It was said that it is urgent, but the issue of clarifying the fate of the missing persons, forcibly abducted by the Serbian police and army, is not being treated as such.

Within 40 days of the adoption in Brussels of the Declaration on the Disappeared, a joint commission would have to be formed.

Such a thing has not happened even after three months, says the chairman of the Government Commission for Missing Persons in Kosova, Andi Hoti.

According to him, Serbia is delaying this process and the European Union should condition it.

“We had a 40-day deadline, nothing like that happened because I don’t have anything official, but I assume it happened because of the north of Kosova, the problems in the north of Kosova. The EU directed the focus elsewhere, they asked us some comments about that joint commission and we sent them immediately. Last month we were in Brussels for the joint commission, it still hasn’t happened. Without the establishment of the joint commission we can’t continue the work. Last month I was there prercisely for the purpose of completing the terms of reference and start the work of the joint commission. The joint commission is chaired by the EU, not by us, but we still do not have any official response from the European Union,” says Hoti.

Hoti says that talks with Serbia should depend on the issue of missing persons, especially now that there is a statement approved by both sides.

There are still more than 1,600 missing persons forcibly abducted by the Serbian police and army during the last war in Kosova in 1999.

/a.p./