BELGRADE MEDIA UPDATE DEC 18
UNMIK Media Monitoring

Soren Jessen-Petersen in Skopje (RSCG)

UNMIK Head S�ren Jessen-Petersen confirmed that in Skopje he had talks with Macedonian officials on improving bilateral relations, including the issue of demarcating borders and concluding an agreement on free trade between Macedonia and Kosovo. Jessen-Petersen expressed expectations that the issue of demarcation of the border between the SCG and Macedonia, in the area towards Kosovo, would be resolved before the beginning of negotiations on the status of the province, probably in the second half of next year. Jessen-Petersen said that UNMIK would not directly participate in the process of the border demarcation.

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Agreement between Kosovo government and UNMIK on priority standards (RTS/Tanjug)

UNMIK Head S�ren Jessen-Petersen and Kosovo Premier Ramush Haradinaj have announced that the Kosovo government and UNMIK had reached an agreement on priority standards and adequate activities for their implementation, �which is of key importance for a successful implementation of all standards.� UNMIK�s press service stated that these priority standards were �mutually chosen� by PISG and UNMIK, but without specifying what priority standards were at issue. Jessen-Petersen welcomed the decision by the European Commission to set aside another 23,9 million euros. At issue is aid to PISG and their efforts for implementing standards. Five million euros will be intended for the programs for the return of IDPs, while two million euros will be at the disposal for the reconstruction of religious and cultural facilities. For this purpose, 3.7 million euros have been set aside from the so-called Kosovo consolidated budget, while 500.000 euros was set aside by the UNMIK head. He noticed that a lot of money was at disposal, but stressed that it would be necessary for the Serbian Orthodox Church to be included in the reconstruction process as well.

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KFOR and UNMIK on situation in Kosovo (RTS/Tanjug)

The safety situation in Kosovo is stable and KFOR and UNMIK have no knowledge of possible preparations of armed Albanian extremists for actions in the province in the near future, or in the south of central Serbia and in Macedonia, representatives of KFOR and UNMIK told Tanjug. At the moment, we have no information on this issue, stated UNMIK spokesperson Neeraj Singh. He said the safety situation in Kosovo was stable and that the police and KFPR were maintaining the usual level of safety.

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Kostunica and Stevens discussed decentralization in Kosovo (RTS)

In his talks with US Assistant State Secretary Cathleen Stevens in Belgrade, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has underlined that it is necessary to respect the Serbian Government plan in order to secure in the best way possible additional institutional guarantees for Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo. Kostunica has pointed out that it is very important that Belgrade be included directly and on an equal footing in the talks on decentralization, because this is the best way to achieve progress in securing institutional guarantees, which would improve the state of human rights, primarily for the Serb community in the province.

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Stevens meets Draskovic, Davinic (RTS)

Following the meeting with US Deputy Secretary of the State Kathleen Stevens in Belgrade, the SCG Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic has stated that the Serb-Albanian dialogue is necessary and urgent, specifying that Belgrade-Pristina and Belgrade-Tirana dialogues are necessary, too. During their talks, the SCG Defense Minister Prvoslav Davinic has agreed with Kathleen Stevens that ensuring safety for Serbs and other minority communities is most important for the stability of Kosovo. The SCG insists on undertaking preventative steps in order to avoid potential conflict in Kosovo, Davinic pointed out. Stevens has stated that the Contact group representatives expect that Kosovo Premier Ramush Haradinaj will responsibly accept potential decisions of the ICTY Prosecution in order to avoid new measures.

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Tadic says he is present in Kosovo via People's Office (Tanjug)

Although I am prevented from going to Kosovo, the People's Office of the President of the Republic is present there, and through it I am also there, Serbian President Boris Tadic said, adding he would not give up going to Kosovo. During his regular monthly visit to the People's Office, Tadic said there were areas in Kosovo where aid was not arriving and where the Serbs were specially threatened, and that the Office was primarily targeting such areas.

