UNMIK/PR/200
PRISTINA – Bernard Kouchner, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, today visited Djakova where he met with local members of the Municipal Council and the Missing Persons Association.
“I know the story of the war, and I know your suffering. I know all the damage and killing of the persons that happened very soon at the beginning of the war,” Dr. Kouchner told members of the Municipal Council at their meeting. “This is one of the cities that suffered the most damage.”
The SRSG then met with members of the Missing Persons Association who beseeched him to help them find their family members. Approximately 1,000 to 1,500 people from Djakova are still missing since the war began a year ago.
The SRSG said he was disappointed that so many human rights reporters had not made the cause of missing persons a priority. However, Dr. Kouchner told the families that during his recent visit to New York he had asked the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to appoint a human rights special representative to investigate what has happened to those still unaccounted for. He also told them he would help arrange audiences for them with European leaders to exert pressure to find their missing family members.
“I gave a list of the missing people of Djakova to the Security Council,” Dr. Kouchner reassured the families. “I take this issue very personally. Your relatives are my relatives. I understand the suffering and anxiety of the family members. Even if we get bad news, we need to know. I’ll do my utmost to help find them.”
Dr. Kouchner urged the families to lead the fight in building tolerance for all the people of Kosovo, because without tolerance there can be no freedom.
After the meetings, the SRSG took a walking tour through the old town that is being rebuilt after its almost complete destruction during the war. He commended the people of Djakova for their dynamism.
“This is one of the most dynamic parts of Kosovo. Djakova is a fantastic success. I see the activity of the people in the street, in the shops, everywhere. All together, we will rebuild the old part of town,” Dr. Kouchner said. “The budget of Kosovo is your budget. Part of the budget is coming from the generosity of nations around the world. The other is coming from customs, taxes, from you. It will be done, but slowly, because we have to restart the rebuilding of the industry of Kosovo.”