question about Serb elections in Kosovo putting UNMIK in a strange position, since we haven't actually decided on how we are going to handle it, I think it will be a bit forward to actually comment on that and we are still talking about what we are going to do about those elections.

Q: Major Shappell, do you have any updates on the soldier who fell out of the helicopter? Was he or was he not wearing a seat belt? What stage is the investigation?

SS: I have no information on this. I can get it later on for you.

Q: Claire, do you have any additional information on the raids on the brothels? Have there been anymore since November 22 or is the crackdown spreading throughout the other sectors?

CT: I am not sure, Dmitry is there if he wants to add to it.

Dmitry  Kaportsev, UNMIK Police spokesman: Since November 22 there have been other raids in Gnjilane but I don't remember the exact dates so I can come back to you. The raids are pretty regular and the Police keep its eye on the brothels and the issue of prostitution in general.

Q: Are you having problems in sending prostitutes back home or they are requesting to stay on in Kosovo?

DK: Actually, the agency that takes care of the women is IOM. What we do is to prevent and investigate criminal acts like forcing women into prostitution and human trafficking.

Q: No microphone, inaudible.

DK: As far as I know in the majority of the cases, those who voluntarily work as prostitutes don't want to go back.

Q: I asked you last time for figures on crimes committed in Kosovo since the beginning and you said that the figures were in a press release or in the briefings but they were not. Can you give those figures to us now?

DK: You can get it from our computer in the office. I told you last time that we have figures and update for the previous week and not since the beginning of the year and to obtain the figures since the beginning of the year, it is just a matter of adding up figures of the weeks. You can get them from our office, no problem.

Q: For both UNMIK and KFOR, there was a meeting between General Cabigiosu and Dr. Kouchner yesterday. Do you have any information on that meeting and if Presevo Valley was one of the main topics of discussion and the role of Albanian leaders in those developments?

CT: I have no details on that meeting. They meet most evenings.

SS: I have no more information.

Q: Just a brief question for Claire, can we expect any statement on the Albanian Prime Minister's visit today and if so more or less when?

CT: Yes, we must have what they are discussing sometime this afternoon.