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Statement by Nebojsa Covic and President of the Coordinating Body for Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja
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Bujanovac, March 7, 2003
The situation in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja is far more different than it was two years ago. Significant results have been achieved in establishing peace and multiethnic institutions.
From the onset of the crisis in southern Serbia, the international community has been working together with the Coordinating Body for South Serbia, the leader of the ethnic Albanian community and the mayor of Presevo, Mr Halimi, to resolve the crisis and put a stop to a dangerous situation.
Owing to enormous joint efforts, the following results have been achieved:
- Restrictions on the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ) and the Air Safety Zone (ASZ) were relaxed.
- Armed conflicts were ended, peace established, and the Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac, Medvedja (LAPBM) disarmed and disbanded.
- The law giving amnesty to former members of the LAPBM was adopted.
- After peace was established, the number of Joint Security Forces (USF) has substantially decreased.
- Internally displaced persons (IDPs) returned to the Ground Safety Zone.
- A Multiethnic police force was established.
- Radio Bujanovac and Radio Presevo were renovated and supplied with new equipment.
- The Law on protection of national minorities and human rights was adopted.
- The Law on self-government was passed.
- A working group for an organized return of IDPs was established in the Municipality of Medvedja.
- A population census was held.
- Decisions recalling the former municipal assemblies in the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja were adopted.
- Interim multiethnic councils in the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja were established for the purpose of managing these municipalities and making preparations for a fair election campaign.
- Multiethnic electoral commissions for local elections in the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja were appointed.
- Electoral registers were reviewed and updated.
- Local elections in the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja were called.
- Local elections were held, monitored and supervised in the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.
- A multiethnic assembly of the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja was established.
- Multiethnic municipal councils in Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja were set up.
- Working groups for the purpose of facilitating the reintegration of ethnic Albanians into the state bodies of the Republic of Serbia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro as well as in education, the judiciary and politics were setup. The following are the results of their work:
- A new Deputy Prosecutor of Presevo was appointed
- Applications for the Deputy Public Prosecutor of Bujanovac were invited
- On March 4, 2003, the Ministry of Justice approved the announcement of vacancies for court trainees and associates in the district, municipal and magistrate's courts as well as in the prosecutor's offices. Official announcements for these vacancies are expected to be placed soon, in a week's time, due to the procedure envisaged by the law.
- Applications for the court staff engaged in the bilingual proceedings will also be invited. After additional consultations, it was agreed to increase the number of employees who will provide bilingual translations of proceedings.
- Applications were invited for the members of primary and secondary school boards in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.
- Financial assistance was provided by the federal and republic governments via the Coordinating Body for the development of the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.
The peace process has improved thanks to the application of measures to restore inter-ethnic confidence, in spite of certain difficulties that have arisen. However, in addition to peace, yet another important objective has been achieved through the democratically-elected multiethnic authorities in Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.
We expected and we still expect the implementation of all the above mentioned results will ensure long-term stability in southern Serbia, but also throughout the region.
I regret to note, however, that during the past few weeks, the situation in southern Serbia has been getting more and more complex and certain attempts are being made to return the situation to what it was two years ago.
Certain criminal and radical elements are trying to destabilize the region by threatening civilians, the multiethnic police and multiethnic representatives of the local authorities.
Since the beginning of 2003, in the Municipalities of Presevo and Bujanovac, particularly in Bujanovac which is a hot spot in southern Serbia, one could catalogue numerous death threats, explosions placed at the private dwellings of multiethnic police officers and other citizens, assaults and murders of members of the Security and Intelligence Agency (BIA), planting of bombs and explosive devices, murder of a member of the Gendarmerie and the wounding of another two.
The political situation in the southern Serbia is not as healthy as it could and should be and, therefore, additional measures must be taken. It is necessary to fully inform the public and establish broad cooperation with anyone who wants the problems to be resolved before they escalate to new conflicts.
Our common task is to make progress in establishing confidence between Serbs, Albanians and Roma. Without making progress in restoring inter-ethnic confidence, there will be no progress in ensuring
peace, the rule of law, respect for human rights and the integration of all ethnic Albanians into the state.
Our regional problem is like a vicious circle: organised crime, violence, extremism, terrorism. The main precondition for the stability and development of the region is combating organised crime. Organised crime is the main culprit for violence in the daily life the region. Organised crime is a threat to safety and the economy of the entire region, but also the EU, mainly due to the trafficking of drugs, arms, humans as well as money laundering. We must not allow criminals to manipulate patriotic and ethnic feelings by hiding behind political flags.
