ZVECAN, Jan. 31, 2005 (BETA) - UNMIK senior advisor on minority affairs Craig Jenness said on Jan. 31 that power cuts in Kosovo are not intentional, and that the grid could not be repaired until users signed a contract with the Kosovo power company (KEK) and paid their bills.

In an interview with Most TV in Zvecan, Jenness stressed that there was no possibility of helping Serb villagers in Batuse, as long as they refused to sign a contract with KEK, calling them "prisoners of political issues," which he said would not be solved soon.

The Kosovo authorities cut the power to over 3,500 Kosovo Serb homes because of unpaid electricity bills. Kosovo Serbs, however, allege ulterior motives, claiming that the purpose of the cuts is to force them to acknowledge the new system in Kosovo, by signing a contract with KEK. The Kosovo power company currently collects 30 percent if its claims.