UNMIK-KFOR-OSCE Press Briefing: 9 October 2000
UNMIK Spokeswoman Nadia Younes
KFOR Spokesman Major Scott
Slaten
OSCE Spokesman Roland Bless
UNMIK Spokeswoman Nadia Younes
SRSG addressed the EU foreign Ministers in Luxembourg
The SRSG is today in Luxembourg addressing the General Affairs Council of the European Union, in other words, the foreign ministers of the EU. He was speaking to them at 10 o‘clock this morning and he outlined to them his view of the impacts of the events in Belgrade on the Kosovo situation. He also updated on the preparation for the elections and the post election period. I will read for you part of his text that he delivered in Luxembourg and we will make available after the briefing written copies of his speech in Luxembourg. I am now quoting Dr. Kouchner:
“Although if a democratic change is crucial for the entire region, it
will not in itself immediately stabilise the Balkans. This applies in
particular to Kosovo, where the Albanians did not fight only against
Milosevic, but against Serbian repression. Therefore, it will be the wrong
assumption to think that with a victory of the opposition in Serbia – even
if personally I am strongly in favour of it, the inter-ethnic conflict in
Kosovo will come to an end and the situation of Kosovo will improve from
one day to another. Much will depend on the attitude of the new government
in Belgrade.
A democratic change in the FRY – and I am still quoting
Dr. Kouchner - is nevertheless the first necessary step to improve our
relations with Belgrade as well as with the Serbs in Kosovo. And we
participated in the victory of democracy by counting the ballots in Kosovo
proper. UNMIK efforts to implement 1244 will be facilitated by
having a constructive interlocutor in Belgrade. And for this purpose, I
have the intention to establish direct contacts with President Kostunica
in order to start a constructive dialogue on specific political issues. In
particular, with a government in Belgrade that does not prevent the Kosovo
Serbs from co-operating with UNMIK, it will be easier for UNMIK and the
international community to start incorporating them into the civil and
political life in Kosovo. President Kostunica has invited me and I
will visit him.
As for Kosovo Albanians, they have shown two main
concerns regarding recent developments in Belgrade: one is economic and
the second is political. On the one hand, they fear that a democratic
change may shift international economic assistance from Kosovo to Serbia.
On the other hand, they fear that such a change may negatively affect
their aspiration for independence. How to address this new situation? What
should we do in Kosovo in the forthcoming months? First of all, we should
acknowledge that the situation in Kosovo has not changed. The war is not
over. Peace making is still necessary and difficult to implement.
Kosovo remains a society in crisis. Therefore, we have to maintain the
same military commitment and the same economic engagement for some time to
come.
Second, we need a constructive and pragmatic attitude in Belgrade
on specific issues. Let's take the question of the return of the Serbs for
example. The pressure for Serb return to Kosovo will be even greater now,
as President Kostunica pointed out last Friday in his address to the
nation. This is not a problem: we want them back. And we have worked one
year for that. But as I just mentioned, the change in Belgrade alone
does not mean the end of the interethnic conflict in Kosovo and the
immediate achievement of security for the Serbs of Kosovo. On the
contrary, the dynamics of interethnic hatred continue to be driven by a
number of factors. There are still thousands of missing persons and
detainees. And I hope the new government in Belgrade will do something on
this. In my view, the lifting of the sanctions should be linked to
concrete steps by Belgrade on this matter: we need a gesture from the new
democratic government. We want dozens of illegally detained persons to be
released, and Vlora Brovina to be free.
Finally, is UN resolution 1244
still relevant? Every Albanian whom I have met, moderate or not,
wants independence. Therefore, to try to solve the final status of Kosovo
now could lead to a new open conflict. That is why I am convinced that we
have to continue the implementation of 1244. More specifically, we
have to accelerate the process of defining substantial autonomy and
developing institutions of self-government, with the Kosovars sharing more
and more responsibilities in the administration of the territory.
With
this in mind, I have proposed a 'Pact' to the people of Kosovo, starting
with democratic, successful and peaceful municipal elections on 28
October. After that, a discussion on developing central institutions of
self-government can start. This is one of the main challenges for UNMIK in
the forthcoming months”.
