A major cordon and search operation was launched in Mitrovica by KFOR on 20 February. Hundreds of troops fanned out across the city to conduct house-to-house searches for weapons and people engaged in criminal activities. UNMIK Police is responsible for criminal investigations. A nighttime curfew, street patrols, vehicle checkpoints and helicopter patrols are in effect.

Unrest occurred on 20 February, when individuals from the Serb community pelted KFOR search patrols with snowballs, bottles and insults. The operation will continue until the KFOR Commander, General Klaus Reinhardt, is satisfied that the threats to law and order have been crushed.

The Head of UNMIK, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, and KFOR Commander General Klaus Reinhardt visited Mitrovica on 18 February. They discussed the special security measures with the general staff of KFOR, local Albanian leader Mr. Bajram Rexhepi and the Serb community leader, Mr. Oliver Ivanovic.

On the previous day, Dr. Kouchner swore in the first international prosecutor, Mr. Jan Reint Johannes van Wijland of the Netherlands, who was an attorney with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Mr. Christer Karphammar of Sweden was appointed the first international judge to serve on the Mitrovica District Court on 16 February.

As part of the special security measures, additional UNMIK police officers started arriving in Mitrovica on 14 February. As of 18 February, 342 UNMIK Police were deployed in the Mitrovica region, of which 150 were in the town of Mitrovica.

The new regional commander, Mr. Svend Erik Larsen, is working closely with KFOR general staff and daily meetings are held between UNMIK Police, KFOR and the Regional Administrator.

Briefs . . . .

New RTK studio: Radio and Television Kosovo (RTK), opened its refurbished television studio in Pristina on 16 February. The television channel has grown rapidly since it was re-launched in September 1999 and now employs almost 100 people. The new studio was inaugurated by the Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Ambassador Daan Everts. Speaking about the OSCE’s media development policy in Kosovo, he said that the programming and editorial independence of the channel would be protected by its future statutes. RTK has legal obligations to adequately represent different political views and broadcast in minority languages.

New finance institution: UNMIK’s Bank Supervision Department has given the micro-finance institution FINCA a preliminary approval to establish itself in Kosovo. FINCA will be engaged only in micro-finance activities, including extended credit and support of private sector activities. It will be making loans from 200 to 20,000 deutsche mark to small businesses.

FINCA has been active in many developing countries, providing valuable assistance and extending credit to entrepreneurs and small businesses. It will soon receive a licence from the Banking and Payments Authority to operate as a micro-finance institution.

Mine awareness saves children: Thanks to their mine awareness training, three young boys were able to identify an anti-personnel landmine in Prizren on 16 February. They had walked within 50 centimetres of the mine, which had a 25-metre killing range, when one of the boys saw the device hanging on a pole among bushes. He reported the discovery to a nearby warden of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. A demining team subsequently disposed of the mine and cleared the surrounding area.

Water troubles: Water problems on 17 February may have been due to an accident on two days prior in which a demining team accidentally cut the water pipeline between Pristina and the Gracanica water plant, which treats water from the Maticane reservoir. Repairs have been undertaken.

Demonstrators take to the streets: On 17 February three demonstrations were held across Kosovo. Five thousand people gathered in Pristina to draw attention to the closure of the University of Mitrovica to Albanian students. About 1,200 people gathered in Dragas to protest the events in Mitrovica, and in Urosevac 3,000 demonstrators gathered to protest the same events.

"Hate speech regulation" in the news: The "hate speech regulation" had caused an animated debate in the local press, said the spokesman of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on 18 February. He stressed that certain reports had been inaccurate. "It was mentioned that the ‘hate regulation’ is only related to media. This is not true. It applies to everybody. Especially in view of the elections, it certainly applies to politicians more than the media," he said.

Customs on commercial goods: Passengers and drivers who import goods for commercial use must pay customs duties when entering Kosovo, regardless of whether they enter the region by bus, trailer or other vehicle. Tourist agencies wishing to import commercial goods must register in advance with UNMIK Customs in Pristina and agencies need an administrative document to enter Kosovo.

KPC gets wired: The Head of UNMIK’s Civil Administration, Mr. Tom Koenigs, signed a contract with the Thomson ISR Company for telecommunications equipment for the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC). The KPC is to use a communication system of telephone and radio contact in Pristina, Srbica, Prizren, Pec, Mitrovica and Gnjilane. The system is paid for by a grant of 2 million deutsche mark from the French Government.

Power news: Repairs helped Kosovo B’s Unit come back on line on 17 February. The power plant is currently producing 240 megawatts of power. Kosovo A is also running two units, producing a total of 175 megawatts, but both these units will have to be taken out of operation soon for repairs. Kosovo is importing a total of 114 megawatts, mostly from Serbia.

