Newsroom
OSCE Head of Mission supports relatives of detainees and missing persons in Kosovo
PRISTINA 14 September 2000
PRISTINA, 14 September 2000 - The OSCE Head of Mission, Ambassador Daan Everts, has received a delegation representing relatives of Kosovars detained by the authorities in Serbia and other missing persons in front of the OSCE headquarters in Pristina.
The delegation was part of a group of protesters who staged a march through the centre of Pristina this afternoon to press for the release of the detainees still being held in Serbian jails and information about others whose whereabouts are still unknown.
Clearly emotional, the relatives told the Ambassador in person about some of the cases in question. The Ambassador said he understood the agony of the families and fully agreed that little progress had been made at diplomatic level during the past year. Telling the families that he backed their cause, he reassured them that the OSCE was doing everything in its capacity, through its diplomatic contacts, to maintain awareness at the highest level of the plight of all concerned, including urging governments to continue to call for the speedy release of the detainees.
Referring to what he called the "unjust regime" in Belgrade, Ambassador Everts reminded those who had gathered outside the OSCE building that his own powers and influence are limited. But, he said, it was the duty of all those with influence to exercise pressure on the authorities in Belgrade to meet the marchers' demands.
Ambassador Everts said those detained in Serbia were being held in contravention of international law.
For further information, contact Press and Public Information of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, tel.: +381 38 500 162 ext. 118, 218, 260, 342. Satphone: 871 762 009 948. Fax: +381 38 500 188. Satfax: 871 382 425 022.
The delegation was part of a group of protesters who staged a march through the centre of Pristina this afternoon to press for the release of the detainees still being held in Serbian jails and information about others whose whereabouts are still unknown.
Clearly emotional, the relatives told the Ambassador in person about some of the cases in question. The Ambassador said he understood the agony of the families and fully agreed that little progress had been made at diplomatic level during the past year. Telling the families that he backed their cause, he reassured them that the OSCE was doing everything in its capacity, through its diplomatic contacts, to maintain awareness at the highest level of the plight of all concerned, including urging governments to continue to call for the speedy release of the detainees.
Referring to what he called the "unjust regime" in Belgrade, Ambassador Everts reminded those who had gathered outside the OSCE building that his own powers and influence are limited. But, he said, it was the duty of all those with influence to exercise pressure on the authorities in Belgrade to meet the marchers' demands.
Ambassador Everts said those detained in Serbia were being held in contravention of international law.
For further information, contact Press and Public Information of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, tel.: +381 38 500 162 ext. 118, 218, 260, 342. Satphone: 871 762 009 948. Fax: +381 38 500 188. Satfax: 871 382 425 022.