7 February 2001

KFOR AND SFOR CO-OPERATION WITH LOCAL AND OTHER AGENCIES (Question raised by the Bosnian-Herzegovina representative meeting 30 JAN) KFOR: KFOR MEDICAL COORDINATION CENTRE regularly meets with a number of organizations to exchange information about civilian health concerns: UNMIK, Joint Interim Administrative Structure, Department of Healthand Social Welfare World Health Organization, Kosovo Institute of Public Health, Pristina University Hospital International Committee of the Red Cross, Mission in Kosovo OSCE, Chief Medical Officer UNMIK Health Clinic, Chief Medical Officer In order to acquire detailed information on examinations and surveys conducted by these organizations, you have to contact the afore mentioned medical institutions and authorities directly, as it is not for NATO to release those documents. We strongly recommend that such rapport should be made available to this committee. The following documents provide background information on the subject of records on civilian health state after the Air Campaign, connected to the alleged link between DU and health hazards: No rise in leukaemia in Kosovo, World Health Organization, Kosovo, Memo dated 8 January 2001. Result: "Preliminary investigations into the incidence of leukemia in Kosovo show no rise in cases over the past four years." UNMIK Takes Measures to Tackle Depleted Uranium Issue, UNMIK Memo dated 12 Jan 2001 (hard copy only). Result: "The Kosovo WHO office has seconded a staff member to UNMIK to coordinate the establishment of a voluntary testing program for Kosovars at Pristina Hospital and to liase with all national and international bodies with a direct interest in the depleted uranium issue." Depleted Uranium, Joint Interim Administrative Structure, Department of Health and Social Welfare, Memo dated 05 January 2001. Result: "The preliminary results from the Pristina University Hospital indicate that there have actually been fewer cases (of leukemia) after the bombardment than during a corresponding period before it." Depleted Uranium, International Committee of the Red Cross, Kosovo, Memo 10 January 2001, Subject: Assessment of ICRC employees to potential exposure to DU. "The results (of urine screening) have not provided ICRC with any reason to fear that employees living and working in western Kosovo are exposed to higher than normal levels of uranium" CONCLUSION: The KFOR Medical Advisor/Theatre Surgeon and J4 MEDCC members continue to work very closely with all parties concerned with civilian health affairs (UNMIK, OSCE, WHO, UNEP, JIAS-DHSW). To date, there are no indicators that DU has had any health effect on KFOR, UNMIK, the civilian population or anyone else! In Bosnia I Herzegovina, the medical care system has always remained in tact. Consequently, they deal with the medical support to the local population. SFOR has recently started co-operation with the local community and with the medical side with a focus on the DU topic. On 24th Jan there has been a press conference, where the Clinical Center University of Sarajevo released their data of an investigation concerning leukemia and solid cancer rates before and after the war. They described no increase of leukemia but an increase of solid cancers. The Authorities of Bosnia-Herzegovina should provide those data as soon as they are available. SFOR have had already 2 meetings with the health minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main goal of those meetings was to provide information concerning DU and will be establishing a working group to exchange information on continuous basis. SFOR had a meeting with the Health minister of Rep. Serpska on Monday 05 FEB (yesterday). No information available yet.