25 March
Herta Daeubler-Gmelin,
Germany’s Minister of Justice, met with SRSG Michael Steiner in
Pristina. She earlier had meetings with head of UNMIK Pillar I Jean-Christian
Cady and Justice Department director Clint Williamson. The issues discussed
by the officials included the German assistance to Kosovo’s judiciary,
such as the secondment of judges, prosecutors and correction officers.
26 March
Continuing a series of meetings with visiting high-level Western
officials, SRSG Michael Steiner held talks with Prime Minister Wim Kok
of the Netherlands and Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller of Denmark.
SRSG Michael Steiner announced that all Kosovo Albanians remaining
in Serbian prisons, who so wished, had been returned to Kosovo. Those
146 prisoners were the last known Kosovo Albanians held in Serbia since
the Yugoslav forces in June 1999 moved some 2,000 prisoners from Kosovo
to other facilities in Serbia following the NATO airstrikes. “The
return of the detainees to Kosovo brings to closure a painful legacy
of war,” Steiner stated.
27 March
The period from the end of February to the end of March had been
a “busy month, with progress made on many of the priority issues”
in Kosovo, Hedi Annabi, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General,
told the Security Council in New York. The most notable achievements
had been the formation of a government after several months of deadlock
and the transfer to Kosovo of the remaining known Kosovo Albanian prisoners
held in Serbian jails, he said.
28 March
SRSG Michael Steiner, in addressing the Fifth Summit of the Heads
of State and Government of South East European Co-operation Process
in Tirana, spoke of his “wish to create a society in Kosovo that
exports stability rather than being perceived as exporting instability
and crime”. He said that should be a dream for the whole Balkan
region. “Where the Balkans is not thought of as a problem zone
requiring the deployment of international peacekeeping forces and massive
international intervention but a zone of security and stability,”
the SRSG stressed.
The European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) launched its 2002
programme for Kosovo, under which it would be managing a further i134.4
million of EU funds earmarked for the territory. While in previous years
the Agency’s programmes concentrated on rebuilding and rehabilitating
Kosovo’s infrastructure, such as roads, houses and public facilities,
the emphasis for 2002 is shifting towards institution building and further
developing Kosovo as a market economy. Since EAR began its work in the
province in February 2000, it has been responsible for the management
of i695 million of EU assistance programmes. The addition of this year’s
i134.4 million brings the total to almost i830 million.
30 March
SRSG Michael Steiner visited Prizren, where he met with local
authorities, toured cultural sites and chatted to ordinary people in
the streets, who expressed their concerns.
31 March
SRSG Michael Steiner went to Gjilan/Gnjilane, where he visited
the police station, hospital and made a stop at the Roma Quarter. The
SRSG also met with municipal leaders in Viti/Vitina and visited an integrated
school and a Catholic Church in Binca. From there he went to Letnica
to meet Croatian refugees.
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