Establishment of RECOM Contributes to a Lasting Peace in the Balkans

Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade, Pristina, Banja Luka, Podgorica, Skopje

On the occasion of the International Day of Peace on September 21, the Coalition for RECOM wishes to draw attention again to the fact that governments in the post-Yugoslav countries have an obligation to ensure peace, without the fear of a new war breaking out or the repetition of war crimes. These governments also have an obligation to build good neighbourly relations based on respect for the personal dignity of the victims. RECOM has the potential to help the governments meet and fulfill these obligations. The Coalition for RECOM therefore calls on all successor countries of the former Yugoslavia to initiate the process of founding a commission to establish the facts about war crimes and other serious human rights violations committed during the period from 1991 – 2001 (RECOM).

The Coalition for RECOM gathers together 2,050 non-governmental human rights organizations, associations of war prisoners, refugees, families of missing persons, artists, writers, lawyers, and other individuals who believe that only a regional approach can provide a comprehensive historical record of what happened in the past, and help establish a sustainable and lasting peace in the former Yugoslavia.