13 May
SRSG Michael Steiner
visited the site of a significant archeological find in Brevica, outside
of Pristina. In the process of beginning to build a house two weeks
ago, some local residents came across several ancient terracotta figurines.
According to the Museum of Kosovo, those figures date back 3,500 years
B.C., from the middle stone age. Apparently, the artifacts were left
behind by the Indo-Europeans who predated Illyrians, Albanians and Serbs.
More work on site will be done by the Museum, with support from the
Government of Germany.
The Department of
Judicial Administration was fully transferred to UNMIK Pillar II (Civil
Administration). The Director, Mr Ramesh Abhishek, began to report to
the Principal International Officer, Ministry of Public Services.
14 May
UNMIK reacted resolutely to the alleged remarks apparently made
by the Kosovo Ombudsman, Marek Nowicki, in Serbia on the environment
for the return of Serbs to Kosovo. In a press release, UNMIK stated,
among other things, that while Mr Nowicki was free to reach his own
conclusions, he was not in a position to determine whether conditions
in Kosovo were appropriate and safe for the return of the displaced
Serbs. True, conditions were not ideal in Kosovo for minorities and
varied from place to place, but in several locations Serbs and other
minorities were already returning home, the statement said. Some 3,500
had returned spontaneously over the past year and a half, and more were
expected to do so in 2002 and 2003 to all parts of the territory, it
stressed. UNMIK went on to say that, together with KFOR and UNHCR, it
was committed to fostering a climate conducive not only to returns,
but also to a stable—and brighter—future for all Kosovo Serbs.
15 May
SRSG Michael Steiner noted that the Constitutional Framework
for Provisional Self-government in Kosovo was “a great success”.
In a statement made on the day of the first anniversary of its promulgation,
the SRSG declared: “We have had elections; we have an Assembly,
provisional institutions and a Government. None of these would have
been possible without the Constitutional Framework.” In its preamble,
the Constitutional Framework recalled that "UNSCR 1244 (1999) envisages
the setting up and development of meaningful self-government in Kosovo
pending a final settlement…" and that a "gradual transfer
of responsibilities to Provisional Institutions of Self-Government will,
through parliamentary democracy, enhance democratic governance and respect
for the rule of law in Kosovo…" It also recognized "the
importance of creating a free, open and safe environment which facilitates
the participation of all persons, including all members of Communities
in the process of establishing democratic institutions of self-government…"
16 May
OSCE announced it would soon begin to update the voters’
list—a list extracted from the UN Central Civil Registry. As before,
all potential voters will need to first meet the eligibility requirements
to be included in the registry, whether presently residing inside or
outside of Kosovo. As for persons displaced outside of Kosovo, they
will have to establish—if they wish to be eligible to vote—that
they were residents of Kosovo on 1 January 1998 and left on or after
that date.
17 May
The trial in the Commander Drini case began in Prizren. Sali
Veseli and three more defendants were charged with murder, committed
in May 2000. A panel of international judges was established for the
trial.
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