Petkovic with Stijacic and Gautier: Pristina obstructing the process of searching for missing persons

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, met today with the head of the regional delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Belgrade, Jelena Stijacic, and the coordinator for protection and chairperson of the Working Group for Missing Persons, Aurelie Gautier. The President of the Commission on Missing Persons of the Government of Serbia, Veljko Odalovic, also attended the meeting.

According to the statement from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petkovic informed the interlocutors that Belgrade and Pristina adopted the Declaration on Missing Persons in Brussels on May 2nd, which is primarily a civilizational issue of exceptional importance that Belgrade has insisted on for more than two years.

"Unfortunately, Pristina has been obstructing this process for years and avoiding allowing the search of nine locations, for which Belgrade has well-founded knowledge that they hide the mortal remains of Serbs who died during the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija. On the other hand, Belgrade has enabled the search of 23 locations that Pristina has designated as relevant," Petkovic said.

Petkovic pointed out to the interlocutors the necessity of increased activity by the International Committee of the Red Cross to start the operationalization of this Declaration as soon as possible and to make the first steps towards its implementation.

He emphasized that it is necessary for the International Committee of the Red Cross, which also chairs the Working Group for Missing Persons, to make efforts to unblock this process and to exert the necessary influence on Pristina to accept the obligations and fulfill them.

"It is important that the search for the missing persons is returned to function as soon as possible for the families of the missing and for the building of peace and peaceful coexistence in Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic added.

Petkovic expressed his expectation that Pristina will stop obstructing, at least in this area, and that the process of searching for the missing during the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija will finally be unblocked.