Civilian administration
Interim Administrative Council names
heads for three more departments: The Interim Administrative Council today
appointed Ms. Vjosa Dobruna, a political independent and human rights activist,
co-head for the Department of Democratic Governance; Mrs. Edi Shukriu,
co-head of the women's wing of the Kosovo Democratic League, co-head for
the Department of Culture; and Mr. Driton Lajci, the acting president of
the Pristina University Students Union, co-head for the Department of Youth.
The Council split the Department of Youth and Sport into two new entities so that there are now 20 administrative departments in the Joint Interim Administrative Structure. It asked the United Democratic Movement (LBD) to propose a candidate to co-head the Department of Sport. UNMIK has appointed Mr. Jean-Selim Kaanan, a reconstruction official, to co-head the department.
The Council reviewed draft regulations on setting up Public Services and Justice, the next two departments to be officially established. It also discussed regulations on elections preparations and gave its approval to a pending regulation on civil registration. Other issues discussed by the Council included the recent increase of violence against minorities and the implementation of the joint strategy for Mitrovica agreed by the Council at its previous meeting.
Humanitarian affairs
UN staffer in Kosovo wounded in border incident: A United Nations staff member was today shot in an ambush on the Serb side of the border with Kosovo, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said today in New York. Briefing the press, Mr. Eckhard said that according to preliminary information, Mr. Marcel Grogan of Ireland, a staff member of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, was wounded while on a humanitarian assessment mission. He was shot while travelling in a UN marked vehicle near the town of Bujanovac, on the Serb side of the border with Kosovo. Mr. Eckhard said several men stopped the vehicle and one of them opened fire, wounding Mr. Grogan in the leg.