UNMIK/PR/136
The Interim Administrative Council for Kosovo today allocated an additional nine administrative departments to political parties and independents bringing the total number of departments allocated so far to fifteen out of the 19 originally proposed. Four Departments remain to be distributed among the non-Albanian national communities.
Today, the IAC agreed that the LDK (Kosovo Democratic League) chaired by Ibrahim Rugova will co-head the two departments of General Public Services and Post and Telecommunications. The PPDK (Democratic Progress Party of Kosovo) led by Hashim Thaci will co-head the two departments of Health and Social Security and Civil Security and Emergency Preparedness. The LBD (United Democratic League) of Rexhep Qosja was given the two departments of Utilities and Non-Resident Affairs. The departments of Democratization and Civil Society; Culture; and Youth and Sports were allocated to Independents. The four outstanding departments of Labor and Employment; Transport and Infrastructure; Agriculture; and Environment remain to be allocated to minorities. The formula for allocating Departments among Kosovars has thus been established at four departments each for the LDK, PPDK, LBD and minorities and three departments reserved for Independents.
In addition, the IAC appointed two co-heads for the department of Trade and Industry bringing a total of six departments to which co-heads have already been named. Professor Musa Limani (PPDK), Economics professor and Director of the Economic Institute, and Mr. Ian Fletcher, Deputy to the DSRSG of the EU and Director General of Customs, will co-head Trade and Industry department.
On another matter, SRSG Bernard Kouchner gave a thorough briefing on the security situation noting that despite the cold weather which normally decreased the incidents of crime, the past ten days had seen several violent incidents, especially targeting minority groups in Kosovo. Reviewing the cases of brutal murders, arson and bombings against various minority communities, the SRSG stressed that such levels of violence continued to be “unacceptable”. He called for more help from the local population and the local leadership to uncover information about these crimes. “When the victims of crime are minorities, the police continue to receive little or no cooperation from the local population in identifying suspects and providing other information” Kouchner told the IAC.
Talking to the press after the IAC meeting, Dr. Kouchner was asked why all the political parties of Kosovo were not represented in the IAC. Citing a national example, he said that in all governments worldwide you could not have twenty political parties represented in the Cabinet. “The other parties will be working in the Kosovo Transitional Council which will be given a new role beyond consulting and advising. It will make proposals and submit reports”. Asked whether the KTC would act as a Parliament, the SRSG noted that the Council was not elected and had no legislative powers. However, it would work on special issues and provide ideas and advice to the IAC on a provisional basis until elections were held.
On the power situation, Dr. Kouchner praised the workers at the power plant who had toiled all night long to repair the pipes in Kosovo B plant. “These workers were very brave and worked under very risky conditions last night” he added.