UNMIK on Air

Week in Review

By Andrea Saula

Hello and Welcome to UNMIK on Air. These are this week’s headlines….

1. Council of Europe presses on ‘Pristina - Belgrade dialogue’

2. Government returned decentralization plan to the Parliament for further discussion

3. Incidents in Mitrovica - 3 persons arrested during stone fight

4. Police arrests suspects for Klina attack

On Tuesday the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly appealed on the authorities in Pristina and Belgrade, as well as Albanian and Serb political representatives in Kosovo, to begin talks on Kosovo's future status.

A resolution on Kosovo adopted by the Council’s Assembly at a session in Strasbourg also notes that Kosovo's unresolved status casts a shadow of insecurity on the political stabilization of the region and affects adversely its prospects for European integration and economic recovery.

- Governments calls on return

The United Nations’ representative on the rights of internally displaced people Walter Kalin was in Kosovo on Monday to discuss the tens of thousands of Serbs forced from their homes.

Pristina’s dailies report that Kalin, after the separate meetings he had with local institutional heads in Prishtina, said he wants to see a greater number of returnees to Kosovo and leaders should work harder on this issue.

Kalin visited Kosovo on World Refugee Day. World Refugee Day was established on the 20^th of June 2001, in celebration of UNHCR’s 50^th Anniversary. The idea is to pay tribute each year to the world’s refugees. In honor of World Refugee Day, representatives of the President’s Office, other government institutions and political parties have called on the return of war refugees.

Kosovo's Government decided to allocate 1.6 million euros for the reconstruction of 46 houses in the village of Zociste. Afrim Balaj, an official of the Ministry for Returns and Communities, said the project must be completed within 70 days. It will provide the conditions for the return of some 220 Serbs.

- Government returned decentralization plan to the Parliament for further discussion

On Tuesday the Government approved all recommendations on the decentralization plan brought up during the Parliament’s session of May 18. The amended plan will now be returned to the Parliament for further discussion.

Also: in this week’s parliament session Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi concluded there is no standstill in the implementation of any standard. Kosumi said the position of the K-Serbian population has improved although Kosovo’s institutions face obstacles initiated by Belgrade.

- Incidents in Mitrovica - 3 persons arrested during the stone fight

At least one Serb and two Albanians were arrested during the stone fight last Sunday in North Mitrovica. According to UNMIK authorities the incident happened when a group of Serbs stoned an Albanian vehicle trying to cross the bridge from the south side to the north side. The Albanians responded with stoning.

It was the harshest incident since the bridge was opened for civilian traffic. The bridge is currently open two hours a day.

- KPS arrested suspects for Klina attack on returnees

Three people have been arrested in relation to last Friday’s attack on a Serb family in Klina. Avni Morina, spokesperson for the Pec/Peja Regional Police, reported the arrest last Monday.

- New trial in connection with the March riots began in Gjilan District Court

According to the indictment issued by Prosecutor Elizabeth Rhen, Xhevdet Sylejmani is accused of publicly provoking hatred among ethnic groups and is charged with creating general danger and jeopardizing the physical safety of two Serbs whose property was damaged and houses were burned.

- and at the end

Hundreds of people attended the burial ceremony of 21 victims from Meja village on Saturday, among them the relatives of the deceased.
Municipal authorities declared Saturday a day of mourning in Gjakova in honor of the victims. Their bodies were found in mass graves in Serbia.

Those were the headlines for the current week.

Stay tuned. Good day.