27 May
SRSG Michael Steiner
met head of the FRY Co-ordination Centre for Kosovo, Serbian Deputy
Premier Nebojsa Covic in Pristina and discussed the issues of Mitrovica
and returns. The SRSG conveyed to Dr. Covic what he saw as the necessary
conditions to address the situation in Mitrovica and stressed the need
to extend UNMIK's authority throughout Kosovo. He also reiterated UNMIK's
commitment to the recently presented concept paper on 'Right to Sustainable
Return'. Michael Steiner stressed that returns should not be engineered-they
should occur to the returnees' place of origin.
Radio K began its
Roma and Ashkali programming to the communities of Fushe Kosove/Kosovo
Polje and the immediate surrounding region.The new programming, which
is in addition to broadcasts currently provided in the Albanian and
Serbian languages since the opening of the station in September 2001,
serves as an important tool in addressing community concerns on issues
of importance to each specific group. The new broadcasts were launched
by Adem Demaci, a well-known advocate for ethnic tolerance, and OSCE
Mission Spokesperson Poul Smidt.
28 May
UNMIK Regional Administrator in Peje/Pec organized a meeting
with Kosovo Albanian political leaders on the issues of reconciliation.
Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi was the keynote speaker. Other participants
included Hashim Thaci, Ramush Haradinaj and LDK Vice-President Kole
Berisha. The SRSG was represented by his first deputy, Charles Brayshaw,
who spoke at the event.
UNMIK Pillar III (Democratization and Institution Building),
headed by OSCE, hosted a conference on women's role in conflict prevention,
resolution and post-conflict dialogue. Women NGO activists and politicians
representing the various communities of Kosovo discussed the issue and
presented their conclusions to representatives of the Provisional Institutions
of Self-Government and international decision-makers. The conference
marked the conclusion of a four-day visit to Kosovo of a delegation
of women from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia and Slovenia, headed by Ms Sonja Lokar, Chair of the Stability
Pact Gender Task Force, who had come to meet with groups of women NGO
activists and politicians.
29 May
UNMIK Police raided an illegal cigarette factory in Gjilan/Gnjilane
region. According to inves-tigators, the raid was carried out after
information was received from a citizen. A search of the factory resulted
in the seizure of more than 20 tons of tobacco and counterfeit cigarette
cartons labeled with popular brands such as "Marlboro" and
"Regal". The investigation confirmed that over 20 tons of
cigarettes with a value of more than one million Euros had been produced
during early 2000.
30 May
SRSG Michael Steiner
chaired the first meeting of Kosovo's Economic and Fiscal Council (EFC).
The EFC discussed the draft regulation on the Kosovo Trust Agency, the
Government programme and the Kosovo Pension Savings Trust-an independent
non-governmental institution that would administer the new system of
savings pensions. The EFC was formed under the Constitutional Framework
as a consultative body of UNMIK and provisional government representatives,
which advises the SRSG on economic, financial and fiscal issues.
SRSG Michael Steiner
countersigned an agreement with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation,
a U.S. Government agency. The agreement provides political risk insurance
to facilitate private sector investment by U.S citizens into Kosovo.
Top
of page
