Kosovo: UN and Yugoslavia sign key accords on identifying missing persons
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia today signed three key protocols aimed at improving procedures for identification of missing persons.
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia today signed three key protocols aimed at improving procedures for identification of missing persons.
One of the documents signed at a ceremony in Pristina – a protocol on Cross-Boundary Repatriation of Identified Remains – sets out a means to return bodies that have been identified to their families with minimal administrative fuss.
Another accord, the Protocol on the Exchange of Forensic Experts and Expertise, encourages exchanges of forensic information between Kosovo and the rest of Yugoslavia to help identify human remains.
The third protocol on Joint Verification Teams on Hidden Prisons establishes joint investigations into allegations about such prisons, and ensures the results of such probes are reported to dispel rumours and allay fears.
Jean-Christian Cady, deputy head of UNMIK responsible for police and justice issues, signed on behalf of the UN, while Major-General Svetislav Djurdjevic, of the Coordination Centre for Kosovo and Metohija, acted for the Governments of Serbia and Yugoslavia.