Kosovo, Serbia reach deal on search for war missing
BRUSSELS
Thousands of Kosovars donned their festive attire for the annual Christmas theme charity run of Santas flooding the streets of Kosovo's capital on Sunday, Dec 15, 2024.
The chief negotiators of Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement on Dec. 17 in Brussels to implement a declaration aimed at resolving the fate of more than 1,600 still missing people following the 1990s conflict.
Of the 6,065 cases of people who have gone missing following the 1998-99 war, 1,607 remain unresolved, according to the European Union's diplomatic service.
The agreement comes at a time of heightened tensions, and is regarded as a step forward after more than a year marked by incidents, including armed clashes, thwarting normalization between the two countries.
Belgrade representative Petar Petkovic and Pristina's Besnik Bislimi agreed in Brussels on a joint working group to oversee the implementation of the declaration adopted in May 2023 by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
The declaration specifies that the parties will closely cooperate in identifying burial sites and ensure full access to reliable and accurate information that aids in locating and identifying the remaining missing persons.
Petkovic said the two sides have agreed on "a joint commission, which will provide support to the working group chaired, as before, by the International Committee of the Red Cross," while Bislimi described the agreement as "positive news."
"We hope this will also reflect positive intent in the work of the Joint Commission. Because if it does not produce results on the ground, it is useless," Bislimi said.
The EU diplomatic service said it "welcomes that Kosovo and Serbia have reaffirmed that the issue of missing persons is a humanitarian concern."