He also outlined the state of preparation for
the Municipal elections in Kosovo, saying that the technical preparations
were on tracks and that he was encouraged by the conduct of the electoral
campaign. He also noted that all at UNMIK continue to be concerned with
the participation of all communities in the elections and municipal
structures while he believed that the Kosovo Serbs have made a mistake in
refusing to vote in the elections, they were willing to participate in the
municipal structures, a proposal that has been accepted by the Kosovo
Albanians leaders.
At the end of the day, said Dr. Kouchner, we will
have we will have representative municipal bodies with participants from
all national communities.
On the post-election challenges, he said that
UNMIK would need to address three major issues which are more critical
after the recent developments in Belgrade. These are: the establishment
and composition of Municipal Councils and Boards;
The need to give
greater responsibility to the people of Kosovo in the administration of
Kosovo and the protection of all communities.
Dr Kouchner concluded by outlining four major points for the way ahead. First, the international military presence must be maintained in Kosovo, as the conflict is still not over. Second, the economic assistance to Kosovo must continue, regardless of the evolution in Belgrade. Third, lifting of sanctions against Serbia should be linked to concrete progress on the issue of missing people and detainees. And fourth, the implementation of this Pact for Kosovo, defining substantial autonomy must be advanced, before starting a discussion of Kosovo’s final status.
SRSG in Skopje
Tomorrow, the SRSG plans to visit Skopje where he will meet with the
Foreign Minister, the Prime Minister and the President. The meetings will
focus on the border issues, the UNMIK status of mission agreement and
other questions of Mutual interest.
IAC
Tomorrow, the Interim Administrative Council will discuss a set of three draft regulations, one on residential property claims and the rules of procedures of the Housing and Property Claims Commission. The second on establishing the Administrative Department of Civil Security and Disaster Preparedness and the third on the War Invalids and the next of kin.
KFOR Spokesman Major Scott Slaten
MNB East Statement on the Developing Situation in Serbia
Political changes in Serbia have caught the attention of the world community, and point towards a more democratically oriented government. The turmoil and uncertainty that accompany all such changes have thankfully not touched Kosovo. The mission of Multi-National Brigade (MNB) East is unchanged. We will continue to provide a safe and secure environment for all citizens of Kosovo, and will maintain impartiality.
MNB East is dedicated to assisting the people of Kosovo in rebuilding their province. In addition to creating an environment in which all measures of crime have been drastically reduced, MNB East has completed 269 humanitarian aid projects in the past year and a half, totaling over $5 million, which have benefited Kosovo Serbs and Kosovar Albanians alike.
MNB East will continue to help the people in its sector to build a better future for themselves and for their children, an environment of cooperation speeds that process. In a time of positive change, MNB East stands ready and capable to help all people in our sector who wish to work towards that brighter future.
The commanding general of Multi-National Brigade East, Brig. Gen. Dennis E. Hardy, said, "There is much work still to be done in Kosovo. KFOR and UNMIK are dedicated to the mission of assisting the people of Kosovo to rebuild. Our purpose holds steady, and we know that, working together, we can reach the goals that the people of Kosovo and the international community have set."
Weapons Confiscated; Men Arrested
During the past 24-hours in MNB Centre there have been several reports of weapons and ammunition seized by KFOR and UNMIK officials that resulted in the arrest of several men.
Yesterday evening, UNMIK Police reported to KFOR that two Kosovar Albanian men were arrested for illegal possession of pistols. Both men are residents of Prishtina / Pristina and the homes were subsequently searched as a result of the discovery. Not additional arms or ammunition wererevealed. UNMIK Police is investigating.
In Podujeve / Podujevo last night several shot reports were made to KFOR MNB Centre Headquarters. As a result KFOR patrols were dispatched to the area to search for weapons. During the search of a Kosovar Albanian man a Browning pistol and ammunition were discovered. The man was then handed over to UNMIK Police for arrest. UNMIK is investigating.
In Gllogovc / Glogovac yesterday evening, there were several shot reports filed in connection with a Kosovar Albanian Wedding celebration. KFOR soldiers from MNB Centre sent patrols in the area and questioned several of the wedding guests who were reportedly firing pistols from a car.A search of the vehicle revealed four pistols with ammunition. Three of the men claimed to be members of the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) and the other man an officer in the Kosovo Protection Service (KPS). UNMIK Police is currently investigating the case.
