Swiss Parliamentarians visit ICMP in Tuzla

[:en]28 May 2008: The Swiss Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, H. E. Mr Rolf Lenz and ten Swiss Parliamentarians visited the facilities of the International Commission on Missing Persons today in Tuzla.
During their visit, the members of the Swiss Parliament visited two ICMP facilities dedicated to the identification of mortal remains of persons missing from the 1995 fall of Srebrenica, including the Podrinje Identification Project and the Lukavac Re-association Center.
The introduction of DNA by the ICMP as the basis for identifying large numbers of missing persons from the 1990’s conflicts in the Western Balkans enabled accurate identifications of persons who would never otherwise have been identified. Of the 8,000 estimated missing from Srebrenica, ICMP has assisted in making over 5,200 identifications. The first DNA match made by ICMP on November 16, 2001 was of a 15 year-old boy missing from Srebrenica.

The members of the Swiss Parliament commended the ICMP for its important work, aimed at providing closure for the victims’ families. “The families of the victims have a right to know the fate of their relatives. This truth, although horrible and very painful, is indeed very important. That is why Switzerland has been supporting the work of ICMP for years now, and that is why we will continue to provide support for these and other activities in this domain” said the President of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Geri Müller, member of the Swiss Parliament.
Mr. Adam Boys, ICMP Chief Operating Officer, who accompanied the Swiss delegation during their visit stated, “The Government of Switzerland has been engaged for many years in the peace and stabilization process of BiH and is a strong supporter of ICMP” “ICMP could not have existed without the political and financial support of generous governments and their openhearted citizens. I should like to thank sincerely the Government of Switzerland for their valuable support since 2001,” said Mr. Boys.
ICMP endeavors to secure the co-operation of governments and other authorities in locating and identifying persons missing as a result of armed conflicts, other hostilities or violations of human rights and to assist them in doing so. ICMP also supports the work of other organizations in their efforts, encourages public involvement in its activities and contributes to the development of appropriate expressions of commemoration and tribute to the missing.[:bs]Ambasador Švicarske u Bosni i Hercegovini (BiH) Nj. E. Rolf Lenz i deset članova Parlamenta Vlade Švicarske posjetili su danas prostorije Međunarodne komisije za nestale osobe (ICMP) u Tuzli.

Tokom svoje posjete članovi švicarskog parlamenta posjetili su dva ICMP-eva objekta posvećena identifikaciji posmrtnih ostataka osoba nestalih tokom pada Srebrenice 1995. godine, Identifikacijski projekat Podrinje (PIP) i Centar za reasocijaciju u Lukavcu (LKRC).

ICMP-ev sistem za identifikaciju putem analize DNK, koji je ključ identifikacije velikog broja nestalih osoba tokom oružanih sukoba iz 1990-ih godina na zapadnom Balkanu, omogućio je tačnu identifikaciju osoba koje inače nikada ne bi bile identificirane. Od oko 8.000 nestalih osoba iz Srebrenice ICMP je pomogao u identifikaciji više od 5.200 osoba. Prvo podudaranje DNK profila koje je ICMP ostvario 16. novembra 2001. godine je slučaj petnaestogodišnjeg dječaka nestalog u Srebrenici.

Članovi Parlamenta Vlade Švicarske pohvalili su ICMP za njegov značajni rad kojim pomaže porodicama žrtava. „Porodice žrtava imaju pravo da saznaju isitnu o svojim srodnicima. Koliko god strašna i bolna ta istina bila, ona je mnogo važna. Zbog toga Švicarska već godinama podržava rad ICMP-a i zbog toga ćemo nastaviti pružati podršku ovoj aktivnosti kao i sličnim aktivnostima na ovom polju”, rekao je gdin Geri Müller, član švicarskog parlamenta.

U pratnji švicarske delegacije bio je gdin Adam Boys, šef operacija ICMP-a. “Vlada Švicarske se već godinama angažuje u procesu mira i stabilizacije u Bosni i Hercegovini i pruža snažnu podršku ICMP-u”, izjavio je gdin Boys. “ICMP ne bi mogao postojati da nije političke i financijske podrške velikodušnih vlada i njihovih građana. Želim se zahvaliti Vladi Švicarske za vrijednu pomoć koju nam pružaju od 2001. godine”.

ICMP se trudi da obezbijedi saradnju vlada i drugih organa vlasti pri lociranju i identificiranju osoba nestalih tokom oružanih sukoba, drugih neprijateljskih djejstava ili kršenja ljudskih prava, te da im pruži pomoć pri sprovođenju ovih aktivnosti. ICMP također podržava rad drugih organizacija, podstiče uključivanje javnosti u ove napore i doprinosi razvijanju odgovarajućih oblika komemoracije i iskazivanja poštovanja prema nestalim osobama.[:ar][:es]

The Swiss Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, H. E. Mr Rolf Lenz and ten Swiss Parliamentarians visited the facilities of the International Commission on Missing Persons today in Tuzla.
During their visit, the members of the Swiss Parliament visited two ICMP facilities dedicated to the identification of mortal remains of persons missing from the 1995 fall of Srebrenica, including the Podrinje Identification Project and the Lukavac Re-association Center.
The introduction of DNA by the ICMP as the basis for identifying large numbers of missing persons from the 1990’s conflicts in the Western Balkans enabled accurate identifications of persons who would never otherwise have been identified. Of the 8,000 estimated missing from Srebrenica, ICMP has assisted in making over 5,200 identifications. The first DNA match made by ICMP on November 16, 2001 was of a 15 year-old boy missing from Srebrenica.

The members of the Swiss Parliament commended the ICMP for its important work, aimed at providing closure for the victims’ families. “The families of the victims have a right to know the fate of their relatives. This truth, although horrible and very painful, is indeed very important. That is why Switzerland has been supporting the work of ICMP for years now, and that is why we will continue to provide support for these and other activities in this domain” said the President of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Geri Müller, member of the Swiss Parliament.
Mr. Adam Boys, ICMP Chief Operating Officer, who accompanied the Swiss delegation during their visit stated, “The Government of Switzerland has been engaged for many years in the peace and stabilization process of BiH and is a strong supporter of ICMP” “ICMP could not have existed without the political and financial support of generous governments and their openhearted citizens. I should like to thank sincerely the Government of Switzerland for their valuable support since 2001,” said Mr. Boys.
ICMP endeavors to secure the co-operation of governments and other authorities in locating and identifying persons missing as a result of armed conflicts, other hostilities or violations of human rights and to assist them in doing so. ICMP also supports the work of other organizations in their efforts, encourages public involvement in its activities and contributes to the development of appropriate expressions of commemoration and tribute to the missing.

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