Europe

Kosovo Assembly fails to elect President

13 December 2001
The newly seated Kosovo Assembly failed to elect a President for the province when the sole candidate being voted on did not receive the required approval of two-thirds of the 120-member council, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) reported today.

Cyprus: Security Council members welcome agreement by leaders to start direct talks

12 December 2001
The members of the United Nations Security Council today welcomed the agreement by Glafcos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader, and Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, to begin direct talks in Cyprus next year.

Annan urges donors meeting in Norway to support East Timor over long haul

11 December 2001
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged donors meeting in Norway to continue supporting sustainable development in East Timor beyond its independence, which is scheduled for next May.

Milosevic refuses to enter plea with UN tribunal for Bosnia and Herzegovina charges

11 December 2001
Slobodan Milosevic, appearing today before the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, refused to enter a plea at a hearing on charges of genocide against Bosnian Muslims and Croats.

Kosovo Assembly inauguration a 'milestone' on road to democracy, Annan says

10 December 2001
As the Assembly of Kosovo opened today marking the start of the transfer of power from the United Nations to the provisional institutions of self-government, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the event as a "milestone on the road to democracy."

Eastern Europe: UN labour agency warns of crisis in health care

10 December 2001
The grim economic situation in Eastern Europe is taking a heavy toll on State-run health services, creating a severe "crisis in care" for an impoverished population left increasingly vulnerable to disease, the United Nations labour agency said today.

UN tribunal grants early release for Bosnian Serb convicted of war crimes

6 December 2001
The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today granted the early release of a Bosnian Serb convicted for crimes against humanity committed at a detention camp in 1992.

Letter that sickened 5 at UN mission in Kosovo did not contain anthrax – UN spokesman

6 December 2001
A suspicious letter mailed to the United Nations mission in Kosovo has sickened at least five people but local security officials and doctors believe the toxic white powder it contained was not anthrax and its effects were not life-threatening, a UN spokesman said today.

Annan, UN Assembly President to head for Oslo to accept Nobel Peace Prize

5 December 2001
The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, and Han Seung-soo of Korea – the President of the UN’s main legislative and deliberative body, the General Assembly – will head for Oslo, later this week to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, a UN spokesman announced today.

Security Council briefed on work of UN mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina

5 December 2001
Regional actors should assume responsibility for a follow-up mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, a top United Nations peacekeeping official told the Security Council today as it held an open meeting to review the situation in the country.