Second police class graduates

A class of 176 students graduated from the Kosovo Police Service School in Vucitrn on 19 February (see photo, above), bringing the total number of Kosovo Police Service (KPS) cadets to 350. It is the second class to finish basic police training at the school, which is run by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The graduates have undergone nine weeks of classroom training and practical exercises in such areas as democratic policing, legal affairs, patrol duties and crime investigation. They will continue training in the field with UNMIK police officers for another 17 weeks, after which they will be given executive authority.

The class consists of 136 Albanians, 28 Serbs, eight Turks, three Bosniaks and one Goran. The group includes 31 women.

The third class of 250 students will begin training on 21 February.

Security Council meets on Kosovo

UNMIK continues to be preoccupied by the harassment, eviction and murder of minorities, a senior UN peacekeeping official told the Security Council on 16 February.

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Hédi Annabi, briefed the Council on the latest developments in Kosovo in a private meeting—an informal session closed to the press and the public. Although they may not speak, Council non-members may be invited to attend such meetings.

According to a UN spokeswoman, Mr. Annabi told the Council that even though the security situation in Kosovo had deteriorated in early February, UNMIK had made gradual progress in restoring the rule of law, partly by appointing the first round of judges and prosecutors. The spokeswoman added that Mr. Annabi also drew attention to the humanitarian effort, saying that a humanitarian crisis in Kosovo had been avoided this winter. Yet he added that more funding was needed, since the funds available for Kosovo’s consolidated budget in 2000 would be exhausted by early March.

In a related development, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Balkans, Mr. Carl Bildt, said in a statement released in Sarajevo on 16 February that for the international community, Kosovo remained a test of political will and financial resolve in the region.

He said the insecurity that plagued Kosovo would require not only creative solutions but also strong commitments in terms of financial and human resources. "To this day, UNMIK has been provided by Member States with only about 2,000 out of the total pledged level of 4,000 international policemen. It is urgently necessary that this gap be met as soon as possible," he said.

What’s on in the regions

Gnjilane

An Association of Agricultural Cooperatives from Gnjilane, Novo Brdo, Kamenica and Vitina was formed this week. The association’s main concern is making preparations for field cultivation this spring. The Association is securing seeds and fertilizers and has sought technical assistance and guidelines from UNMIK's department of agriculture and rural development.

Pristina

The British and Finnish KFOR contingents organized a party for 150 schoolchildren of the Serbian primary school in Lipjan on 12 February. KFOR’s Irish Transport Company, which is based in the same town, provided pipers and drummers. Decked out in traditional costumes, the children danced to the music.

The Irish soldiers donated money collected from their families back home in order to purchase a computer, a printer and a UPS for the school. UNMIK’s local communities coordinator, Mr. Anthony Quinlan, donated the computer and other accessories to the school in a formal ceremony on 17 February. The Irish troops will also organize computer training for the school staff.

Mitrovica

KFOR troops and UNMIK Police found weapons and ammunition in an abandoned ambulance near Novo Selo, south of Vucitrn, on 14 February. The ambulance driver had fled the scene after the vehicle overturned about 200 metres from a Belgian KFOR checkpoint. Thirteen rocket launchers, one grenade launcher, four hand grenades, 182 rifle grenades and 4,320 rounds of ammunition were found in the vehicle. The ambulance had been donated by an Italian humanitarian non-governmental organization (NGO), CESVI, to the health house in Glogovac. In a statement issued a day later, the NGO said it was not responsible for the misuse of the ambulance.

Prizren

The Micro Enterprise Bank opened a branch office in the centre of Prizren on 14 February. Customers can now open bank accounts, buy traveller’s cheques and have their money transferred.

At the regional headquarters nine lay judges were sworn in by the Regional Administrator, Mr. Lennart Myhlback, on 17 February. The number of lay judges in the region has thus risen to 16. No Serbs have yet been sworn in as lay judges.

In other developments, an Internet Café opened in the town last week with the help of donations by the International Organization for Migration and USAID. Equipped with new computers, the facility was an instant success. It can be used free of charge, but users must book a slot one day in advance and are limited to 30 minutes per session.

Pec

The Micro Enterprise Bank (MEB) will soon open its Pec branch in the former Jugobank building. Last week the MEB signed an agreement with the municipal administrator of Pec for leasing the premises.

UNMIK Police Facts*

Authorized strength: 3,155 Deployed: 2,163

Pristina: 581 Main Headquarters: 248

Pec: 105 Border police: 194

Prizren: 303 Training staff: 31

Mitrovica: 423 Kosovo Police Service: 71

Gnjilane: 207 At training centre: 15**