UNMIK/PR/278
PRISTINA--- SRSG Bernard Kouchner strongly condemns the violence which occurred on Friday night when a large crowd of Kosovo Serbs entered the Strpce municipality building, which houses the UNMIK offices and smashed and destroyed everything in sight. The KFOR Information Centre and the Registration Centres were also ransacked. These acts of vandalism against UNMIK and KFOR property, which followed the demonstrations in the municipality over the disappearance of a Kosovo Serb shepherd from Susice village, are unacceptable and must stop.
It was clear to eyewitnesses from UNMIK staff and Police, as well as KFOR, that the events in Strpce were well coordinated and organized by persons not from the area.
On Friday night, following signals passed by gunshots and church bells, a large Kosovo Serb crowd gathered within minutes outside the Strpce municipality building. At the same time a TV reporter and video cameraman also appeared on the scene and filmed the whole incident. Meanwhile, others had blocked the road from Susice where UNMIK Police and KFOR were investigating the case of the disappeared shepherd.
The Strpce municipal administrator met with Serb community leaders and spoke to the crowd to address their concerns. As soon as he left for Susice to assist in the search and to deal with the barricades, the crowd rushed inside the municipality building and systematically destroyed everything inside, including computers, files, windows, doors, furniture etc. However, the offices of local Serb employees were left untouched, except for one occupied by a Serb accused by hardliners of being a “moderate”.
UNMIK Police and KFOR will continue to investigate the disappearance of the shepherd, as well as all the subsequent events leading to the ransacking of UNMIK and KFOR property.