GRAORAC: CHANGES IN INSTITUTE LEADERSHIP WILL NOT BRING PROGRESS

BANJA LUKA, MARCH 30 /SRNA/ – The President of the Republika Srpska Organization of Families of Captured, Fallen Soldiers and Missing Civilians Isidora Graorac said that new members being selected for the Collegium of Directors of the BiH Institute for Missing Persons are unlikely to accelerate the search for missing Serbs, as the organization has no influence over their appointment.

Graorac stressed that these positions have, unfortunately, become political and are usually filled by representatives of political parties rather than individuals genuinely committed to the issue and who deeply understand the pain and suffering of families searching for their loved ones. “This is not appropriate because the issue of missing persons is a matter of national interest and should be addressed in cooperation with those who have been searching for the remains of their loved ones for more than 30 years,” Graorac told SRNA. She said that from the very beginning, the Institute for Missing Persons BiH was poorly structured and that little can now be changed. “Once again, we will have individuals seeking employment or positions rather than a genuine desire to work on resolving the issue of missing Serbs, if that issue can even be advanced,” Graorac stressed. She reiterated that families of the fallen and missing from Republika Srpska have no trust in the work of the Institute and that cooperation so far has been far below expectations. “Considering that the Institute has existed for 18 years and has done nothing to accelerate the search for missing Serbs, it is difficult to expect or hope that the new composition of the Collegium of Directors will bring any significant change,” Graorac said. She pointed out that the situation is similar with the Institute’s Steering Board, which since its appointment has not made efforts to present itself or consult families from Republika Srpska regarding their views or the direction of the search process. “Very few people, apart from the families, are interested in how far the search for the missing has progressed and where the remains of our heroes and Serb victims are located,” Graorac concluded. The call for applications for new members of the Collegium of Directors of the BiH Institute for Missing Persons has closed, with a total of 11 applications received, and interviews with candidates are underway. The Institute’s Steering Board is responsible for appointing the directors and announced the public call last month. The mandates of current Collegium members Nikola Perišić, Marko Jurišić, and Saliha Đuderija expired last year and they are currently serving as acting directors.