Despite these problems, the Coordinating Body has been successful in normalising the situation in southern Serbia, including its cooperation with KFOR, the OSCE and EUMM as well as with other international organisations which proved to be very useful. We have decided to respond to criminal and terrorist activities as well as all threats made by extremists in a balanced, responsible and legal manner.
We are faced with very important political tasks that call for the following:
- To continue the measures for employing and appointing ethnic Albanians and Roma in the institutions of local and Republic authorities
- To work on the internal democratisation of local political life of Serbian, Albanian and Roma political organizations
- To improve cooperation with civic movements (Otpor/Resistance) as well as with democratically-oriented non-governmental organisations
- To continuously analyse results and weaknesses of the work of:
- State and local authorities
- Albanian, Serbian and Roma community leaders
- Representatives of the international community
- It is unacceptable to ignore and tolerate extremists' activities and extremist conduct of the Albanian and Serbian political figures and organisations as well as ideas on territorial and other delimitation according to ethnicity, the so-called "East Kosovo".
- Legal and institutional reforms at the level of local communities implying constitutional changes, amendments of legislation pertaining to local government, passing of a law, at the level of the Republic of Serbia, on freedoms and rights of minority communities and persons belonging to them and repealing of numerous discriminatory regulations.
According to the above mentioned priority activities it is necessary for us to jointly further elaborate the Plan and Program of the Coordinating Body, and it would be possible in this respect to organize a comprehensive debate on results, limitations and disadvantages. Such a debate may help to mobilize the public to participate in resolving the problems in the southern Serbia.
It is necessary to restructure the Coordinating Body and to include in its activities representatives of Albanian, Serb and Roma communities, representatives of civil society, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Islamic community, NGOs and trade unions.
Since the peace building process has entered a new stage, the Coordinating Body needs a substantive structural reform in order for this state body to work more efficiently. More space will be provided in the Coordinating Body for the work of economic experts at the ministerial level, which will enable better results to be achieved in the fields of: economic development, infrastructure, confidence-building measures, judiciary, health care, education and public administration. This means that the focus should be transferred from security to political-economic development. However, this does not mean that we will be superficial in the field of security, bearing in mind the most recent events. We are firmly dedicated to economic development and providing jobs for a great number of the unemployed, but also zero tolerance for violence, criminal activity, extremism or terrorism. The military and police presence will provide for the rule of law and order and for zero tolerance to all forms criminal activity. It is obvious that the economic development is a function of the presence of security forces because, as long as we have high unemployment, the unemployed easily become victims of war profiteers and criminals who are very skilful in hiding behind political and ethnic flags, thereby threatening the security of all citizens.
The Coordinating Body would have an organization consisting of the three following structures:
- The political office (president and vice-president of the CB, and mayors of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medveda);
- The Secretariat of the Coordinating Body (it would be the driving force and the coordinating instrument of government activities on the ground; it should function as a logistics foundation and support the work of ministries; a maximum of ten employees with the secretary and two deputy secretaries and officials and technical staff);
- Representatives of ministries in the Coordinating Body (to provide greater efficiency in supervision and implementation of specific projects);
This organisational structure will enable closer cooperation with local governments - municipal councils and presidents of municipal assemblies, and in project implementation it will enable a more efficient relationship between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and local communities.
In order for the above mentioned objectives to be achieved, the assistance of international organisations will be necessary to:
- Enforce elections results;
- Establish and strengthen local multiethnic institutions;
- Provide training for newly elected members of multiethnic municipal assemblies;
- Provide training for newly elected members of multiethnic municipal councils;
- Implement the multiethnic police force project;
- Implement reforms of local media;
- Integrate the fields of judiciary, health care, public administration, education and economy;
- Organise round tables;
- Establish and assist in the activities of the working group for the return of IDPs;
- Resolve issues surrounding the Roma community;
- Fight organised crime and corruption;
- Assist in project supervision and monitoring;
- Organise permanent visits of ambassadors;
- Enable the participation of the EUMM mission;
- Cooperation with NATO and KFOR and enforcement of signed agreements;
- Full withdrawal of the Ground Security Zone and the Air Security Zone;
- Continued promotion of the peace process with international institutions and in the international capitals to attract the financing required;
- Assist in the economic development of the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.
With respect to the issue of southern Serbia we must reiterate that in present-day Serbia, not all issues should be put in the framework of political struggle.
We need your assistance and cooperation in order to resolve the above mentioned issues through specific regional stability projects. With your assistance, we can and must preserve the results achieved in southern Serbia as a model of peaceful resolution in the region.
We expect to have your support, assistance and your full understanding in order to preserve peace in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, and thereby, with advances, to fully implement the programme of peaceful resolution of the crisis.
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