Medical Evacuation
Yesterday morning in MNB West, KFOR Task Force Falco requested a
medical evacuation helicopter for a young Kosovar Albanian child who is in
a coma as a result of a trauma to the head. The KFOR Italian Military
physician, accompanied by a civilian nurse, accompanied the injured child
during transportation. The KFOR Medical Evacuation Helicopter flew from
Gjakova / Djakovica to Prishtina / Pristina where the child
received
additional medical treatment.
Traffic Delays
Yesterday afternoon, the damaged bridge on the main north-south road from Prishtina / Pristina to Skopje, FYROM, was closed due to scheduled bridge repairs. Traffic can still move along the route by using the bypass. However, the bypass only allows for traffic flow in one direction at a time. Motorists traveling in or out of Kosovo by the southern route can expect delays while the bridge is being repaired.
Weapon Confiscation
Early this morning, elements of the KFOR 501st Greek Mechanized battalion reported two men outside the local Church in the village of Softoviq / Softovic. The men were driving around the area firing pistols into the air. The KFOR troops set up a hasty traffic control point and stopped the vehicle. A search revealed a 7.62-mm pistol that was still warm to the touch. Two fully loaded magazines and one additional magazine, with only three rounds of ammunition in it, were also discovered. The two Kosovar Albanian passengers in the vehicle were then handed over to UNMIK Police for arrest.
Media Opportunity
Final Press Conference
KFOR Commander Lt. Gen. Juan Ortuño will host his final press conference at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 11, 2000 in the UNMIK Government Building. All members of the press corps are cordially invited to attend.
More information will follow.
KFOR Change of Command Ceremony
On the 16th October 2000, Lieutenant General Carlo CABIGIOSU (Italy) will take command of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) from Lieutenant General Juan ORTUÑO (Spain) who has commanded operations in Kosovo for the past six months.
The KFOR Change of command ceremony will be held at HQ KFOR (Main) and presided by SACEUR General Joseph W. RALSTON in the attendance of CINCSOUTH Admiral James O. ELLIS Jr.
The press is kindly invited on Friday, October 16, to attend this ceremony followed by a press conference with SACEUR General Joseph W. RALSTON and the new COMKFOR Lieutenant General Carlo CABIGIOSU.
Message from MAJ Slaten, KFOR Spokesman
As of noon today, my mission has been completed and I relinquish the
duties and responsibilities of the KFOR Spokesman to Maj. Steve Shappell.
It has been a pleasure and honor to work with the local and international
Press Corps in Prishtina / Pristina and soldiers and officers of KFOR. All
queries concerning KFOR operations in Kosovo should be directed to Maj.
Shappell. All phone numbers and points of contact remain the same.
OSCE Spokesman Roland Bless
Political Rallies
A political rally from the party was prohibited from being held by
Election Director Jeff Fischer. The PNDSH was notified that they could not
hold a rally today in Skenderaj/Srbica because the rally would coincide
with a market.
The first series of report on the media monitoring are
ready. In the last 45 days leading to Election Day, the media should give
equitable coverage to the contenders of the municipal elections. This is
monitored in statistical and scientific way. His report is available on
the web page or in the press release outside this room. One cannot, of
course, judge their performance of the media with electoral regulation buy
taking only fifteen days or so into account. We still have to wait for the
final results on that.
Our background briefing tomorrow will focus on
special outreach for your young people. It will give you the features of
the “Quick check program” and as usual Jeff Fischer will give an update on
elections preparations and the things I have for the coming week. There is
no central election Commission meeting planned for this week but there is
several meetings planned for the Elections Complaints and Appeal
Subcommittee. We will communicate you the decisions in the format you are
used to by now
Questions:
Q: Nadia, you read the declaration of SRSG Dr. Bernard Kouchner in the meeting in Luxembourg. It seems to me that Bernard Kouchner is a bit afraid that the UN Mission in Kosovo and in general that Kosovo will be abandoned by the international community. Are you afraid that the international community will make pressure over the UN Mission in Kosovo for different political things – and especially to cancel the municipal elections on 28 October?
