Long-awaited, lengthy meetings on the Merdar/Merdare boundary between SRSG Hans Haekkerup, COMKFOR Lt. Gen. Thornstein Skiaker and Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic laid the groundwork last Wednesday for future cooperation between UNMIK, KFOR and the Belgrade administrations.

Discussing the implementation of SCR 1244 with Dr. Covic in his capacity as President of the FRY/Serbian Joint Coordinating Centre for Kosovo, the UNMIK and KFOR heads underlined the importance of implementing the resolution throughout Kosovo, including the northern municipalities. They made clear this would preclude parallel security and administrative structures, and would require progress on Mitrovica.

The two heads welcomed the positive attitude of the Belgrade governments, and Dr. Covic's own recent statements regarding voter registration for the forthcoming elections and encouraging Kosovo Serbs' full participation in those elections. The SRSG underlined that it was necessary for the Kosovo Serb community to buy into the electoral process and to participate in the future Kosovo-wide administrative structures. This would solidify the basis for an acceptable security environment and living conditions.

SRSG Haekkerup informed Dr. Covic on recent developments concerning Serb returns to Kosovo and UNMIK's efforts to shed light on the fate of missing persons.

The Joint Coordinating Centre subsequently called on remaining and displaced Kosovo Serbs to register for the general elections in Kosovo scheduled for November-reminding them, however, that voter registration did not necessarily imply taking part in those elections. The statement, issued in Belgrade on 15 August, demanded that all political entities, state officials and Kosovo Serb representatives exercise restraint, e.g. not giving statements that UNMIK might find provocative and which might "jeopardize the position of Kosovo Serbs in Kosovo". The Coordinating Centre said it was fully aware that Kosovo Serbs faced numerous difficulties and problems, but it expected them and their political leaders to show unity and joint action.

Full relaxation of the Ground Safety Zone along the Kosovo-Serbia proper boundary was the subject of a separate announcement on Friday. Based on the North Atlantic Council decision six weeks ago, the agreement signed by KFOR Commander Lt. Gen. Skiaker and Ltg Momcilo Momcilovic of the Yugoslav Army (VJ), the VJ may now operate in the GSZ without restrictions concerning equipment and weapon systems.

Fresh from East Timor

SRSG Hans Haekkerup welcomes his new Deputy, Jean-Christian Cady (left), who takes over as head of the UNMIK Police and Justice Pillar.

Deputy SRSG Jean-Christian Cady of France took over as the head of Pillar I, Police and Justice last week.

He joins UNMIK from the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), which has a similar mandate from the Security Council. As Deputy SRSG there also, Mr. Cady was Cabinet member for Police and Emergency Services, and had overall responsibility for setting up the administration and civil service of East Timor, running the public services and for creating the East Timor Defence Force.

Previously Mr. Cady served as Inspector General of Administration in the French Ministry of Interior, charged with controlling and auditing all administrations and associations receiving public subsidies. He had early been Préfet of the Departments of Aveyron and Hautes-Alpes, i.e. the sole representative of the State and the Government, supervising the police force and central government agencies working in the departments.

Mr. Cady graduated in administration, public law and political studies. He is married and has three children.

OSCE concerned over low voter registration turnout

The first edition of Kosovo Legal Studies, a law journal edited by the Kosovo Law Centre (KLC), focuses on genocide, direct application of international criminal law in Kosovo, family law reforms, and the concept of legal supranationality. The journal also features case reviews and discussion of publications related to Kosovo.

The Department of Education and Science (DES) wants a broad public debate involving all stakeholders to create greater understanding of the Department's modernization programmes for schools and higher education. The focus will be on education laws, school regulations and, above all, the educational reforms the Department has initiated. An information campaign on education will provoke discussion of curriculum development, standards and assessment, teacher training, pilot schools and special-needs education. Feedback is sought on key issues such as the draft regulations on general, vocational education and higher education; minority issues; teacher training; the accomplishments of the lead agencies; budgetary problems; and the outlook on the new academic year.

