Kosovo UN chief meets Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister for wide-ranging talks

The head of the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) today met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Yugoslavia for wide-ranging talks on the current situation in the province.

UNMIK chief Hans Haekkerup, along with the commander of the international force in Kosovo (KFOR), Lt. Gen. Thorsten Skiaker, emphasized to Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic the importance of implementing the key Security Council resolution throughout Kosovo, especially the need for ensuring that no parallel security and administrative structures were present in the province.

Mr. Haekkerup and Gen. Skiaker also welcomed Belgrade's positive attitude regarding voter registration for the upcoming Kosovo-wide elections and encouraged full participation by the Serb community in those elections.

In other news, UNMIK has confirmed - following an investigation - that there was no evidence of a refrigerated truck containing bodies at the bottom of a lake, as reported in the Serbian media.

The UN police Missing Persons Unit and a fully-equipped KFOR diving team participated in the investigation, and said that nothing was found at the bottom of Radonijicko Lake, near Djakovica.

UN police have also failed to uncover - after more than a year of searches - any evidence to support reports of places in Kosovo where Serbs are being illegally held, UNMIK said.