NY: I’m not sure where you read the fear-bit. I don’t see that he was afraid. I think that what he was trying to do was to outline the position here in Kosovo vis a vis what has happened in Belgrade. He has said that on the economic front, obviously, he would like the international community and the EU which has been so generous so far in Kosovo, to continue their generosity. We all know that when there is a pie to be divided, if you add an extra element to it, it will impact on the rest. I think the idea is to remind the international community and to give his point of view on what impact it will have on Kosovo. To outline to them what is happening in Kosovo now, leading up to the elections on 28 October.
Q: You said that Dr. Kouchner will be seeing Mr. Kostunica. Is that going to be in Belgrade? Does it mean that he has been invited and will travel to Belgrade?
NY: He has been invited by President Kostunica to go to Belgrade, and he intends to go when the situation is right. In other words: they have to agree on the schedule of his visit.
Q: Is the SRSG disappointed by the reaction of the Kosovo Albanian leadership to the elections or the democratisation process in Serbia? Most of the leaders have been quoted as saying: “Well, we don’t really care what happens in Serbia. It’s all very nice, but it has no effect on Kosovo (..). Is the SRSG disappointed by the way the Kosovo Albanian leaders are dealing with that issue?
NY: As you know, one of the first things Dr. Kouchner did after the events in Belgrade, was to call a special meeting of the IAC, precisely to be able to hear the point of view of the IAC leadership. He did that. They shared ideas. What came out of that basically is that they endorsed his suggestion to start a meaningful dialogue with Belgrade. We have no comments at this point to what has appeared in the press. It is the point of view of certain parts of the membership. What is important for us is what came out of the IAC, and what kind of soundings he got in the IAC, which are reflected in the speech he has made in Luxembourg.
Q: With all the respect for what Dr. Kouchner said. It sounds like a miracle to me to hear that here. I would like to know what support he has got from the foreign ministers of the European Union.
NY: He is now in the meeting of EU. He delivered his speech at ten, and I believe that the meeting is not over until one. It is a little bit soon to ask me for a reaction.
Q: As far as we know: the removal of sanctions on Serbia is going to be discussed at the meeting. Is Dr. Kouchner going to press real hard that those sanctions only will be lifted when Albanian prisoners/detainees are freed/released from prisons in Serbia?
NY: I think the text of his statement speaks for itself on this issue. He is bringing the issue forward in his meetings in Luxembourg. It is one of the points he is making. What the EU does is up to them.
Q: To KFOR: Do you have anything to tell us of any new orders coming from your headquarters in Brussels?
SS: No, as of yet there is nothing to change of KFOR mission here in Kosovo. We are not changing any of our posturing. Our troops are still on the streets. We are still conducting our patrols for all auspices. If you travel through the country you will see no change in the manner which KFOR is conducting the mission.
Q: There is a perception among the general public in West Europe that it’s all over now, and that the British and American troops will be home before Christmas. Are you able to tell us that not only the mandate remains the same but the length of the stay of KFOR here is basically unchanged?
SS: Usually what I have noticed as being a soldier serving for the last 16 years: that any time anyone says you will be home by Christmas, it never plays out. You are still there when the snow has melted and it’s 4 July. It would be speculation to make any guesses about if there would be any troop withdrawals or troop reductions in the future. Many of the issues that we are dealing with now have been ongoing since the end of World War One. I would believe that the last 24 hours will still be a little premature to solve all the problems for the last century. It’s a difficult situation here: the area is still quite volatile, so regardless of the changing political situation in Serbia there are many other issues that need to be dealt with here in the Balkans. Our presence is still required. We have not received any changes in our mission statement. However, if the politicians in the future do determine that the situation is improving, then we will follow those orders when we receive them.
Q: There has been contact between UNMIK and the opposition in Belgrade, Susan told us last time we met. Have those discussions raised the issue of Serb participation in the municipal elections; if the Serbs would be able to participate even though they did not take part in the registration process? Are there any moves to prepare for such an eventuality?
NY: There has been no discussion on that topic in the contacts that were made with the opposition in the last three of four days. I think we have stated our position. It is a little bit late in the game to reopen the registration. However, as you will see in the statement that Dr. Kouchner made to the EU, there are provisions for including the Serbs in certain municipalities in the municipal bodies.
RB: It’s not only late in the game. It’s technically and logistically impossible. What happens beyond 28 October – there we enter again the sphere of speculation, although it doesn’t go back one century as Scott’s presence here does.
Q: Can you give us some more information about personal documents and the registration of population? Why are the personal documents very late?
