UNMIK on Air

Second meeting on Returns

By Andrea Saula

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The dialogue on return between Pristina and Belgrade is continuing, with little progress on the actual returns of people.

It is estimated that only 12000 non-Albanians returned to Kosovo since 1999. However tens of thousands of Serbs and other minorities fled Kosovo after the end conflict.

The United Nations has conditioned the start of talks on the future status, with progress on the return of those who fled, plus progress in other important standards of democratic functioning.

Actuality No.1 (SRSG to Bujanovac April) Can I return or should I sell my property? I’ve invested in my property and I want my money back. I don’t want to live in 8 square meters with 4 family members for six years.

Many internally displaced persons share the dilemma of Gordana Jovanovic from Gnjilane, living currently in the collective camp in southern Serbian town of Bujanovac.

Contacts between Kosovo's Albanian and Belgrade representatives have been rare since the end of the conflict and until recently the topic of return hasn’t been tackled in a proper way by these two sides.

Finally, the dialogue on return started this May and the working group for return held a second meeting in Pristina last Friday. Gottfried Koefner the representative of United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) chaired the meeting.

Addressing the media after the meeting Koefner said that both sides had agreed that the most difficult issue is the residential property and decided to make an action plan how to resolve this problem.

Actuality No. 2 04:37 There is the Housing Property Directory (HPD) working in Kosovo for many years and they have decided on titles of property in many cases but in many instances one of the problem of returns is that property has not been retuned yet or is occupied and there’s disagreement about these issues.

Koefner added that Prisitina and Belgrade agreed to organize a working trip in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which would be a good opportunity to see how the authorities there have dealt with this issue.

The Working Group is also working on common draft on technical Protocol on return that should be finalized in coming weeks.

Actuality No. 3 07:12 There was the agreement that in order to implement concrete return projects it is necessary to set up task forces, joint task forces between Pristina and Belgrade to implement concrete return projects.

The biggest dispute between the two sides is regarding the number of displaced persons.

The Serb authorities claim that there are some 200,000 Serbs and other non- Albanians displaced from Kosovo, but Kosovo side say that Belgrade figures are exaggerated.

Meanwhile Gottfried Koefner the representative of UNHCR claims that figure of displaced was not the subject of discussion.

Actuality No. 4 08:34 We are talking here about the humanitarian problem. (edit to) 08:51 The subject of discussion was the real facts of truth that there’s a political agreement that the return should be taking place, that those who originate from here and had been displaced in principle should be enabled to return.

UNHCR official added that the Working Group will identify all measures that need to be undertaken for sustainable returns, but their implementation is up to the governments and the international administration.

Next meeting should be held in Belgrade in 3 or 4 weeks time.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s programme. As Informal Pristina – Belgarde dialogue continues at Helsinki Committee for Human Rights conference, we will be following. UNMIK on Air was on the spot.

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