KOSOVO

UN Chronicle, Winter, 1999

Following a visit to the Balkans, Secretary-General Kofi Annan reported on 21 October that although the situation in Kosovo had greatly improved, much remained to be done to bring democracy and reconciliation to the territory. The level of violence in Kosovo continued to be unacceptable, he said. While the Security Council had mandated the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, UNMIK was faced with a large portion of the population clamouring for independence. The goal of a multi-ethnic and peaceful Kosovo, with substantial autonomy and meaningful self administration, could only be reached if all parties worked together and put the past behind them, he said.

The situation of ethnic minorities in Kosovo remained extremely precarious, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In a joint report of 3 November, they noted that despite the declining number of violent incidents, a volatile climate of impunity remained. They identified a pattern of "reverse ethnic cleansing"-increased attacks and widespread intimidation-directed against non-Albanians, in particular elderly Serbs. The report stressed the preventive role of KFOR- the international peacekeeping force in Kosovo-in improving security, particularly in rural communities. However, the "spirit of revenge" was still very high, according to UNMIK head Bernard Kouchner, who said that security could not be achieved without resolving the issue of missing persons, estimated at 6,000.

On 28 October, the Secretary-General recommended to the Security Council that the international civilian police force be increased to over 4,700 to strengthen law and order throughout the territory. So far, some 1,700 UNMIK police officers have been deployed, with UN police units already assuming full policing functions in the Pristina and Prizren regions.

On 18 October, the first class of Kosovo cadets graduated from the UN-sponsored police academy to become the first 173 officers of a projected indigenous police force of 3,500.

UNMIK's humanitarian pillar has succeeded in ensuring adequate housing for some 800,000 people before the onset of the cold weather. Many had to be accommodated in shelters and others' homes until more complete reconstruction efforts could resume in spring.

On 4 November, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) completed a $6.7 million project to supply seeds and fertilizers to more than 70,000 farming families in Kosovo. FAO said strengthening agriculture was one of the best options for a quick recovery in rural areas of the territory. On 19 October, the International Labour Organization reported that at least two thirds of Kosovo's 1.3 million adults were unemployed, with the remainder working in a vast gray market devoid of legal protection.

The second Donors' Conference for Kosovo, cochaired by the European Commission and the World Bank, was held in Brussels on 16 November. Donors pledged over $1 billion for the first phase of the reconstruction until December 2000. On 8 November, Mr. Kouchner approved a 1999 budget for Kosovo totalling 125 million deutsche marks (some $67 million). The budget-nearly 70 per cent of which is financed by international donors-enables UNMIK to use local revenues from customs and taxes, as well as donor grants, to provide public services such as health, education, police, fire and water.

On 17 November, UNMIK created the Banking and Payments Authority of Kosovo (BPK) to act as a depository for the Central Fiscal Authority, established earlier to manage the territory's consolidated budget, and other parts of the interim civil administration. The BPK will have most of the powers of a central bank.

On 25 October, public schools throughout Kosovo reopened without incident. "This is a big step towards the resumption of normal schooling for the 300,000 schoolchildren in Kosovo", UNMIK spokeswoman Nadia Younes said. Meanwhile, efforts continued to reduce tension between Serb and Albanian students, which have so far prevented the opening of Pristina University.

So far, UNMIK has committed $50 million to fortify Kosovo's electricity supply system before the onset of winter. UNMIK has also finalized the provision of mail and phone services, and is overseeing the modernization of the Kosovo telephone system. On 15 October, Pristina airport was opened to commercial traffic.

The Mission's annual cost will be some $456.4 million. The proposed UNMIK budget for the period 10 June 1999 to 30 June 2000 covers a mission strength of 39 liaison officers, 4,719 civilian police, 1,269 international staff, 3,566 local staff, 18 national officers and 203 United Nations volunteers.

Mass Graves

On 10 November, Carla Del Ponte, the new Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, said her office had received reports of 11,334 bodies in 529 gravesites in Kosovo. After five months of investigation, forensic specialists from 14 countries had completed exhumation of 2,108 bodies at 195 sites. Ms. Del Ponte said that investigations would focus on the chain of command linking high-level civilian, police and military leaders to crimes committed during the conflict in Kosovo.