RB: These are two separate issues: for travel documents and IDs I gladly refer to Nadia. What we did start today is the quick check programme for the final voters’ list, so that voters could go and see if they are represented on the voters’ list. As I explained earlier: we expect the margin of error of somewhere below five per cent in the voters’ list, although on an international level this is a good quality voters’ list, we would like to use the remaining time from now until election to further diminish these inaccuracies on the voters’ list. That is one of the elements of the quick check programme. The second one is also that certain corrections, especially referring to name spelling, which is not relevant for voting – you can still vote if you have one I or T too many in your name, but you don’t want to have that on your ID card. In order to make Nadia’s answer easier, we also include that type of operation.
NY: I think we said publicly that the distribution of ID cards and therefore also all travel documents will only begin after 28 October elections. They are proceeding with cleaning up the technical problems that they’ve had – I think they are doing good progress – and I think that pretty soon we will be able to give you a schedule of how many ID cards will be able to be distributed each week and the modalities for the distribution. But I think the decision was taken to postpone the distribution of ID cards as not to confuse the process of elections.
RB: That is why it is important that voters bring their registration slip and a picture ID to the voting centre.
Q: Could you tell us if the two released British policemen will return to their mission here in Kosovo, and will there be any disciplinary actions taken?
RB: They will not return on duty since their contract has expired during their stay in Serbia. They did return to the United Kingdom, and if they are coming to Kosovo then it will be in the capacity as visitors to their friends here. No disciplinary action has been taken.
Q: It was told that 150,000 IDs would be released before the elections for those who haven’t got any Yugoslav document. If these IDs are not going to be issued before the elections, where are these 150,000 voters going to find any ID with a picture to vote?
NY: As I understood it the distribution of the IDs: the 150,000 that you are talking about was a kind of a fall back or second track position. I think that OSCE has a plan for those who have no identification papers at all.
RB: Of course you are right. These are the category which would have been given ID documents on a priority level. But this is not the only means we have of identification. We have photographs on top of that. Then these people that by definition did not have class A identity papers, they have a review stamp on their registration slip, and that corresponds with the entry into the database, and therefore they are waived from having a photo ID on election day. They should still bring whatever ID they have where we could match a name. Anything that makes that identification easier, but of course you can not ask someone to have this specific type of document on election day. If that person has also documented that she or he does not dispose of such a document. That this is marked with the review stamp on the registration slip.
Q: To remind you of the experience in Bosnia where the number of the voters was more than 100 per cent. It might happen here.
RB: I guess that the turn-out is usually below what you have on a voters’ list. But why don’t we discuss that on 29 October.
Q: It was my understanding from the explanation you gave on the “what if scenarios” that a person that arrives with a voting slip that has a review stamp on top of it, and he has no identification class A, B, C or D. That would be a (..) ballot. How many people, in review, have no class A IDs? At least 10 per cent of the people who wanted to register, those are the same figures that the OSCE released several months ago, did not have a class A ID.
RB: Usually the person pops up with a photograph. Then some photographs are missing, and some people are not represented. Some have lost their slips. But you can not add percentage figures and then come to a total. If you add all the percentage figures of errors then you get to a 4.5 million population figure that we have.
Q: My concern is the amount of tender ballots on the day of elections. Because the more tendered ballots you have, the longer it is going to take you to release the results. People were promised ID cards when this whole registration process started. I estimate about 15 million dollars were given to the OSCE to register people and start issuing out ID cards. We are now coming towards to the situation where, on 28 October, a very large number of people..What provisions have you done so that the whole issue of tendered ballots and the time it is going to take you to bring up results is going to be kept on an absolute minimum?
RB: Your assumption is wrong: if you have 100,000 which did not have class A identity papers in the beginning, it doesn’t mean you have 100,000 tendered ballots because a vast majority of those, over 80 per cent, will pop up us a photo picture and a positive identification is made. Let me add a final point: having a photo database is very unusual for a voters’ list, so it is actually a little bit of a Rolls Royce format that we have here. It is of course in view of the ID process, so we actually have more than most voters’ list have internationally, and I think that should that should make up for the other very special circumstances that we have here in Kosovo, where we did have identity papers cleansing of a bigger magnitude than in normal circumstances as well. It works both ways.