Dr. Kouchner, who has served in Kosovo since July 1999, warmly welcomed Mr. Haekkerup saying, "I give him my very best wishes& I hope that my friend will have a very productive time as SRSG." Previously, SRSG Kouchner had informed the Secretary-General that he wanted to leave Kosovo but would continue to serve in the post until a successor was found. Paddy Ashdown of the United Kingdom had been considered as the likely successor, but he recently took his name off the list citing time conflicts with elections in his country. When announcing his choice of the Dane, Kofi Annan also thanked Dr. Kouchner "for the inspirational leadership and dynamism with which he led this extremely challenging mission and for the remarkable success he has achieved there in its first year and a half"

LDK spokesman Skender Hyseni said, "He should have continued. Dr Kouchner is a man of action and he achieved a lot. We are very appreciative of his pragmatic approach." Oliver Ivanovic, a leader of Kosovar Serbs, expressed a contradictory opinion that "it was very hard  working with Kouchner".

Haekkerup was born in 1945 in Copenhagen. From 1966 to 1972 he served as a language officer (Russian) in the Danish military and became a first lieutenant in 1972. A year after, he received a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Copenhagen.

In his professional and political career, Haekkerup has served in a variety of roles. For six years he was employed as Secretary and Head of Section at the Danish Ministry of Social Affairs. Subsequently he also served as Head of Section for the Ministry of Education and for the Ministry of Labour. Haekerrup has also served as a professor at the Danish School of Administration and as an economist at the Civil Servants Organization. In his political life, he has served as a member of the Danish Parliament. His committee memberships include Security Policy, Greenlandic Affairs, Foreign Policy and Defence. From 1991 to 1993 he was Chairman of the Danish Defence Committee.

Haekkerup enjoys the backing of the European Union, and he is considered by many as the candidate most supported by the United States. Speaking at a press conference in September, United States Secretary of Defence William S. Cohen would not state whether or not his government was backing Haekkerup, saying only, "He is recognized as a very strong defence minister and brings exceptional talents to any office& . I hope his friendship with me would not be a handicap."

Many UN insiders in New York regard the position of the SRSG in Kosovo as one of the most difficult jobs within the organisation. Haekkerup will have to deal with the question of status for Kosovo, general elections, preparing institutions for hand-over to local authorities and bringing normality back to the lives of all of Kosovo's people. The appointment is expected to be confirmed at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels this week.

The UN General Assembly has declared 2001 the International Year of the Volunteer. In Kosovo, over 700 UN volunteers (UNVs) have served in the mission in a variety of roles. More than 400 UNVs were allocated to the Joint Registration Taskforce, constituting 80 per cent of the international staff. SRSG Bernard Kouchner declared that volunteers have been invaluable for UNMIK and that elections could not have taken place without them. While many of those volunteers who served in registration have moved to other missions or returned to their home countries, over 200 UNVs continue to work for UNMIK.

More than 4,500 people serve as UNVs around the world every year. Sixty per cent of them come from developing countries and approximately 28 per cent are women. To be eligible UNVs-who are given mission allowances, but are not paid salaries-must have university degrees and possess relevant professional experience.

In launching the Year of the Volunteer, Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated that volunteers "know that the true measure of success in life is not what we gain, but what we give back to our fellow men and women. And they have the courage to believe that what they do will make a real difference."

Twenty Kosovo Albanians have visited their relatives detained in the Belgrade central prison. They delivered clothes and personal packages to the inmates. Similar packages were handed to 20 other Kosovo Albanian prisoners, under the auspices of the Association for Political Prisoners in Serbia. The UNMIK Bureau for Detained and Missing Persons, the IOM and the FRY Presidential Office for Refugees, Internally Displaced and Missing Persons organized the visits. Similar visits are expected to be arranged to other detention centres in the FRY in the near future.

The recently-signed edict for public safety and order -Regulation 2000/62-allows the relevant law enforcement agencies, be it KFOR or police, to require that a person stays away from an area if it is deemed that that person is likely to disturb the public peace and order. These people can be excluded from a defined geographical area for up to 30 days. A breach of such an order is punishable by up to a two months imprisonment. This new regulation essentially bolsters Regulation 1999/2 allowing for the removal of an individual deemed a threat to public order.

The Housing and Property Directorate has started serving notice on occupants of apartments in response to the more than 800 claims received. People occupying such property are given written notification of the claims. A person so notified against the apartment he/she occupies has the right to answer the petition and take part in related proceedings. A list of properties is also posted at the Directorate's office. This follows the SRSG's recent signing of Regulation 2000/60 on the rules dealing with property claims.

Students from 18 schools have been relocated from tents to containers as part of the winterization programme initiated by the Department of Education and Science. These students, who have been studying in tents since last year, will be temporarily relocated in heated containers while their schools are being rebuilt. The containers are equipped with toilets, generators and air-conditioners. The total cost of the project is almost DM2,8 million. Donors, including UNICEF, Swiss Development Co-operation and the Islamic Development Bank, that have already committed themselves to the rebuilding of schools in Kosovo, will continue the construction programme. The Department expects to complete rebuilding of schools by the end of 2001.

A Task Force on HIV/AIDS comprising Kosovar health staff, the Institute of Public Health and concerned international organizations has been established by the Department of Health and Social Welfare. Although the number of recorded HIV/AIDS cases in Kosovo is quite low-31 since the registration began-Kosovo has all the ingredients for a potential outbreak: returning guest workers and refugees; a large international presence; increasing prostitution; use of injected drugs; and changing social norms.

A three-day symposium on domestic violence was organized in Pristina by the Kosovo Judicial Institute, in co-operation with the Department for Democratic Governance and Civil Society, the Council of Europe and the Kosovo Police Service School. It was the first time that this topic has been addressed at such a level in Kosovo. International and local experts were making presentations. The organizers considered the seminar a success as both members of the judiciary and the police were enthusiastic about the training programmes.

The SRSG has appointed Engjell Mazreku as the new Chairman of KEK , following the recommendation of the KEK Supervisory Board. Born in 1942, Mazreku has been a long-serving professional with KEK.

The Governing Board of the Banking and Payments Authority has granted preliminary approval for a banking license to the Bank for Private Business (BPB). The mission of this bank is to support small and medium enterprises in all economic activities. A preliminary license does not permit the bank to operate. It authorizes the BPB to raise capital from perspective shareholders, hire and train staff, lease or purchase equipment, establish operating systems including internal audit and controls, and lease or purchase banking premises. The final license will be issued upon completion of these requirements.

The OSCE has inaugurated the NGO Resource Centre in Mitrovica as its permanent premises. Since February 2000, the Centre has been actively assisting in many areas to build the capacities of local NGO and civil society structures. It has co-ordinated efforts with international partners on a number of peace-building projects for Mitrovica, aimed to help residents resolve community issues in a constructive and peaceful manner.

A concession contract for the Klina-based Mirusha construction company has been signed between UNMIK and the Italian company SACET. The total investment guaranteed over the coming 10 years is DM 6.2 million. The number of employees is expected to double, reaching 225 people within four years. The concession is part of the commercialization strategy, under which a foreign company signs-and pays for-a lease for a Kosovo company for a certain period. This allows for investment without having to tackle the issue of ownership.

In transport news , the five German locomotives that had undergone repairs were officially handed over by GTZ to ROK. Five additional buses donated by French authorities in Lyon, which will form part of the fleet of the Pristina Urban Transport Company, arrived at the port of Bar, Montenegro.