“Eighteen years after the end of the conflict, thousands of people are still denied justice in Kosovo. It is high time to change course and build a just and cohesive society. Major conditions for achieving this are to prosecute and effectively sanction all persons involved in wartime crimes, clarify the fate of all missing persons, provide war victims with adequate reparation, and facilitate the voluntary return of displaced persons”, said today Nils Muižnieks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while releasing a Memorandum following his mission to Kosovo from 5 to 9 February.
Concerned by the deeply ingrained ethnic divisions which undermine Kosovo’s social cohesion and development, the Commissioner calls for redoubled efforts to foster reconciliation and to establish a truly inclusive education system which promotes inter-ethnic tolerance and respect. “All schools’ textbooks and teaching material containing elements of nationalism and prejudice should be revised. Strenuous efforts are necessary for introducing new teaching methods promoting intercultural understanding, including history”.
(*) All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
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