UN Seizes Yugoslav Kosovo Committee Offices
Radio B92
Belgrade, Yugoslavia
August 7, 2001

PRISTINA, Tuesday – A furious row broke out today when UN police took control of the Gracanica offices of the Yugoslav Kosovo committee on the grounds that they had not received UNMIK authorisation.

Police entered the offices in the early hours of the morning, and removed the Yugoslav, Serbian and UN flags from the building. Unofficial claims that the offices had been earmarked as the setting for Nebojsa Covic's planned coordinative centre were denied by Covic later.

During hastily convened talks with international representatives,Yugoslav committee member Slavisa Kostic claimed that Gracanica was under siege since UN police havd blocked all access roads and stationed several combat vehicles in the city centre, reports Srna.

Police withdrew from the building in the afternoon pending discussions tomorrow agreed on by both sides.

The negotiations will centre on who owns the building. Kosovo Committee chairman Momcilo Trajkovic insisted that a public company, Pristina-based Grmjia, had control, while UNMIK declared that as municipal property the premises came under UN jurisdiction.

Both sides blamed the repossession on the failure of the other to communicate over the issue. Trajkovic told B92: "UNMIK has been kept informed on all our activities in several letters I sent to Mr Hans Haekkerup. The Committee's headquarters in central Pristina have been bombed twice, two committee members have been killed, and although I issued a warning and insisted that the committee be provided with the basics, they have not done anything."

However, UNMIK press head Simon Hayslock told B92 that Trajkovic had been told last week that he should not open the Gracanica offices in a municipal building without prior permission.

"We told Mr Trajkovic time and time again that any property which he wanted to use, he needed to speak to us and get authorisation for it. It's rather like UNMIK coming to Novi Sad or Nis and opening up offices there without speaking to the Serbian government about that," he said.

"Sadly Mr Trajkovic chose not to discuss this with us and he was told in writing and verbally on a number of occasions that was what he had to do."

Second Story:

Quit Kosovo, Batic tells Haekkerup

BELGRADE, Tuesday – Serbia's justice minister has sent an open letter calling on UNMIK head Hans Haekkerup to resign as he is "directly responsible for the tragic situation" in Kosovo.

Vladan Batic told Haekkerup, "in the democratic world, two principles rule: that of responsibility, and that of dispensibility. Since you are directly responsible for the tragic situation in Kosovo and Metohija, it is right that you should resign.

"Kosovo was, is, and will be a part of Serbia. Since you do not accept this, you should leave Kosovo. The sooner the better."

Batic singled out for criticism Haekkerup's "failure to fulfill" UN Security Council Resolution 1244, his introduction of customs checkpoints, his ignoring of Serbian amendments to new legal frameworks, and his persistent backing for the elections that would lead to Albanian institutions gaining authority in the province. (B92)