Remains of 40 Kosovo Albanians handed over

Merdare, Oct 16, 2003 - Representatives of the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija on Thursday handed over mortal remains of 40 Kosovo Albanians, exhumed from a mass grave in Batajnica, to UNMIK representatives at the administrative crossing of Merdare.

Remains of the Kosovo Albanians will be delivered to their families following the identification that will be carried out by UNMIK experts, read a statement issued by the Centre.

Three mass graves have been discovered in Serbia so far, and 900 bodies of killed ethnic Albanians were exhumed. Their bodies were transferred from Kosovo to the central Serbia in 1999 and were buried there.

From the mass graves in Batajnica, Perucac and Petrovo Selo, 133 bodies have been identified so far and were handed over to their families in Kosovo.