IAC and Kouchner condemn Cernica murders

The murders of three Serb males, including a 4-year-old child-Milos Vasic, his uncle, Vojin Vasic, and Tihomir Sinijovic-were strongly condemned by Kosovo's Interim Administrative Council (IAC) and the Head of UNMIK, Dr. Bernard Kouchner. The killings took place on 28 May during a drive-by shooting in the village of Cernica, south of Gnjilane, just before 10 p.m. Two other Serb males were seriously injured.
 
In expressing its outrage at the murders, the IAC condemned them in the strongest possible terms, as well as all previous cowardly acts of violence against members of minority communities and other individuals. "These acts only aim at destabilizing Kosovo and play into the hands of extremists on all sides," it stated. The IAC called upon the people in Kosovo to actively contribute to the co-existence of communities and to support the police and KFOR investigations.
 
"Only if all the population cooperates with the security forces, can we make Kosovo a better and safer place for all its inhabitants," the IAC stated, adding that it "will not allow allow extremist forces to torpedo the peace process".
 
Dr. Kouchner said the Cernica murders followed a series of attacks on Serbs over the past few days around Kosovo. "What can possibly be gained by killing a child?" he asked. "The answer is the that everyone loses. First of all the families, to whom I extend my deepest condolences. But they are not alone: Everyone loses, except the regime in Belgrade. Such despicable acts are well-received by those who want to see UNMIK and KFOR leave Kosovo and who want instability to remain.
 
"Last night's killer, in his own disgusting form of extremism, has only strengthened the hands of extremists, and the hand of President Milosevic," Dr. Kouchner stated. "This is not only an intolerable and deplorable crime, but also an incredibly stupid one, which can cause serious harm to the progress of bringing Kosovo towards a positive future, and towards acceptance by the Western community of nations, to which Kosovo so desperately aspires.

 "I can assure you: we are not leaving. Last night's crimewill not go unpunished. And I will continue to fight for justice, tolerance and peaceful co-existence in Kosovo," he stressed.

Lord Robertson warns against continued violence in Kosovo

NATO Secretary-General, Lord Robertson, on 31 May told Kosovo leaders that they "must tell the blunt truth to the people here" to stop ethnic violence. Otherwise, Kosovo risked losing international support. He also expressed concern about the continuing tension in Presevo and its implications for peace and stability in the region.
 
Addressing the Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC), Lord Robertson said: "'I bring you a message of support of the international community but a solemn warning also that the international community does not have infinite patience. More than 40,000 troops, nearly 4,000 police and other international staff and organizations are in Kosovo. The international community is committed to a multi-ethnic, peaceful and democratic Kosovo. I bring you a message of hope and a message of caution as well."

Lord Robertson said that was the message that the 19 NATO foreign ministers and 46 others from the Partners for Peace Programme, who met the previous week in Florence to discuss the Balkans, wanted to be conveyed to the leaders of Kosovo. They were also concerned about the Presevo situation, which he said would not be tolerated.
 
On his fourth visit to Kosovo, Lord Robertson stated that "whenever I meet people in such meetings, they have a tendency of telling me what I want to hear. Everyone agrees that ethnic hatred has to be set aside for the future of Kosovo." But, he emphasized, no leader says this outside the meeting rooms. The leaders of Kosovo must condemn this violence, otherwise Kosovo will have to pay a price in terms of continuing violence into the future, which would undermine international support to Kosovo. "The time has come to tell the people what they need to hear form people around here. We will do our best but the future is in your hands," he said.

 Lord Robertson said safety could come only when people knew violence would not be tolerated. "KFOR cannot make people love each other. But we are determined to stop the killings," he stated. It was NATO's absolute obligation to protect the minorities.

 NATO's chief said he understood the strength of feeling about the missing persons of all communities. He termed the trial in Nis and the judgement a "travesty of justice". "I am committed strongly to the return of the displaced persons," Lord Robertson stated.

International postal service  resumes in Kosovo

International mail service to and from Kosovo was resumed by UNMIK on 31May, following authorization from the Universal Postal Union, which granted UNMIK postal service permission to exchange mail with all postal administrations. The funds-E412,000-were provided by the European Agency for Reconstruction, mostly for vehicles and equipment.

The Head of UNMIK, Dr. Kouchner marked the occasion by sending a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "As we near the completion of a year since the establishment of the mission in Kosovo, I am glad we have been able to build bridges with the rest of the world," he wrote. "Many Kosovo families who are dispersed all over the world will now be brought closer by letters."

UNMIK restored limited internal mail service inside Kosovo in January, when it issued a series of five UNMIK postage stamps in denominations of from DM 0.2 to DM 2.

Kouchner visits Bulgaria

The Head of UNMIK, Dr. Kouchner, on 29 May travelled to Sofia for a day of talks with Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov.  

The two men discussed specific areas in which Bulgaria could help Kosovo, such as rehabilitation of the electrical supply system, telecommunications, housing, reconstruction, opening of markets and increasing the Bulgarian police contingent.

The Prime Minister announced his country's intention to open a liaison office in Pristina. He also offered to provide Bulgarian experts to help in UNMIK's effort to reconcile the the two communities in Kosovo.

Following the talks, Dr. Kouchner told the press that "we cannot wait for democracy in Belgrade before starting cooperation with countries of the region. The best answer to Belgrade's stepped-up attempts at destabilizing Kosovo was democracy and reinforced regional cooperation," he added.