19 November
UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan, winding up his 24-hour visit to Kosovo, visited north Mitrovica
where he met newly-recruited Kosovo Serbian police cadets. He also visited
Gornji Makres, a multi-ethnic community in Gnjilane region. Speaking
at a press conference before flying to Belgrade Mr Annan praised the
achievements that have taken place since his last visit. "I see
this mission as a success," he said. "It's a successful operation
and everybody is working well together - the military, civilian and
the national staff. I think Kosovo has come a long way since my last
visit two years ago. There has been a lot of progress." Mr Annan,
who was accompanied by his wife, said that despite these achievements
the really difficult part will be the building of a multi-ethnic society
which can only be achieved successfully by both communities. "The
majority has a special responsibility - they have a special responsibility
to make the minority people feel that this is their home too and that
the laws apply equally to everyone. I would also ask the minority groups
to join in and work with the institutions, to participate and to be
able to gain the benefits that are being offered. I would also want
to say that one of the key things we are trying to do here is to develop
a society based on the rule of law. And no one should be beyond the
law. We need to respect the rights of individuals, the sanctity of human
rights and treat everyone with dignity and tolerance."
An international
prosecutor in Pristina indicted Latif Gashi, Naim Kadriu, Nazif Mehmeti
and Rrustem Mustafa (alias Commander Remi), all Kosovo Albanians and
all former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), on charges of
war crimes in violation of Article 142 of the Criminal Code of Yugoslavia.
The indictment alleges that these crimes were committed against other
Kosovo Albanian civilians in 1998 and 1999. The indictment contains
11 counts, including illegal arrest and detention, inhumane treatment,
torture and murder. Pursuant to the request of an international prosecutor,
Latif Gashi, Naim Kadriu and Nazif Mehmeti were arrested on 28 January
2002. An international judge conducted the judicial investigation. On
13 August 2002, the investigating judge had expanded the investigation
to include the fourth suspect, Rrustem Mustafa, the KLA Commander for
the "Llap" Zone in 1998 and 1999. The defendants remain in
detention pending trial.
22 November
Kosovo Judicial
and Prosecutorial Council issued a statement denouncing the publication
of information about judicial candidates. The statement read in part,
"On 15 November 2002 a list of persons said to be candidates for
judicial and prosecutorial office was published in the newspaper "Koha
Ditore". The Kosovo Judicial and Prosecutorial Council wishes to
stress that the list of names published in the newspaper has no legal
validity and no person mentioned in it should assume that they have
been recommended for appointment. Similarly, any applicant who has been
interviewed and whose name is not mentioned in the published list should
not assume that they have not been recommended for appointment."
Timothy Clayson, Chairperson of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Council,
stated: "No information can be given on the status of applications
for judges and prosecutors until the list of appointees has been approved
by the SRSG". The Council Secretariat will not provide information
regarding the status of any application until nominees have been approved
by the SRSG, as the authority to appoint candidates for the judiciary
and prosecution service is a reserved power of the SRSG under the Constitutional
Framework. The Council submitted to the Assembly a list of candidates
recommended for appointment on 1 November 2002. The list included information
on the educational background and professional experience of each candidate.
Top
of page
