8 April
22 UNMIK Police
officers were injured in riots in Mitrovica, some seriously and one
critically. His condition later stabilised. Most of the wounds were
caused by grenades hurled from among a crowd of people rioting after
a traffic control operation. Automatic weapons were fired at the police.
The SRSG said later that while such acts physically hurt police in uniform,
politically they hurt the legitimate interests of the Serbs in Kosovo.
UNMIK will soon
start to issue travel documents for children under 16 years of age,
it was announced in Pristina. This followed the signing by SRSG Michael
Steiner of Administrative Direction 2002/6. The date for the acceptance
of applications for documents for children under 16 and the implementation
of other procedures set out in the Administrative Direction, will be
announced shortly. An administrative fee of 31 Euros will be payable
for each application.
9 April
SRSG Michael Steiner
went to Mitrovica to visit police wounded in Monday's rioting in the
north of the town. The injured men are being treated in the French military
hospital. The prime minister of Poland, Leszek Miller, made a special
trip to Kosovo to meet the wounded police officers.
The third meeting
of the High-Ranking Working Group (HRWG) took place in Pristina. The
HRWG brings together SRSG Michael Steiner, COMKFOR general Marcel Valentin
and a delegation from Belgrade led by Dr Nebojsa Covic, chairman of
the FRY/Serbia Co-ordination Centre. Speaking after the meeting, Mr
Steiner said he had the impression that Belgrade now "supports
my proposal concerning the participation of the Serbs from Kosovo in
the government, in the provisional institutions." He added that
the final decision on participation in the PISG would be taken by Coalition
Povratak. The meeting also discussed the recognition of Kosovo licence
plates in Serbia, police co-operation, the transfer of prisoners and
supply of electric power. SRSG held a meeting with Povratak later in
the day.
10 April
The SRSG accompanied
COMKFOR General Marcel Valentin to Janjevo to mark the opening of a
new weapons destruction facility there. The facility will destroy unwanted
weapons found around Kosovo, including those collected in the weapons
amnesty campaign which ends on Monday. SRSG Michael Steiner and General
Valentin each symbolically threw a weapon into the incinerator.
12 April
The SRSG sent a
letter to Bishop Artemije on issues of importance to the future of Kosovo,
including peace and stability, the rule of law, returns, and the recent
violence in North Mitrovica. Mr Steiner will meet Bishop Artemije next
Tuesday in the Monastery of Visoki Decani. In the letter, which was
hand-delivered by the chief of UNMIK Police Stefan Feller, the SRSG
said that there was now a chance to achieve progress regarding returns
of refugees and displaced people. Mr Steiner added that he viewed the
situation in Mitrovica with great concern. "Recent events have
shown once more that a small group that pretends to defend the interests
of members of the Serb community in Mitrovica, but which in fact follows
only selfish personal interests, undermines the rule of law in this
municipality." Mr Steiner added that "In the interest of the
people in Kosovo and the vast majority of the Kosovo Serbs, we must
restore the rule of law. I am sure that this endeavour will receive
the support of the true leaders of the Kosovo Serb community. And I
am confident that the restoration of a culture of the rule of law will
contribute towards progress on returns."
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