Thursday, September 6 - Talks with Michael Daxner, visit to the Kosovo Police School in Vucitrn, talks with Hans Haekkerup, a tour of the KFOR main base and meetings with Skiaker, Luc and other KFOR officers (education in Kosovo, police training, the detained, the constitutional framework, the role of the KFOR)

The first topic of the day was education in Kosovo. Michael Daxner from the UNMIK Education and Science Department stated that one of the major problems was the relationship between UNMIK and Serb representatives in charge of education, adding that the relationship was far from clear. "We have good relations with parents, but on the other hand we are faced with a hostile attitude. I think that children and teachers are the victims of all that," said Daxner. However, he gave a very negative assessment of the relationship of some Serbian politicians toward the education system in Kosovo who compare education reforms in Kosovo with those in Serbia.

Palchak (left) and Albiston

After the meeting with Daxner, we made our way to Vucitrn. Jack Palchak, head of the Kosovo Police School in Vucitrn, said that they are originally mandated partly by the UN and partly by OSCE.

"We want to create a Kosovo police service based on democratic principles, in the hope that we will have a legitimate police force, since we are not going to stay here indefinitely. Our mandate is to train 5,700 people by December 2002", Palchak said.

He added that 40% of Kosovo Police School trainers were former KLA members, 19% were former policemen, 18% women and 17,5% members of Kosovo national minorities. Palchak said the former KLA members' histories were being monitored in several ways and from various sources, adding that the most important thing is that they do not have criminal past and that they never committed any crime.

Our second interlocutor, UNMIK Police Commissioner Chris Albiston, voiced his belief that the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) is not going to attempt to implement an unofficial KLA policy because former KLA members "have to be devoted to the service." "You can see joint patrols in Gnjilane which include Serbs, ethnic Albanians and international policemen. KPS members have been deployed everywhere but in northern Mitrovica and we are trying to persuade Serb leaders to accept them. I think we are moving in the right direction and our accomplishments will depend on political conditions and peoples' will to live with their neighbours", Albiston said.

Upon our return from Vucitrn, we met with UNMIK head Hans Haekkerup. Haekkerup told the Serbian press that UNMIK was trying to change things and overcome what has happened over the last two years. "We wish to change both political and security conditions for the Serbs. That's why it is important that Kosovo Serbs register for the elections", Haekkerup said.

"The Constitutional framework is in line with UN Security Council 1244, which says that Kosovo is an integral part of the FRY, although this was not explicitly stated in the framework. Some wanted to implement the Bosnian model which did not prove to function well. However, we have elaborated on it", Haekkerup said. He added that he has held several meetings with Vojislav Kostunica, Goran Svilanovic and Nebojsa Covic. "I must admit that Covic's appointment has made a difference in the entire process. I think Covic is a part of the solution, not a part of the problem. He is pragmatic, responsible and constructive. We cannot solve every problem, but we have sped up the process", Haekkerup said.

Haekkerup said the Kosovo Protection Corps issue had been discussed with ethnic Albanians on several occasions. "The ethnic Albanian side did not agree with our draft Constitutional framework so we failed to reach an agreement on its purpose. The Kosovo Protection Corps is the organization in charge of emergency response and it operates under UNMIK and KFOR control. We are currently involved in forming a Serb Protection Corps which will have its own symbols -- since symbols are very important here", Haekkerup said.

The UNMIK head told the press he had visited Serb returnees in Osojane. "This is an important part of the process. Returnees are an instrument of reconciliation and I do not want them to be used for political means. I want all displaced Kosovo Serbs to return. However, this procedure is rather lengthy and has to be well prepared". Haekkerup also focused on the issue of detained persons. "Since I first arrived here, 500 ethnic Albanians have been released, while another 200 are still being held in Serbian prisons. Half of them are political prisoners, and the other half are convicted criminals who should serve their time in Kosovo. I think we will come up with a solution to this problem in cooperation with Belgrade authorities", Haekkerup said, adding that 46 Serbs are presently being detained in Kosovo and are being tried according to international standards.

Following the briefing with Haekkerup, journalists visited KFOR Headquarters Main near Pristina, where they met with KFOR Commander Lieutenant-General Thorstein Skiaker who stressed that Belgrade had become a factor of stability in the region since October 5. Lieutenant-General Thorstein Skiaker assessed that Kosovo Albanians viewed their chances of proclaiming independence as diminished after the democratic changes in Belgrade and that it was more likely to establish a sort of co-existence rather than implementing their concept of a multiethnic Kosovo. According to KFOR estimates, the Serb community in Kosovo presently makes up 5-6% of the entire population.

Skiaker (left) and Lutz

KFOR Commander Lieutenant-General Thorstein Skiaker said the international community was tired of violence and extremism in the region. "We are doing our best to prevent the continuation of violence in Kosovo", the KFOR commander said, adding that he was pleased with cooperation between KFOR and the Yugoslav Army. Deputy KFOR Commander Major General Ernst Lutz confirmed to the press that KFOR had seized large quantities of arms in Kosovo, saying that KFOR recently seized several trucks loaded with weapons in Pec.

The press also met with Colonel Kim Smith, head of the British KFOR Multinational Brigade Center Headquarters for civil and military operations, who is in charge of aiding and protecting Kosovo minority communities. "We are putting enourmous effort into providing the Serb community with support, especially those in remote areas and those wishing to return. The action as a whole is called Trojan", Colonel Smith said. According to him, the greatest achievement so far has been the return of Serbs to the village of Sljivovo and the northern sector of the Pristina municipality.

The journalists got the impression that KFOR provided them with very precise information and assessments of the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija.

Five days in Kosovo-Metohija
Monday, September 3
Tuesday, September 4
Wednesday, September 5
Friday, September 7