NATIONS UNIES
UNMIK
UNITED
NATIONS INTERIM ADMINISTRATION
MISSION
IN KOSOVO
Press Release, 15 December 1999
UNMIK/PR/115
Kosovo Political Leaders Agree to Share Administration of Kosovo with UNMIK
PRISTINA
- Three Kosovo Albanian political leaders today signed a landmark agreement by
which they agreed to share the provisional management of Kosovo with the United
Nations Mission in Kosovo until elections next year.
The
Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernard Kouchner, who under the
agreement retains executive and legislative authority, witnessed and accepted
the Agreement on the establishment of a Kosovo-UNMIK Joint Administrative
Structure. Signatories were Hashim Thaci of the PPDK (Peoples Democratic Party
of Kosovo), Ibrahim Rugova of the LDK (Democratic League of Kosovo) and Rexhep
Qosja of the LDB (United Democratic Movement). The Kosovo signatories had
represented Kosovo Albanians at the Rambouillet talks in early 1999. A fourth
member of the Interim Administrative Council formed by the agreement will be a
Kosovo Serb, who has not yet been named.
"This
is a major breakthrough, a historic moment for Kosovo", Dr. Kouchner said
at a press briefing following the signing. Noting that the agreement had come
after months of negotiations, Dr. Kouchner stated that "This is not the end
of a process, but the beginning: It is the biggest step yet in our mission to
establish substantial autonomy, then, after elections, self-government for
Kosovo".
He
pointed out that the new structure would involve the people of Kosovo directly
in their own affairs, thus contributing to the mandate given to him by the
Security-Council and the Secretary-General to establish substantial autonomy
followed by self-government.
He
said UNMIK's work had been hampered by the activities of parallel structures in
Kosovo, which are to be transformed or integrated into the new Joint Interim
Administrative Structure by 31 January when the JIAC becomes operational.
Dr.
Kouchner and the Kosovo Albanian leaders agreed that the new shared
administration should help in the fight against crime and to speed up the
creation of new governing structures and police for Kosovo.
The governing principles of the agreement which were accepted by the signatory parties were :
Full respect for UN Security Council resolution 1244, meaning that
the Special Representative of the Secretary-General retains the legislative and
executive authority, while representatives of political forces in Kosovo will be
sharing provisional administrative management with UNMIK.
All administrative decisions of the JIAS must be in conformity with
the Applicable Law in Kosovo which consists now of a) the UNMIK regulations and
b) the law in place on 22 March 1989, as long as it is not contradictory to
international human rights treaties. For example, we have explicitly abolished
the death penalty.
All structures outside the JIAS will cease to exist, at the latest
when the JIAS shall be operational by 31 January.
All communities of Kosovo will be involved in the provisional
administrative management with a fair representation.
The Agreement sets up 14 joint Administrative Departments, each to be co-headed by a representative of UNMIK and Kosovo and to be staffed by UNMIK and Kosovo experts.
The Agreement also establishes an Interim Administrative Council, which met for the first time just after 12 noon today to discuss its rules of procedures. It will define the policies which the departments will follow and will recommend new regulations or amendments to current law. The IAC will consist of eight members -- the three Kosovo Albanian political leaders and as-yet-unnamed Kosovo Serb, plus four UNMIK members and one observer for each side.
The
UNMIK members will be the Principle Deputy Special Representative and the Deputy
SRSGs who head Civil Administration, Democratization and Institution-Building
and Economic Reconstruction. The Deputy SRSG heading Humanitarian Affairs will
have observer status, reflecting the downsizing of emergency humanitarian aid to
Kosovo expected to commence next year.
The
IAC, which will meet at least once a week, with the SRSG as presiding officer,
will arrive at decisions if possible by consensus or by a majority vote. In the
event of a deadlock, the SRSG will make the final decision. The Council will be
co-chaired by the PDSRSG and a Kosovo member who will rotate every two months.
The
Kosovo Transitional Council, which has been the highest level advisory body of
Kosovo representatives to UNMIK, will maintain its consultative role and will
expand to better reflect the pluralistic composition of Kosovo.
The
14 departments will be Finance and Economic Development; Reconstruction and
Donor Co-ordination; Business Administration and Commerce; Education and
Science; Culture; Civil Affairs; Justice; Transport, Post and Telecommunications;
Health and Social Welfare; Agriculture and Environmental Protection; Civil
Security and Emergency Relief; Democratization and Media Development; Local
Administration and Emigration Issues.
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Full text of the agreement :
UNMIK
UNITED
NATIONS INTERIM ADMINISTRATION
MISSION
IN KOSOVO
Agreement,
13 December 1999
We,
the undersigned, herewith agree to participate in the establishment by UNMIK of
a Kosovo-UNMIK Joint Interim Administrative Structure as outlined in the annex
to this agreement. We agree that the following principles shall govern the
establishment of the Joint Interim Administrative Structure :
Respecting UN Security Council resolution 1244, representatives of political forces of Kosovo share provisional administrative management with UNMIK. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) retains legislative and executive authority.
All administrative decisions must be in conformity with the Applicable Law in Kosovo.
The Joint Interim Administrative Structure shall be established.
Current Kosovo structures, be they executive, legislative or judicial (such as
the "Provisional Government of Kosovo", "Presidency of the
Republic of Kosovo"), shall be transformed and progressively integrated, to
the extent possible and in conformity with this agreement, into the Joint
Interim Administrative Structure. The establishment of the Joint Interim
Administrative Structure shall start immediately. It should be operational by 31
January, by which time these and all other Kosovo structures of an executive,
legislative or judicial nature shall cease to exist.
All communities of Kosovo shall be involved in the provisional
administrative management through the procedures laid out in the annex with a
fair representation of all Communities.
We
agree that citizens in Kosovo will work in the Joint Interim Administrative
Structure through participation in the Kosovo Transitional Council, the Interim
Administrative Council, Administrative Departments, as well as in the different
administrative structures at the municipal level.
We
are ready to participate personally as members of the Interim Administrative
Council following appointment by the SRSG. We are looking forward to the early
participation of a representative of the Kosovo Serb community in the Interim
Administrative Council, to be appointed by the SRSG.
We
are looking forward to an early Regulation to be issued by the SRSG to establish
the Interim Administrative Council and to authorize the establishment of
Administrative Departments.
The
agreement and its annex are prepared in Albanian and English. In case of
conflict, the English version shall prevail. The agreement and its annex will be
translated into Serbian.
For
the PPDK : Hashim Thaηi President
For
the LDK : Ibrahim Rugova President
For
the LDB: Rexhep Qosja President
Witnessed
and accepted by : Bernard Kouchner
Special
Representative of the Secretary-General