Prishtina, May 22, 2013
The Government Commission on Missing Persons hosted the meeting between families of missing persons and the Chief of the Office of the European Union / EU Special Representative, Mr. Samuel Žbogar, held yesterday, May 21, 2013. The meeting was attended by representatives of EULEX, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Commission for Missing Persons and representatives of the United States Embassy and the Embassy of Switzerland.
At this informational and consultative meeting, representatives of the families presented their concerns about the pace of discovery of the fates of missing persons during the war in Kosovo. Due to current circumstances, difficulties and challenges encountered in this complex process, the representatives of families of lost persons supported the advance of the existing dialogue, but recommended the inclusion, with EU mediation, of the issue of lost persons in the framework of dialogue, and the establishment of implementing mechanisms and binding timetables for resolving the issue of missing persons.
EU’s Special Representative / Chief of the Office of the European Union, Mr. Samuel Žbogar stressed that “we would like to see serious efforts from Prishtina and Belgrade regarding this issue and the provision of new information in order to support the dialogue mechanisms led by the International Committee of the Red Cross.”
The Chairman of the Government Commission on Missing Persons, Mr. Prenkë Gjetaj, said that “the Government of Kosovo, through its institutional mechanisms continues to make every effort for the illumination of the fates of the 1753 people who are still registered as missing during the war in Kosovo, and to provide better legal and institutional treatment to their families.” Chairman Gjetaj also stated that during the dialogue in Brussels, mediated by the EU, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo has repeatedly raised the issue of the fate of missing persons.
The Government of the Republic of Kosovo, in cooperation with all local and international partners, remains committed to its engagement to resolving as soon as possible the issue of missing persons. The Government Commission on Missing Persons, in respect of the claims of the families of missing persons and legislation, supports the professional work of local experts and EULEX, in the framework of the Department of Forensic Medicine, in identifying and resolving the fate of all missing persons.
Last modified: July 31, 2022