“Getting the fate of the missing is being held hostage by politics”

August 30th “opens” wounds in each home someone is missing. The International Day of Undead Persons brings them once again to memory that they still know nothing about the fate of their most missing loved ones.

Enraged by politicians, and hopeless, however, family members say that they will never stop until the fate of their loved ones dawns.

Even this year they're asking “what about the undiscovered”? And this question has been directed to all those involved in whitewashing the fate of missing persons during a conference held within activities marking August 30th in Pristina.

The institutional leaders in Kosovo have repeatedly promised family members who will take the issue of missing, even in Kosovo-Serbia talks.

But authorities in Kosovo failed to close one of the most sensitive issues in the country -- that of the missing in the war.

They never learned the whereabouts of over 1600 persons missing from Slobodan Milosevic's regime in the recent war in Kosovo, and the issue was not addressed at the Brussels table in Kosovo-Serbia talks. Except technically.

In 2011, Kosovo's delegation to the talks in Brussels had initiated the issue of the undiscovered, where the EU had requested lists of persons and their whereabouts. But Serbia never co-operated in resolving this issue.

Official Belgrade has not co-operated on this issue by not providing locations.

Long - term animony, experienced by family members, was not coming to an end.

The few results in whitewashing the blind have caused family members to resent those who are at the helm of institutions and political parties.

Now on the eve of extraordinary elections in the Republic of Kosovo, Bajram Cerkini from the “Parents' voice, representing families of the missing, called on all associations not to meet with politicians for election campaigns.

Cherkini, who represents Albanian families at the Missing Persons Source Centre, says they are not receiving concrete answers to any of the questions they are asking.

According to him, all files on the issue are in the hands of politicians and the same should answer.

He continues to think that the dawning of the missing persons' fate, among them his missing son, is holding politicians hostage.

And for Legal Medicine Director Education Gerjaliu, who is now 20 years old in the process of whitewashing the fate of missing persons, the issue has remained at the mercy of an international pressure that is not happening.

This year marks August 30th under the motto “20 years of waiting, pain and pride”.

Currently, Kosovo is on the verge of extraordinary elections and functions with resigned governments.

Jahja Luka, adviser to incumbent Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, says

Two years ago, the multiethnic Source Centre for Missing Persons opened in Pristina in order to unite representatives and families of missing persons from all communities in Kosovo.

It is led by Bajram Cerkini, representing Albanian families, and Milorad Trifunovac, co-ordinator of the Association of Serbian Families Kidnapped and Missing, by Serbian families.

It says that they have joined for the sole purpose so that they can understand their family's whereabouts still undiscovered.

Milorad Trifunovic says 30 August is the day he feels like the saddest people.

According to him, family members will never find comfort if they do not know the grave of their loved ones.

He said locations can be found very easily, unless he says those who committed crimes have also killed witnesses, something that made it more difficult to whiteen the process.

Speaking of dealing with politicians' approach to the issue of found persons, he says it is very necessary for the issue to be written in Kosovo-Serbia talks, but that, according to him, procrastinating this process could suit someone from politicians.

The Bureau for Missing Persons in Kosovo requires 1653 people whose fate is still unknown.

Tomorrow on the International Day of Undiscovered Persons, it will be marched into Pristina's main squares, and family members and institutional leaders will place flowers in the obelisk near the Kosovo Assembly.