Remains of 43 Kosovo Albanians handed over

Merdare, July 23, 2003 - Representatives of the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija handed over mortal remains of 43 Kosovo Albanians, exhumed from a mass grave in Batajnica, to UNMIK representatives at the administrative crossing of Merdare.

Head of the Coordinating Centre's Bureau for Kidnapped and Missing Persons Gvozden Gagic said that the remains were identified at the Belgrade Institute of Forensic Medicine.

Gagic said the total of 836 bodies have been exhumed so far from the mass graves in Batajnica and Petrovo Selo, and near the lake Perucac. After the identification, these bodies will be successively handed over to UNMIK and families of the victims.

UNMIK has taken over so far the total of 113 bodies exhumed from the three mass graves in Serbia, and today's handover in Merdare was also attended by members of the Association of families of missing Kosovo Albanians.