New Mass Grave of Kosovo Albanians Uncovered

Belgrade withdrew forces from Kosovo in 1999 and nine years later the former Serbian province declared independence. Photo by BGNES.

A new mass grave in which 250 Kosovo Albanians are thought to have been buried, has been found in the Serbian town of Raska, close to the border with Kosovo.

The EU police mission in Kosovo informed Monday that Serbian investigators have already been sent on location but it would be several days before the site is examined.

Officials have said that a building has been deliberately constructed on the site in an attempt to conceal evidence of the mass murder and this may prolong the investigation.

According to a BBC correspondent identifying the victims through DNA analysis is likely to take several more years.

The victims are believed to have been killed during the 1998-1999 conflict when Serbian forces fought ethnic Albanian rebels.

In a statement to the media, Serbia's war crime prosecutor, Vladimir Vukcevic, said Monday that the discovery was a sign that Serbia was committed to coming to terms with its history, adding that "This is more proof that Serbia does not shy away from its dark past and is ready to bring to justice all those who have committed crimes."

The newly discovered mass grave of Kosovo Albanians adds up to the number of such graves found on the territory of Serbia. The bodies of more than 800 Kosovo Albanians were found in several locations in Serbia in 2001, including police compounds.

Other, smaller mass graves have been found containing Serbian victims of ethnic Albanians.

Researchers in Serbia and Kosovo say more than 11,000 people died in the Kosovo conflict, most of them ethnic Albanian, but at least 2,300 Serbs.

Belgrade withdrew forces from the Serbian province of Kosovo in 1999 after a Nato bombing campaign, and the area was put under UN control.

Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008 has been recognised by more than 50 countries, including, Bulgaria, the US and most EU states, but not recognised by more than 100, including Serbia and Russia.

Bulgaria’s Parliament established formal relations with the Assembly of Kosovo as the head of the Assembly, Jakup Krasniqi, visited Sofia at the end of April, 2010.

Recent Serbian governments have been pro-Western and last year the country submitted a formal application to join the EU.

But membership negotiations cannot begin in earnest until two war crimes suspects - including the former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic - have been captured.

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