The Kosovo HIV/AIDS Committee has achieved its first major goal: the availability of HIV/AIDS testing. The Institute of Transfusionology now has at its disposal 30,000 ELISA tests and the necessary equipment to do the testing. The Institute can also carry out the more specific Western Blot tests to confirm any cases. Meanwhile, to facilitate the implementation of the work plan developed by the Kosovo-wide Committee, the Department of Health and Social Welfare (DHSW) has requested all District Health Authorities to facilitate the establishment of corresponding district AIDS/HIV committees in every region of Kosovo

The Institute of Public Health (IPH) has initiated discussions with the Kosovo Serb controlled Institute of Public Health in Zvecan (split off from the Mitrovica IPH in 1999) on co-operation in environmental health and control of epidemics. The DHSW has requested IPH to treat the Zvecan institute as a branch office, i.e. to provide it with a budget to fund meaningful public health activities. IPH has meanwhile initiated direct discussions with the Shtërpcë/Strpce community on the organization of sanitary control.

The DHSW is setting up a Board of Continuing Professional Education responsible for identifying, developing and accrediting training opportunities for continuing education and developing a system of mandatory continuing professional education. Aimed at promoting continuing competence of licensed health professionals, this complements an earlier measure setting up the Central Board for the Training of Medical Specialists.

Some villages in three municipalities (Pristina, Obiliq/Obilic and Podujevë/Podujevo) risk being without water in early September unless they apply to Battlava Company (Drinking Water Producing Company) for a legal connection. However, they will receive 15 days notice of any disconnection and their households will be informed about the issue through leaflets. The first eleven threatened with disconnection are all Kosovo Albanian villages. Battlava estimates that there are 4,000 illegal connections in the Pristina region, including up to 20 whole villages illegally connected in part or whole to the main transmission pipeline that runs from the Albanic Water Treatment Plan to Pristina. This reduces the capacity in the main line by to 25 per cent. The decision to cut them off if they persist was ratified by the SRSG on 2 August.

Quarry operators may soon have to put up an environmental bond if they want to continue their activities. In an effort to bring into compliance the very large number of illegal quarrying activities, the Mining Advisory Board is proposing a provisional policy under which temporary licenses will be issued to quarries, provided they secure an environmental bond to cover potential environmental damage. These temporary license will allow the company time to provide a complete satisfactory application, which must include an environmental impact assessment. If a proper application is not submitted within the stipulated period, cease-and-decease orders will be promulgated and the bond used for rehabilitation. Companies refusing to secure the bond will be closed down.

A swimming pool under construction in the Ura e Shenjtë protected area may close down before it opens its doors. The Department for Environmental Protection is calling on the Gjakova/Djakovica Municipality to issue an order prohibiting any further construction in the area and to investigate the circumstances that allowed the pool to be built without a permit in the protected area. The decision to declare the area of Ura e Fshajit as protected was published in the Official Gazette of Kosovo, No.27/86. The municipal Urban Planning Department had previously rejected the building application.

The Department for Environmental Protection has meanwhile created a Coordination Team to look for ways of protecting the Sharr Mountain National Park together with the Municipalities of Shtërpcë/Strpce, Prizren, Suharekë/Suva Reka and Kaçanik/Kacanik. This follows the decision not to promulgate an Administrative Directive for the creation of a Sharr Park Administration. The first meeting of the Coordination Team, held in Brezovicë/Brecovica, discussed the legal aspects stemming from 1993 the Republic of Serbia law, as well as the implications of the applicable laws governing protected areas. Particularly the law creating the Sharr Mountain National Park. The Department intends to clarify the legal basis under which it can more adequately address the protection of park territory.

Better telephone links are on the way with new mobile phone services and digital landline transmission replacing old analogue links. VALA900, the prepaid platform has been successfully converted to an Intelligent Network platform, which among other things allows prepaid users to send and receive voicemails and short text messages (SMS). By dialling 551, users can receive SMSs showing their credit and airtime available. The capacity of the platform is 400,000 numbers and the capacity of the switching system is being increased from 200,000 to 400,000. The coverage area of GSM-VALA900 services is also being increased. For the landline service, some 4,000 telephone numbers have been transferred to a temporary digital switching system by adding the number 3 to the existing 5-digit number. Work has also started to replace the 40-year-old switchboards by installing a new subscriber and transit exchange with 23,000 numbers and 10,000 transit ports. Meanwhile, the PTK has commissioned direct links between Decan, Malisheve/Malisevo, Kacanik, Shtimje/Stimlje, Hani i Elezit, and the Pristina exchange. These links will provide better quality of services for public telephone booths located at PTK offices and other high priority customers. Preparation work has also started for the installation of remote switches with capacities ranging from 500 to 5,000 numbers in Shtime/Stimlje, Besiane, Lipjan/Lipljan, and Drenas in Pristina region.