UN envoy condemns attack on Kosovo Serbs
JUNE 16 -- The head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission
in Kosovo (UNMIK), Dr. Bernard Kouchner, today condemned yesterday's
tragic incident in which two Kosovo Serbs were killed and another
injured in a mine attack.
In a statement issued by UNMIK, Dr. Kouchner said this was the second
incident in which Kosovo Serbs have been killed by mines. The latest
incident occured near the village of Lepina, south-west of Pristina. On
2 June, outside the village of Preoce, also south-west of Pristina, two
Kosovo Serbs were killed and three others injured.
Dr. Kouchner expressed his satisfaction that the presidents of both
the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Mr. Ibrahim Rugova, and the
Peoples Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Mr. Hashim Thaci, had visited
the scene of the incident and condemned the crime.
Meanwhile, the Interim Administrative Council agreed to a draft Press
Code of Practice for Kosovo. The temporary code follows concerns over
the performance of some newspapers in Kosovo. In the latest incident,
Dr. Kouchner on 3 June ordered the temporary closure of a newspaper
which had published an article that had put at risk the life of a Serb
UNMIK staff member, who was subsequently founded murdered. Petar
Topoljski was murdered not long after the publication of his address and
photograph together with an article accusing him of crimes against
Albanians in the newspaper 'Dita.'
The code, based on existing European standards of journalistic
practice, is intended to become the foundation of a system of
self-regulation for the print media in Kosovo.
Document compiled by Dr S D
Stein