Harri Holkeri: Every
destroyed home is a one destroyed house is too much. Every burned church or
religious site is one too much.
In the recent history of the Balkans, houses and religious monuments
have turned to ash in fires, which have scorched the landscape.
The smell and the smoke of fire once again congested the
region, this time in Kosovo. It is too
early to estimate how many residences and monuments had been torched... UNMIK
estimates that some 3000 members of minority communities, predominately Serbs
were displaced in the latest clashes.
Although not every displaced person lost their home, humanitarian
organizations have mobilized and are now working to assist the IDP’s. The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Bajram
Rexhepi, in cooperation with the Kosovo Government, established a fund which –
in his words- “must repair all the
damages, whether to private property or to religious or cultural property.
Hello and
Welcome. This is UNMIMK on AIR.
The smell of scorched earth and buildings lingers in
the air throughout the town of Lipljan- where the skeletal remains of at least
10 houses stand. The former residents-
women and children- have been moved to a new location, while some men chose to
remain and are currently being sheltered in the local church “Vavedenje Svete
Bogorodice”.
On Monday, March 22nd in the first of his
visits to survey the aftermath of the latest clashes, SRSG Harri Holkeri went
to the town of Lipljan:
Harri Holkeri: as he said and I understood - On
this day on a very beginning I would like to make it absolutely clear to
everyone that every lost life is a lost life too much. Every destroyed home is
a one destroyed house is too much. Every burned church or religious site is one
too much. I will put my whole activity as UNMIK as well to stop the recent
procedure and to give the opportunity to everyone to live at home and to be
would his neighbors active in building a peaceful Kosovo with prosperity.
According to UNMIK assessments, on Wednesday, March 18th at approximately 18:00 hours, a
large crowd gathered and shots were exchanged between Kosovo Serbs and
Albanians in Lipjan-, which resulted in a number of houses belonging to Kosovo
Serbs being set ablaze.
Now one week after these events, fear and uncertainty
remain among the Serbs of Lipljan.
KFOR soldiers and barbed wire encircle the nearby
churchyard. Inside the church, there
are sacks of flour, sugar, bread and oil – humanitarian aid provided by UNHCR.
Just a few meters across the fortified road are the
burned houses. On the corner is a KFOR outpost.
The SRSG and associates went to Lipjan to hear first
hand testimony about what happened on that night:
One of the men testified what he has seen.
Vox Pop: My sister lost here house. The elder people came here to do this.
After a meeting with representatives of Lipjan
Municipality and a local priest, SRSG Harri Holkeri reassured residents saying
(QUOTE)“This is not the end”:
Harri Holkeri: What has happened, a huge amount
of damage and human resources have been lost but this is not the end of
everything. We have to start again and rebuild homes and other activities are
to be followed. I appeal the local authorities to help their neighbors to get a
new start and I’m that the resources are available to help people to return
homes.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi declared that
the Government of Kosovo is ready to work with existing institutional
structures, including the communities, with UNMIK’s existing institutions, to
immediately start the repair of apartments, houses, religious and cultural
buildings.
Bajram Rexepi: You know that we have taken a
Government decision to form a special fund that must repair all the damages,
whether to private property or to religious or cultural property
This as investigations are ongoing, assistance is
already being provided by a consortium of humanitarian organizations. Shelters
are being provided as a provisional solution; the fund to repair the damages is
being established by the Kosovo Government. Now it is a matter of time to
reestablish confidence among the communities.
That’s all for this edition of UNMIK on AIR. Thanks for listening and stay tuned for
more.