On official website of the European Union the declaration adopted last night in Brussels by the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and the Prime Minister of Kosovo Aljbin Kurti was published.
The declaration was adopted at a meeting of Vučić, Kurti, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, the EU's special representative for dialogue, Miroslav Lajčak, and the chief negotiators of Belgrade and Pristina, Petar Petković and Besnik Bisljimi, as part of the Brussels dialogue.
Declaration text
The text of the Declaration of President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti on missing persons is transmitted in its entirety:
Emphasizing the importance of resolving the fate of the remaining missing persons in order to end the suffering of their loved ones and encourage lasting reconciliation and peace,
bearing in mind that this Declaration follows the understanding of the International Committee of the Red Cross on missing persons, which includes persons who have been forcibly disappeared,
reminding that all categories of missing persons will be treated with equal priority,
recognizing the important work of the Working Group on Missing Persons, chaired by the International Committee of the Red Cross,
encouraging cooperation with other relevant actors in the field of missing persons, in particular with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP),
recognizing the issue of missing persons as a humanitarian one,
Noting the urgent need for additional efforts to alleviate the human suffering of families,
we commit together
- to ensure the full implementation of the respective obligations in the field of missing persons,
- to cooperate closely on the identification of burial sites and follow-up of excavations,
- to ensure full access to reliable and accurate information to help locate and identify the remaining missing persons between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2000. This includes all materials, notes, orders, documents, videos, audio recordings and all other documents, including those marked confidential, in the possession of the institutions of both parties, relevant to this context,
- to make available all domestic and international documentation of importance for determining the fate of the remaining missing persons,
- to use satellite data, LIDAR and other advanced technology to detect mass graves,
- to enable and encourage the active involvement of families of missing persons in the process of determining their fates,
- to adequately ensure the rights and respond to the needs of families of missing persons,
- to establish and work together through a Joint Commission chaired by the European Union and overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross, with the aim of supporting efforts to resolve the fate of the remaining missing persons,
- to monitor and support the work and progress of the Task Force on Missing Persons through the Joint Commission. In this context, the parties will review and update the Terms of Reference and the General Framework of the Working Group.
Operational details will be agreed at the next meeting within the dialogue on the normalization of relations with the mediation of the EU.
ZS/An official website of the European Union
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