The governmental commission for missing persons assesses that the lack of cooperation from Serbia continues to be the main obstacle in clarifying the fate and location of persons forcibly disappeared during the war in Kosovo.

In a statement for IndeksOnline, the leader of the unit of the governmental commission for missing persons, Kushtrim Gara, said that Kosovo institutions continue cooperation with the mechanisms responsible to advance the process of identifying possible locations of mass graves.

“The commission continues cooperation and regular communication with the mechanisms responsible for the issue of missing persons, with the aim of exchanging information and advancing efforts to identify the possible locations of mass graves in the territory of Serbia”, declared Gara.

He emphasized that any reliable information can be decisive for clarifying the fate of missing persons and for respecting the right of family members to know the truth.

“Any reliable information can be of special importance for the process of elucidating the fate of missing persons, in the ongoing effort of the commission and the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo to respect an elementary right of families, such as the right to know the fate and location of their loved ones, abducted and forcibly disappeared during the war”, he said.

Gara accused Serbia of continuing to hinder the process of elucidating the fate of the disappeared, by not providing access to the relevant documentation and not allowing excavations sufficient in its territory.

“Serbia, even 27 years after the war, continues with the extreme politicization of this process as well. The lack of access to the relevant documentation and the insufficient cooperation of Serbia in allowing excavations in their territory, continues to be the biggest challenge and obstacle in the process of clarifying the fate and location of the missing persons. For this reason, the opening of the archives of the former Yugoslav army and other institutions remains essential Serbian, in accordance with the commitments made in the joint statement on missing persons”, concluded Gara.

Source: prizrenpost