§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the progress made in establishing the criminal justice system in Kosovo. [126603]
§ Mr. Vaz[holding answer 19 June 2000]Establishment of an impartial and effective judicial and penal system is a priority for the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). 400 judges, prosecutors and lay judges have been appointed and the capacity of the court system has been increased. However, as the UN Secretary-General's latest report noted, ethnic bias and the risk of intimidation continue to hamper the administration of justice. In order to strengthen the effectiveness and integrity of the justice system, the UN is recruiting international judges and prosecutors to work with their local counterparts, in particular to try war and ethnically related crimes. The UK has provided UNMIK with over 40 candidates for international prosecutors and UNMIK staff interviewed candidates in London last week. We also hope soon to be able to provide candidates for international judges and judicial support staff.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the progress made in establishing provisional institutions for democratic self-Government in Kosovo. [126604]
§ Mr. Vaz[holding answer 19 June 2000]UNSCR 1244, which established the international presences in Kosovo, gave the international civil presence responsibility for development of provisional institutions for democratic and 229W autonomous self-government. The UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is preparing a draft Regulation on establishment of municipal authorities in Kosovo, for discussion in the Joint Interim Administrative Structures (JIAS). UNMIK intends to hold elections for these authorities later this year.
The Contact Group is currently developing guidance for UNMIK on the possible structure and content of Kosovo-wide institutions for provisional self-government, taking into account the Rambouillet Accords. UNMIK's proposals for such institutions would also be for discussion in the JIAS. This is unlikely to start in earnest until after the municipal elections.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the US Government regarding the form that the provisional self-Government in Kosovo will take and its relationship to UNMIK and KFOR. [126605]
§ Mr. Vaz[holding answer 19 June 2000]The US Government is working closely with the UK and our partners in the Contact Group in developing guidance for the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) on the possible form and content of provisional institutions for self-government in Kosovo. As required by UNSCR 1244, the development of these institutions will take account of the Rambouillet Accords, of which US officials were the principal architects. Under any proposals for provisional institutions UNMIK and KFOR would retain their overall responsibilities as set out in UNSCR 1244.