ZAGREB, February 21, 2018 – The issue of missing persons from the 1991-1995 war is of paramount importance to Croatia and the number one issue in its relations with Serbia, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić said on Wednesday, recalling that Croatia was still looking for 1,945 persons unaccounted for from the war.
“It’s been over 20 years since the war and we think that victims’ families have the right to know what happened, where their remains are, so that we can close this chapter,” Pejčinović Burić said in an interview with Croatian Radio.
She said it was positive that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had acknowledged this issue and received a delegation of families of missing Croatian soldiers in Belgrade on Tuesday, promising that his office would monitor the search for the missing persons on a weekly basis. “We believe that, if there is good will, this issue can be resolved quickly,” the Croatian foreign minister said, adding that Serbia should open its archives and allow access to information.
She also mentioned other unresolved issues with Serbia, such as border demarcation, succession from the former Yugoslavia, the return of cultural treasures, and the Serbian law on universal jurisdiction over war crimes prosecution. “Our priority is missing persons,” she said, adding that the two countries should tackle their unresolved issues, which are the legacy of the war and the post-war period, “frankly, sincerely and without hidden agendas”.
