No traces of mass grave found in southern Serbia

Missing Persons Commission representatives did not find traces of a mass grave in the village of Sijarina in the southern Serbian municipality of Medvedja. “14 canals up to one meter deep were dug in a suspicious 50-are section. We did not find traces of the mass grave or traces of any kind of grave. We have determined that the dirt has not been moved on this location. Therefore, there is no evidence,” Pristina delegation member Prenke Gjetaj told Beta new agency on Friday. No traces of mass grave found in southern Serbia Pristina officials stated earlier that they had information about a possible grave at the location and the excavation started on Thursday. Gjetaj stressed that the doubt that there was a mass grave in the village of Sijarina had this way been removed. “We had information about a mass grave in which Albanians were allegedly buried and we had to investigate it. It turned out that it was false. We will continue to check up on all the tips we get together with the Serbian commission,” he explained. Gjetaj added that he was especially pleased with the hospitality of the Medvedja local self-government and Mayor Slobodan Draskovic. Aside from the Serbian and Pristina delegations, UNMIK, EULEX, Sarajevo-based International Commission on Missing Persons and Belgrade Higher Court's War Crimes Department representatives took part in the investigation. Draskovic told Beta that both Serbs and Albanians in Medvedja had been convinced that the information was false. “There were no inter-ethnic conflicts in the Medvedja area during the war in Kosovo and not a single bullet was fired, and both Albanians and Serbs know that there were no suspicious actions because this is a small community and nothing can be hidden. That’s why there were no tensions prior to the excavation of the ground,” he pointed out.

No traces of mass grave found in southern Serbia

Priština officials stated earlier that they had information about a possible grave at the location and the excavation started on Thursday.

Gjetaj stressed that the doubt that there was a mass grave in the village of Sijarina had this way been removed.

“We had information about a mass grave in which Albanians were allegedly buried and we had to investigate it. It turned out that it was false. We will continue to check up on all the tips we get together with the Serbian commission,” he explained.

Gjetaj added that he was especially pleased with the hospitality of the Medveđa local self-government and Mayor Slobodan Drašković.

Aside from the Serbian and Priština delegations, UNMIK, EULEX, Sarajevo-based International Commission on Missing Persons and Belgrade Higher Court's War Crimes Department representatives took part in the investigation.

Drašković told Beta that both Serbs and Albanians in Medveđa had been convinced that the information was false.

“There were no inter-ethnic conflicts in the Medveđa area during the war in Kosovo and not a single bullet was fired, and both Albanians and Serbs know that there were no suspicious actions because this is a small community and nothing can be hidden. That’s why there were no tensions prior to the excavation of the ground,” he pointed out.