Unacceptable developments in Pristina

PRISTINA, 7 January 1999 - The Kosovo Verification Mission expresses its strong concern about the unacceptable developments today around Pristina where demonstrations by civilians, many of them armed and masked, established roadblocks and prevented the population as well as international verifiers from moving freely. Some of them were held for several hours.

The KVM stresses that it is the obligation of FRY authorities to guarantee the security and freedom of movement in all Kosovo, especially for international personnel, under the agreement between the OSCE and FRY, and calls upon them to show a more active and efficient behaviour in the case of such events.

The KVM strongly condemns all such acts of public disorder, which prevent its personnel from performing their tasks and holds the FRY authorities responsible for all risks international personnel could face and all threats directed towards them.