海角大神

Back in March, the European Union brokered an agreement between the Balkan states of Serbia and Kosovo to normalize ties. The deal left observers clinging to an uncertain hope. Twenty-five years after the two states broke apart in the violent fragmenting of what was then Yugoslavia, they remain tense neighbors. Serbian President Aleksandar Vu膷i膰 backed the accord but withheld his signature (Serbia does not recognize Kosovo鈥檚 independence).

But yesterday the two sides took their first step beyond mere good faith. Meeting in Brussels, Mr. Vu膷i膰 and his counterpart, Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, pledged to work together to locate people who disappeared during the 1998-99 war. This victims-first focus shows how empathy and truth are forerunners to justice and peace.聽It acknowledges dignity over ethnic identity.

鈥淩esolving the issue of Missing Persons is not only a humanitarian obligation,鈥� Josep Borrell, the EU鈥檚 chief mediator, said in a statement after a meeting of the Balkan leaders in Brussels. 鈥淚t is also a crucial enabler for reconciliation and trust between people.鈥�

Smaller than Connecticut with a population that is more than 90% ethnic Albanian, Kosovo split from Serbia in a war that lasted 17 months and claimed more than 13,000 lives. The EU cataloged 6,065 cases of people who went missing. Of those, 1,621 remain unresolved. They are presumed to be dead and their remains scattered across the region in unmarked graves.

The declaration signed yesterday opens by emphasizing 鈥渢he importance of resolving the fate of the remaining Missing Persons to bring closure to the suffering of their loved ones.鈥� That point rests on lessons learned in countries like South Africa, Colombia, and Cyprus, which grounded transitional justice in empathy for the families and communities of victims of conflict. Those experiences showed the broader healing effect of comforting individuals by removing the uncertainty of what happened to their missing loved ones.

Finding out what happened to missing persons 鈥渋s a precondition for sustainable peace,鈥� wrote Gra偶yna Baranowska, a Polish law professor, in a study on Kosovo and Cyprus. She notes that families of missing persons are more apt to embrace each other across enemy lines. Their desire for truth over revenge 鈥渃an result in a broader interaction鈥� toward peace between post-conflict communities.

That was a key insight for Juan Manuel Santos, the former president of Colombia who brokered peace in his country鈥檚 longest-running guerrilla war in 2016. 鈥淭he victims have taught me that the capacity to forgive can overcome hatred and rancor,鈥� he said.

Yesterday鈥檚 agreement has been long coming. Serbia backed a 鈥渄raft agreement鈥� in October 2020 to set up a joint commission on missing persons in Kosovo. Belgrade took a similar step two years earlier in Croatia, where more than 1,800 cases remained unresolved. But years later, Croatia was still accusing Serbia of failing to share vital information held by its security services.

Now, with its membership in the EU pending, Belgrade has an opportunity to demonstrate where its values lie. The agreement requires both sides to cooperate on missing persons cases through a joint commission chaired by the EU.

鈥淰ictims must be placed at the very center of this process,鈥� U.N. Special Rapporteur Fabi谩n Salvioli said of the Serbia-Kosovo peace process in December. 鈥淭he exaltation of nationalistic and ethnic-related sentiments for political motivation ... can lead to a recurrence of violence.鈥�

The world鈥檚 lessons in post-conflict empathy continue to mount. If they take root in Kosovo, they may blossom in other societies 鈥� like Ethiopia 鈥� now seeking their way out of ethnic or religious strife.