Kosovo’s Interim Administrative Council (IAC) has pledged to work to unite the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica. In a statement issued after its regular meeting on 22 February, the IAC said it was committed to transforming Mitrovica into "a united city without any dividing lines" to prevent any further expulsions from the city and protect the property of displaced persons.

"A political solution to the situation in Mitrovica is of utmost importance," the statement said. The IAC aims to facilitate freedom of movement in the city and enable the safe return of all those who have fled their homes, including Serbs from the southern sector.

The IAC added that it wanted to enable the Serb population in Mitrovica to stay and lead a normal and peaceful life. "A united city can only be achieved through a gradual process in which the rights and the security of all national communities have to be respected," the Council said.

In a related development, the Head of UNMIK, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, on 22 February said that UNMIK planned to establish a joint administration in Mitrovica under a special administrator, as one of the first steps in restoring co-existence. Serb and Albanian leaders in Mitrovica had agreed in principle but not yet on the numbers of representatives from each community, he said, acknowledging that the process would take "a long time". Dr. Kouchner said the scheme implied abolishing the parallel structures set up by Serbs in northern Mitrovica, and added that UNMIK was working on a "Mitrovica appeal" to donors to fund recovery efforts in the region.

As part of a series of meetings aimed at improving the situation in Mitrovica, Dr. Kouchner and KFOR Commander General Klaus Reinhardt met with Mr. Oliver Ivanovic and other Serb community leaders in Pristina on 24 February.

Dr. Kouchner called the meeting "the first millimetre on the way to co-existence, and a very important starting point".

Addressing tens of thousands of demonstrators in Mitrovica on 21 February, the Head of UNMIK, along with General Reinhardt, promised to work hard for a united city.

The crowd, which had gathered at the bridge over the Ibar River, which separates the south of the city from the largely Serb-populated north, later dispersed. The rally followed a march of about 25,000 Kosovo Albanian men, women and children from Pristina to Mitrovica.

On 20 February 11 people were arrested and arms were confiscated when KFOR troops and UNMIK Police searched homes for illegal weapons in several neighbourhoods in Mitrovica.

KFOR Spokesman Lieutenant Commander Philip Anido said that the search operation would continue until General Reinhardt was satisfied that illegal activities had been stopped and dangerous weapons banned from Mitrovica. About 2,500 KFOR soldiers from 12 nations are taking part in the operation.

Briefs . . . .

Flames devour sports centre: A fire that began in the evening on 25 February ravaged Pristina’s Boro and Ramiz Sports Centre. Local firefighters supported by 75 KFOR firefighters came to the scene five minutes after the fire erupted and brought the flames under control by the night of 27 February. The fire also destroyed phone lines.

The UNMIK fire chief, Mr. Robert Triozzi, said he was satisfied with the work that was done to save the work places of about one hundred people in the shopping mall under the sports centre. "At midnight, I knew we had lost the sports center, and we concentrated on saving the stores under the sports centre," Mr. Triozzi said the day after the fire began.

The Head of UNMIK, Dr. Kouchner, watched the firefighters battle the flames on 26 February. "This is a tragedy for all the citizens of Pristina," said Dr. Kouchner.

OSCE Head visits Kosovo: The Chairperson-in-Office for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Mrs. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, on 22 February called on the people of Kosovo to stop all forms of violence in order to create better conditions for future generations. Mrs. Ferrero-Waldner, who visited Kosovo for the first time, also pledged that allocated OSCE funds for voters registration be allocated as soon as possible.

Hot beds: The World Health Organization donated four "hot" mattresses for premature babies to the neonatal ward of Pristina Hospital. The electric mattresses can be used to transport newborns and to maintain their body temperatures. They are filled with water, whose temperature drops slowly if power cuts occur.

Salaries disbursed: Public workers began receiving salary payments on 28 February. The salaries paid for the months of January and February represent an income increase of almost 50 per cent for those who received stipends in 1999.

Office for judges and prosecutors: The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) provided an office for the international judges and prosecutors in Mitrovica. The funding is a part of the proceeds of a US Government grant of $1.15 million to the judiciary in Kosovo.

Britain funds health programme: The British Department for International Development donated 1 million pounds to help fund a project at the Kosovo Institute of Public Health. The project, which is managed by the World Health Organization, aims to improve immunization coverage, raise food and water quality control to European standards and develop modern guidelines for the training of health professionals and public health promotion activities.

First Europcorps troops to arrive: A first contingent of troops from Eurocorps, the pan-European defence force, will arrive in Kosovo on 5 March. The 80-man strong group is preparing to take command of NATO’s peacekeeping duties. Eurocorps will assume command of KFOR for six months beginning on 15 April.

