KOSOVO.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan released his latest report on 9 June, marking the first anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Kosovo was "a far better place than a year ago," the Secretary General noted, although reconciliation was still far from a reality. Twelve months ago, he said, the country had been "a scene of chaos, economic ruin, extensive destruction, lawlessness, widespread retribution and in many parts largely empty of its population". Today, the economy was "remarkably vibrant", with 70 per cent of private enterprises restarted, and the construction sector booming. Essential infrastructure such as the water system and electricity had been maintained, and 841,000 refugees had returned to Kosovo.

However, some aspects of its society had not changed, Mr. Annan also noted. Kosovo Serbs and other minorities continued to be attacked and murdered, and ethnic hatred had also led to the murder of UNMIK staff members. An upsurge of vicious attacks on Kosovo Serbs, which "appear to be part of an orchestrated campaign", marked a deterioration in the security situation and undermined the confidence of Kosovo Serbs in the future. The international community's continued support for Kosovo was conditional on the full cooperation of all political parties there. "The international community did not intervene in Kosovo to make it a haven for revenge and crime", he said.

The challenges were still immense, the Secretary-General said. Unemployment remained at around 50 per cent, and all aspects of law and order needed to be urgently addressed. In order to remedy the partiality of the judicial system, more international judges and prosecutors were required. UNMIK's police needed to be reinforced and the police training programme accelerated so that responsibility for law and order rested on the local population. Greater efforts were needed to resolve the fate of missing persons and the detention of people from Kosovo in prisons in Serbia. The appointment of a Special Envoy for missing persons, detainees and prisoners was "under active consideration' the Secretary-General said. He also noted the importance of the upcoming municipal elections and urged the people of Kosovo to register and vote. Mr. Annan encouraged Member States to ensure that UNMIK was supplied with the necessary resources to meet the enormous challenges it faced.

On 9 June, UNMIK head Dr. Bernard Kouchner briefed the Security Council on the mission in Kosovo, He stated that UNMIK was able to make real advances in an inhospitable environment. Health care had improved, housing units were being built, and infrastructure rehabilitated and created. Five thousand children were now attending school, which they had not done for years, and universities and colleges were operating. All parties, religions and minorities were represented in the Kosovo Transitional Council, and a "confidence zone" in Mitrovica had been established. More than 400,000 people had already registered for the October municipal elections, although the Kosovo Serbs still needed to be convinced to register, Dr. Koucbner noted.

The large number of people returning to Kosovo was a positive trend, but this also imposed a heavy burden as the unemployment rate was already high. At some point it might be necessary to impose a moratorium, Dr. Kouchner said. Also, while UNMIK was m regular contact with the Belgrade authorities, the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was not cooperating with the Mission in the search for missing persons, estimated at anywhere from 3,000 to 9,000. Moreover, UNMIK faced hurdles within the territory, including a weak judiciary and unacceptably high crime rates, particularly against the Serbs. Dr. Kouchner underscored the precarious security situation for non-Albanian people, particularly returnees. He called on Member States to provide international judges and prosecutors, as well as well trained international police.