UNMIK/PR/761
Pristina – For the second time in a week, SRSG Michael Steiner met with representatives of the families of Kosovo’s missing. Last Friday he met with Albanian representatives of families of the missing; today he met jointly with Albanian and Serb representatives of the families.
“It is significant that we are sitting here at one table because in the end we can only solve this issue together,” said SRSG Michael Steiner. “And as I said last week, the missing is one of my top priorities in Kosovo.”
Since the SRSG’s arrival in Kosovo in February, he has completed a comprehensive restructuring of UNMIK’s operations to find and identify the missing. Former ICTY expert Mr. Jose Pablo Baraybar has been appointed head of the Office of Missing Persons, a new morgue facility staffed by an international team of forensic experts is up and running in Orahovac and technical agreements with the International Commission for Missing Persons (ICMP) for DNA testing have been strengthened.
“We have already seen more identification results by UNMIK police and the ICMP this year than in the whole of last year,” continued SRSG Michael Steiner. “We have restructured operations. A new head of operations is sitting here next to me. We have designated officials from police, justice and forensics to work exclusively on the missing – in all about 40 persons.”
Before introducing Mr. Baraybar and turning the floor over to the family representatives to speak, SRSG Michael Steiner asked for their assistance. “Now I would like to insist that your experts work with us on this common endeavor. I would like to propose that we have monthly meetings between the family associations and our representatives because we need your help on the institutional and governmental side. But it is important here to have an open discussion and to share our views. I know this is not easy for you, but if we can commit ourselves to deal with this issue not in a political way but in a substantive way then the respective other side can not say it’s just politics. And then we will be more efficient on the subject.”
Several representatives of the Albanian and Serbian family organizations then shared their views. After thanking SRSG Michael Steiner for organizing the meeting and underlining their commitment to continue working together, each side asked the other to help shed light on the missing still believed to be alive and held in captivity. Despite the obvious difficulty in meeting together, both sides agreed to cooperate to help each other.
“This discussion so far proves that the requests and demands are similar and that you can help each other,” interjected SRSG Michael Steiner. “And by helping each other you can help us.”
Newly appointed head of the Office of Missing Persons, Jose Pablo Baraybar, who apart from working with the ICTY also has experience working in Rwanda, the Congo and Haiti, also addressed the family association members.
“We want to build a direct channel of information between our office and the family associations,” he said. “There is still information you have that we don’t, and we need it. We also want to be clear in one thing. No politics of any kind can play a role in any part of this. The suffering of a person missing a loved one is the same no matter where in the world they are.”
“We also want local specialists to work in the new office of the medical examiner,” continued Baraybar. “I am glad that we could meet together before I begin my job,” he concluded. “The changes will come fast – that’s what I hope. But remember, you are also partners and without your help we won’t get anywhere.”
Mr. Baryabar agreed to meet separately next week with both the Serbian and Albanian family associations.
