UNMIK ON AIR

FOREIGN LICENSE PLATES

By Birol URCAN

Hello and welcome ... this is UNMIK ON AIR ...

Hilmi Selimi is a Kosovo Albanian, he is owner of auto sales room “Shotani” in Prishtina. A few weeks ago he had an unexpected and surprising visit: from the officers of UNMIK Customs Service who confiscated his eight cars, older less then 8 years. All the vehicles’ documents were legally valid, but the problem was that their number plates were foreign. Ironically it could be noted that this was very practical indication that a new government policy has been introduced

CUT - This visit came without warning and in 24 hours we were obliged to pay all the customs duties for the vehicles produced before year 97 and 98 ... this was quite a burden for us. Otherwise because of this we wanted the deadline for paying the duties for vehicles younger hen 8 years to be postponed a bit ... to have a some sort of tolerance.

But Autosaloon “Shotani” was not the only salon visited by UNMIK Customs. For the same purpose officers visited many other auto sales rooms throughout Pristina and in other Kosovo towns.

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Hajriz Pantina is a Pristina citizen who came to buy a vehicle in auto-saloon “Shotani”. He told UNMIK ON AIR that he does not support the new policy, which is restricting vehicles “younger” then 8 years to be sold in Kosovo.

CUT - Personally I think that this is not OK. This is quite a burden for us and also for auto-saloons. This could result in reduced selling of the cars.

But custom officers are not confiscating only the vehicles with foreign number plates that are in saloons, but also those on the streets. For a few days UNMIK Customs, together with KPS have started confiscating cars with foreign number plates throughout the territory of Kosovo.

According to Customs, this group of vehicles includes all vehicles with foreign number plates in Kosovo territory, driven by Kosovo residents.

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Kosovars that have working permit or residence permit abroad are excluded from this policy. Customs officials believe that all Kosovo citizens are well informed about this policy, particularly those who run Auto Saloons.

CUT - All owners of auto saloons were informed at the end of last year that this will happen. The same information campaign continued beginning of 2005. Everybody is informed that they can’t keep vehicles with foreign number plates in their shops.

However all vehicles that have old Kosovo number plates as PR or PE are excluded from this new policy so far, due to a special order from the SRSG Soren Jessen Petersen.

Jessen-Petersen postponed the deadline for these cars to get KS license plates to July of this year. After this deadline, police and customs officers will begin to confiscate these cars too.

With this we end today’s program. Tomorrow we are going to speak about Regional Water Company "Prishtina". Thanks for listening us and stay tuned.