Protest in Lipjan: The representatives of the Teachers' Syndicate in Lipljan met the UNMIK Municipal Administrator on 23 February to protest the removal of school directors in their municipality. The school directors were recently expelled by the self-appointed "Directors of the Education Department" of various municipalities in the Pristina region, who did not consult UNMIK’s Municipal Administrators.

Kosovo gets mobile telephone network

A new mobile telephone network began operating in Kosovo on 23 February. The service is available in Pristina and at the airport, and it is likely to cover Gracanica. Coverage is to be extended to the rest of the province by September.

The network, launched by the local telecommunications company, PTK, and Alcatel-Monaco Telecom, has more channels available than the existing system, which will continue to operate for the time being.

The director of the UNMIK’s Department of Economic Affairs and Natural Resources, Mr. Gerard Fischer, said another significant advantage of the new system was that all the income will go directly into the Kosovo Consolidated Budget. The cost of a local call will be 0.40 deutsche mark per unit during the first phase.

OSCE alarmed by unethical journalism

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) announced its concern about what "appears to be a journalistic trend of publishing personal details about members of certain communities, mostly Serb, with allegations of illegal activities during the war".

In some cases, said the OSCE spokesman, papers published lists of persons and their current places of employment, including international organizations.

"The articles present no evidence or sources of information, nor do they mention that judicial proceedings exist in any of these cases," the spokesman said.

"The OSCE considers this behaviour to be highly dangerous and irresponsible, and contrary to internationally accepted standards of journalistic professionalism and ethics," he continued. "Given the situation in Kosovo, reporting of this nature can only be interpreted as an attempt to endanger the lives of the named individuals, regardless of whether they are members of the majority Albanians or any minority community."

The OSCE urged people support the principle that guilt should be proven in a court of law in a fair trial, reflecting international standards.

"If newspapers have evidence to support the allegations of criminal involvement, they are called upon to present them to the police and judicial authorities for investigation," said the spokesman. "Trial and conviction by the press, instead of the courts, is reminiscent of practices of the totalitarian regimes and is not acceptable in European democracies."

KTC calls for urgent action on missing and detained

The Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC) on 22 February urged the international community and the United Nations Security Council in particular to put maximum pressure on the regime in Belgrade to release all detainees from Kosovo held unlawfully in Yugoslav prisons. The Council also urged the Yugoslav Government to cooperate with international authorities in clarifying the destiny of a large number of missing persons.

The Head of UNMIK, Dr. Kouchner, promised to deliver the statement and raise the issue of the missing and detained when he addresses the Security Council in early March.

It is estimated that about 1,600 detainees from Kosovo are held in Serbian prisons, and that about 3,000 people, mostly Kosovo Albanians, remain unaccounted for.

What’s on in the regions

Gnjilane

The first trial in the Gnjilane District Court took place on 17 February, one month after the region’s judges and prosecutors were sworn in. An Albanian male who was accused of illegal possession of weapons was found guilty and sentenced to five months imprisonment. A number of international observers attended the trial. The President of the District Court says more trials will take place in the coming days.

In another development, 59 mid-level leaders of the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) were sworn in during a ceremony in Gnjilane on 22 February. Representatives of local and international groups attended the ceremony. In their addresses, the UNMIK Regional Administrator and the Commander of KFOR Multinational Brigade East emphasized the need for KPC members to respect human rights and be impartial in their dealings with people of all ethnic groups.

Pec

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe opened a Political Party Service Centre in Pec on 18 February. The centre is the second of ten scheduled facilities to open in Kosovo to assist the political parties in their work. It will provide political parties with a conference room, office space, computer facilities and phone and fax communication. Ten political parties in Pec and additional parties based in Istok, Klina and Decani have shown interest in using the centre.

Mitrovica

Nearly 300 Kosovo Albanians, all of whom are former miners from the Trepca mines, held a peaceful march through southern Mitrovica on 21 February. They demanded that production in the mines resume and that they be permitted to return to work.

Pristina

The Pristina municipality has started collecting fines for traffic offences. Forty-two persons paid their fines last week at the cash collection centre, which is open twice a week.

In other events, UNMIK has decided to distribute the livestock of the pig farm in Kosovo Polje to the Serbs of Gracanica and surrounding villages. The initiative, taken in accordance with UNMIK’s agricultural policy, is to encourage the breeding of pigs in villages. KFOR will provide the necessary veterinary services during the initial stage of the project.

Prizren

A Vehicle Registration Centre will open in Prizren on 1 March. The centre, the second to open in Kosovo, will be located on the former Auto-Moto Club premises. To register a vehicle, drivers have must purchase a third-party liability insurance policy from INSIG, the only insurance company approved by UNMIK.

UNMIK Police Facts*

Authorized strength: 3,155 Deployed: 2,310

Pristina: 603 Main Headquarters: 271

Pec: 105 Border police: 194

Prizren: 306 Training staff: 31

Mitrovica: 541 Kosovo Police Service: 71

Gnjilane: 189 At training centre: 30**