PRESS BRIEFING BY SECRETARY-GENERAL'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR KOSOVO

PRESS BRIEFING BY SECRETARY-GENERAL'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR KOSOVO

A Security Council mission is to visit Kosovo in the near future, Hans Haekkerup, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK), said at a Headquarters briefing this afternoon.

He said he looked forward to showing the Council mission some parts of Kosovo, to help members of the Council develop a better understanding of the situation in the province.  He was sure that the Council mission would also have some messages for the people of Kosovo -- to press ahead with the establishment of self-government institutions in the future.

Mr. Haekkerup described his closed door meeting earlier with the Council, on the problems of Kosovo, as very productive.  (A statement issued later by the President of the Council, James B. Cunningham of the United States, said the mission would visit Kosovo from 15 to 18 June to continue the close cooperation with the Secretary-General's Special Representative and UNMIK.)

Responding to a question on the fighting in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Haekkerup said it was very important that the international community expressed its support for that country's Government and its efforts to resolve the crisis through political means.  He said the establishment of a broad-based government -- presently being undertaken -- was "a very good step in the right direction".  It remained to be seen how much would be achieved in practice, he added.

He earlier told the press that his first priority was the completion of the text of the Legal Framework for Provisional Institutions of Self-Government. Negotiations on the document had been on for the past several months, especially, in the past week.  It had not been possible to reach a consensus, but there was agreement on "a big part" of the document.  However, it had not been proven possible to get full agreement on some parts of the text, especially from the Kosovo Serbs.  Efforts were being made to accommodate their concerns, with amendments put forward that would underline the legal rights of communities, and create special mechanisms for solving problems of vital interest to them.  "We have done what we should do, taking into account the interests of Kosovo Serbs.  I have to say this is not fully accepted", by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. "Nevertheless, I think there would be some understanding and acceptance of the document when it is put forward."

He said there had been intense negotiations with Kosovo Albanians on the last few outstanding questions, but no agreement reached with them.  The procedure now was to move ahead and to try to strike a balance, while taking account of the views expressed by the different communities.

The final legal framework would be promulgated.  The Security Council would also have to discuss other subjects -- the general security situation in Kosovo and in the region, events in Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, ties to Kosovo, and the spill-over of conflict out of Kosovo, and into Kosovo.

Other issues included the question of refugees, and the implication for Kosovo.  He said there would be a need to strengthen law enforcement and to develop the necessary capabilities for the Administration to be in better position to fight terrorism and organized crime, among other problems.

He observed that there were different views on those questions among Security Council members, but basically there was broad support for the Interim Administration.

Asked on what issues agreements were reached with Kosovo Serbs, he said one of the discussion point was mechanisms that would give them a veto if their vital interests were at stake.  Already there was a proposal to establish a special committee -- a main committee -- in the Assembly which would consider all legislation.  It would provide guarantees for the special interests of the communities.  In addition, special mechanisms were also being created, which had been agreed to by Kosovo Albanians.  If there were issues of vital interest to them, they would be referred to the presidency of the Assembly.  If that was not possible, he said a special panel with international representation would be convened to deal with the question.  If the problem was still not resolved, the Special Representative would have to step in.  That was a basic point with the Kosovo Serbs, he said.  It was the wish of the Kosovo Albanians to call the document an interim constitution, but he thought the word "constitution" should be reserved for a final settlement.  He preferred a formulation like "a constitutional framework for provisional self-government".

A correspondent asked whether UNMIK would recognize the will of the people and their right to self-determination.  He replied:  "In accordance with Security Council resolution 1244."  That issue should be left for the future, he added. "What we are discussing is provisional self-government under 1244."  He said it was not in his mandate to discuss a final political settlement, and that was the clear position of the United Nations.

Asked whether the legal framework had been completed or when it would be, he said work was continuing and that it would be promulgated soon through normal procedures, and a date fixed for the elections, possibly later this year.

A correspondent asked if there was a reference to a referendum in the legal framework.  Mr. Haekkerup said the referendum issue was raised by the Kosovo Albanians.  The international community did not want such a reference in the document.  The correspondent further asked how Mr. Haekkerup saw discussions on the final settlement taking place, and the channels in which they would be conducted.  Mr. Haekkerup said that was not in his mandate.  Security Council resolution 1244 had to be implemented, and in that way a final settlement would be facilitated.

Asked if the question of taxation was raised in the Security Council,

Mr. Haekkerup said it had not, and added that he had discussed the question yesterday with the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Foreign Minister.  There was a clear understanding within resolution 1244 that activities of the Interim Administration had to be financed from revenue collected in Kosovo.  His discussions with other Federal Yugoslav authorities also reflected that understanding.

The correspondent asked whether he was aware that by international law taxes could be imposed only by sovereign countries?  "I have to tell you that this is strictly in accordance with 1244", Mr. Haekkerup said.

Another correspondent asked for his thoughts on a proposal for a Balkans peace conference along the lines of that held in Dayton, Ohio, on Bosnia.  The Special Representative said it was not in his mandate, and that the proposal had been talked about within the United Nations. 

Could he discuss the crisis in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and what spill-over effect it was having on Kosovo, he was asked.  He answered that it was very important that the international community expressed its support for that country's Government and its efforts to try to resolve the crisis by political means.  The establishment of a broad-based government was a very good step in the right direction.  It remained to be seen how much would be achieved in practice.  He said finding a political solution was a very good first step.  He observed that there were some groups in Kosovo who supported the extremists.  It was the task of the NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR), supported by UNMIK to cut the extremists supply lines, he said, and added that what was happening in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia might have a big impact on Kosovo, particularly because of the flow of refugees.

Asked what the status of the legal framework was, he responded that it was being finalized in consultations with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and with the Secretary-General.

A correspondent asked whether he told the Council about UNMIK's need to fight terrorism, and what would be required to do this.  There was need for more international judges and prosecutors, as well as legislation on illegal boundary crossings and regulations on terrorism and related activities, the Special Representative explained.  There was also need for greater capability on the law enforcement side.  If no steps were taken now, he said it would be difficult in the future to fight terrorism and organized crime.

He said twice the number of the present international judges and prosecutors -- about 12 and five respectively -- might be sufficient, at least for now.  On the police side, he said UNMIK would continue to develop the Kosovo Police Service, and that the goal was to have 6,000 police officers by the end of the year 2002.  The figure of 4,000 had almost been reached.  There was need to collect intelligence on organized crime and terrorism, he added.  There would also be a need to link up with the police to change intelligence into evidence.  That meant acquiring a central investigative capability -- a serious crime bureau, for example.

Mr. Haekkerup told a correspondent that he had been ready to go the extra mile to reach a consensus on the legal framework.  "We have gone the extra mile already.  I will also say that from the outset, I knew that it would be very difficult to get consensus, and that I will have to strive for it."  He said the parties were not yet ready "to make a consensus", but UNMIK and the parties "came pretty close".

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