UNMIK/PR/129
PRISTINA--At its sixth meeting, held today, the Kosovo Interim Administrative Council (IAC) allocated seven out of 19 proposed administrative departments to political parties which will co-head them with UNMIK officials as part of the Joint Interim Administrative Structures which will run Kosovo until elections.
The parties and UNMIK are to name the personnel who will co-head the allocated departments by next week. A first wave of administrative departments are to be operational by the end of the month.
Today the IAC agreed that the LDK (Kosovo Democratic League), represented on the IAC by its president Ibrahim Rugova, would co-head the administrative departments of Budget & Finance and Justice. The PPDK (Democratic Progress Party of Kosovo), led by IAC member Hashim Thaci, will co-head the departments of Trade & Industry and Local Administration. The LBD (United Democratic League), represented on the IAC by Rexhep Qosja, was given Reconstruction and Education & Science. The department of Democratization and Civil Society will go to an independent. Of the remaining 12 departments, three will be co-headed by national communities.
Dr. Bernard Kouchner, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, said after the meeting that the first administrative departments would begin work as soon as possible. The allocations to political parties were decided by consensus among the IAC members, he said.
"This is the first time in the history of the United Nations system that we are sharing the administration and working directly with the local people," Dr. Kouchner said.
Also at today's meeting, he added, the IAC agreed to expand the Kosovo Transitional Council, the highest level advisory body to UNMIK and the Joint Interim Administration to include representatives of more political parties, more members of national communities as well as representatives of civil society.
Today's meeting, Dr. Kouchner said, had been pre-occupied also with the current state of electrical power in Kosovo, which received a blow last night when a fire caused the main power plant, 'Kosovo B', to shut down.
"This is an impossible situation to predict," Kouchner told journalists.
Kosovo's two power plants, both of which suffer from years of neglect, have been under repair since November but suffer frequent breakdowns.
Major transmission lines are also under repair.
UNMIK had recently received a commitment from Greece for 60 megawatts of power. However, Kosovo today was distributing some 220 megawatts of electricity, while at least 550 megawatts are needed to maintain normal life.
Dr. Kouchner said emergency shelters were being set up and generators were being moved to key institutions. He urged Kosovo residents to continue to conserve energy, as the high level of demands when the power is being produced can further damage the system.