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Covic: No joint political stand on Kosovo (Tanjug)

The Head of the CCK Nebojsa Covic has said that the country's political leadership has no joint stand on Kosovo, relations with the international community and the strategy of cooperation with the ICTY, because �some politicians find party interests to be more important than the state interests.� Covic said in a live broadcast by Uzice Television 5 that the �policy of double standards pursued by the international community in Kosovo, the arrogant and overbearing behavior of some of its representatives, are, among other things, the result of our disaccord.�

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Search for 800 people that went missing in Kosovo (Blic)

The Association of the abducted and missing people in Kosovo is still searching for about 800 people. The destiny of these people is still unknown. This was said at a press conference of the Association held in the Media Center in Nis. Colonel Ljuben Mrkovic said they were searching for 36 soldiers and reservists who disappeared during the war in Kosovo. Forensic doctor Vujadin Otasevic said that with November 4, 2004 inclusive, 296 bodies had been exhumed. Only 130 have been identified so far because DNA analyses lasts very long, even three years. �The UN administration very unwillingly gives consent for exhumations at the locations suspected to hide bodies of killed Serbs,� Otasevic said. �Last year we exhumed 111 bodies, this year only 20. Since the March violence, we carried out only two identifications in Kosovo,� Otasevic pointed out.

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Psychological warfare or repeat of March 17 (Tanjug)

The news that ethnic Albanians are getting ready to attack Serbia proper has been taken seriously by the representatives of the United Nations interim administration in Kosovo, KFOR troops and Serbs representatives, who warn that we are not far from a repeat of the March violence, while the commanding ranks of international forces believe that there is no reason to panic. One of Kosovo Serb leaders, Goran Bogdanovic, has told Tanjug that there are great chances that the March violence be repeated, especially following the election of Ramush Haradinaj for the province's prime minister, as ethnic Albanians see his election as the international community's support to their demands. Bogdanovic, the only Serb minister in the former Kosovo government, claims that the political situation in the province is instable and raw, that the international community has done practically nothing to prevent March 17 from repeating itself, and that KPC activities are also worrying.

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Prorokovic: Kosovo's independence cannot be discussed (Tanjug)

Serbian Parliament kosovo.netmittee Chairman Dusan Prorokovic stressed during talks with former Albanian Foreign Minister Pascal Milo and Kosovo Minister of the Economy Bujar Dugolli that Serbs would be in a better position if all were well for their Albanian neighbors. For Belgrade, a theory that gives independence to Kosovo cannot be discussed, while all other theories can be negotiated, whereas for Albanians, on the other hand, the only acceptable solution is an independent Kosovo, Prorokovic told a round table in Skopje.

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Who controls security in Kosovo (Tanjug)

Commenting increasingly frequent media reports that trouble could resurface in Kosovo, officials interviewed by Tanjug agreed that the situation in Serbia's southern province could improve only via Belgrade's political influence and the work of the security forces of this country. Advisor to the Serbian prime minister Aleksandar Simic has told Tanjug that KFOR fully controls security in Kosovo. �We hope that the March riots and tragic developments were sufficient warning to KFOR to be fully prepared to deal with possible fresh violence which could erupt after Kosovo Premier Ramush Haradinaj is indicted,� Simic said.

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Heroin seized in Mitrovica (RTS)

The police in southern Mitrovica have seized one kilo of heroin and arrested three persons, UNMIK announced. UNMIK police states that, on the basis of information it previously received, the unit for combating drugs stopped a vehicle and found under the seat a package with 1.064 grams of a substance suspected to be heroin. �Three persons have been arrested. The case is being investigated,� reads the statement.

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1.9 million people in Kosovo, 88 percent ethnic Albanians (RTS/Tanjug)

There is a total of 1.9 million people in Kosovo at present, 88 percent of whom are ethnic Albanians, 7 percent Serbs and 5 percent other ethnic communities, the Kosovo Statistics Bureau has announced. If one takes the EU standard that one euro per capita is the measure of poverty, then at least half of the population in Kosovo lives on the verge of poverty, and more than 12 percent in extreme poverty.