[KAN-Info] Return 800 Kosovar bodies in Serbia

[Naida Dukaj]

KOSOVA ACTION NETWORK (KAN)
INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER- RE: THOSE MISSING FROM 1999 WAR
NOVEMBER 5, 2004

 

ACTION - DEMAND THE RETURN OF THE 800 BODIES IN SERBIA
DEMONSTRATIONS TO BE HELD NOVEMBER 3-5, 2004

Five years after the NATO war in Kosova, over 3,000 persons remain missing, many of them in morgues having been exhumed from mass graves in  Batinca, Serbia discovered in 2001. Of those bodies, all of whom so far are identified as Albanian, only 337 have been returned.  Approximately 800 remain despite repeated demands from Families of the Missing to return them to Kosova by March 24, 2004.

Switzerland, the Netherlands, and various organizations have donated millions of euros to facilitate the return of the missing. Where has this money gone? Foreign offices in Prishtina and UNMIK officials raise the issue to the return of these bodies at nearly every meeting in Belgrade, but  with few results. The bodies remain in the custody of the same police force  which organized their abduction and killing in 1999.



In Kosova, the Association for Families of Missing and the Kosova Action Network (KAN) have been working tirelessly for the return of these family members, as have other family-based organizations throughout the Balkans.



What is needed is strong outside pressure at the highest levels on Belgrade to return the 800 immediately, DNA identified or not.



WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. BECOME INFORMED!

 UNMIK Police and Justice Spokesperson Dmitry Pryakhin " UNMIK Police fully agree with the aims of the Family Association for Kidnapped Persons and War Victims in Kosovo and support their efforts to resolve the Missing Persons issue. In order to improve the current situation, police have increased the number of personnel assigned to the appropriate specialized Unit.  Anyone who has questions about a current investigation or would like to report information that may assist Enquiries should visit their local police station who will arrange contact with the above-mentioned Unit.  All information will be treated in a confidential manner.  In relation to that, please, be informed that a Police authorized demonstration of the Family Association for Kidnapped Persons and War Victims in Kosovo will take place in Pristina on 3rd, 4th & 5th of  November.  The demonstrators are going to block the entrance to Mother Theresa from Ramiz Sadiku Street between 10:00 hrs and 18:00 on all three days.






Below are a compilation of articles relating to this issue (courtesy of Wolfgang Plarre)






Part of UNMIK Local Media Monitoring 2 November2004
http://www.unmikonline.org/press/2004/mon/nov/lmm021104.pdf 



Families of missing persons organize three-day blocking of roads in Prishtina



Zëri reports that the families of missing persons will block the main crossroads in Prishtina for eight hours and for three days in a row and voice their dissatisfaction with Œthe negligence of local and international entities toward missing persons¹. The families of missing persons will once again call on local and international authorities to shed light on the fate of missing people, and in their opinion this can be done by opening police and military files in Serbia and with the immediate return of exhumed corpses from mass graves in Serbia.



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http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/480fa8736b88bbc3c12564f6004c8ad5/92a64a1547330ba185256f4000761516?OpenDocument 

Source: Agence France-Presse
Date: 2 Nov 2004



Netherlands donates one million euros for missing in Balkans



SARAJEVO, Nov 2 (AFP) - The Dutch government has donated one million euros (1.25 million dollars) to an international commission trying to track down persons missing after wars in the Balkans during the 1990s, the body announced Tuesday.

     The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) said the latest donation made the Netherlands the second biggest contributor to the panel, with aid totalling two million euros.

     Last month families of those still missing from the Balkan wars in the 1990s urged a more efficient search for their beloved ones.

     The ICMP said recently that out of 30,000 people listed as missing from the wars in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo, almost 6,000 had been identified by DNA analysis and 10,000 had been DNA-profiled.

     The ICMP is a Bosnia-based inter-governmental organisation founded in 1996 and is being financed by donations coming from Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, the European Union, the United States and other countries.



ise/zbl/da
Copyright (c) 2004 Agence France-Presse



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http://www.unmikonline.org/press/2004/trans/tr031104.pdf
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo UNOFFICIAL
TRANSCRIPT



Press Briefing Notes, 3 November 2004



UNMIK Spokesperson Mechthild Henneke
UNMIK Police and Justice Spokesperson Dmitry Pryakhin
KFOR Spokesperson Col. Yves Kermorvant
OSCE Spokesperson Sven Lindholm
EU Spokesperson Kris Litiere
UNMIK Spokesperson Mechthild Henneke



The SRSG is currently in Decan, where he is meeting Father Sava to continue discussions, which have started earlier.



In the afternoon, he is going to Belgrade. We issued a press release yesterday about his schedule.



He is scheduled to meet with President of Serbia and Montenegro Mr. Svetozar Marovic, President of Serbia Dr. Boris Tadic, the Prime Minister of  Serbia Dr. Vojislav Kostunica, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and  Montenegro Mr. Vuk Draskovic and Minister of Defence of Serbia and Montenegro Mr. Prvoslav Davinic.



During the visit, the SRSG plans to discuss a number of subjects, including the UNMIK strategy on Returns and IDPs, UNMIK/PISG plans on the next steps on decentralisation and latest developments on Missing Persons.



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