UNMIK/PR/1561
PRISTINA - Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Kosovo (SRSG) Søren Jessen-Petersen today announced that the UNMIK Department of Justice has reported its findings on the preliminary investigation into the events of 25 May 2006, when a visit by the defence team of General Ojdanic to Krushe e Vogel/Mala Krusa led to confrontations between police and villagers in which a number of persons sustained injuries.
The SRSG said: “The key finding of the preliminary investigation is that a number of mistakes were made in the process of approving and planning this visit. Not enough was done to ensure that all aspects of the visit, including security and political factors, were properly assessed and evaluated. In particular, the operational planning was made on the basis of inadequate information on the sensitivity of the visit and the history of the village. As a result of this, the visit was arranged without prior preparation of the villagers, including the necessary explanation and information about its purpose.
The unannounced visit caused considerable suspicion, anxiety and misunderstanding among the villagers. In those circumstances, the explosive response provoked by the visit is understandable. At the same time it is highly regrettable that any violence resulted. The investigation has confirmed that it was necessary for the police to use reasonable means to enable the convoy to be evacuated safely. But I have no doubt that all of this could have been avoided if only adequate preparation for the visit, including a full explanation for the villagers, had taken place.”
The SRSG stressed that these are only the preliminary findings. “We will need to carry out further investigation to ensure that we learn the lessons from this unfortunate incident and avoid any repetition” he said.
The SRSG has instructed his Principal Deputy and the Police Commissioner to go back to the village this week to share the results of the investigation with the villagers.