FAMILIES OF MISSING PERSONS PRESENT THEIR PROBLEM IN GENEVA

GENEVA, Apr 19 (Hina) - Family members of missing persons and human rights activists today concluded a five-day humanitarian mission to Geneva. The mission was timed to coincide with a session of the UN Human Rights Commission, in order to alert the international public to the plight of Croatia's 2792 missing persons and prisoners. They met the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Cornelio Sommaruga, Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in former Yugoslavia, Elisabeth Rehn, head of the US delegation Geraldine Ferarro, UN missing persons expert Manfred Nowak, and representatives of the US non-government organisation Freedom House. Video footage from Vukovar and the Vukovar hospital, shot by ITN, was viewed at the Palace of Nations. The families produced complete documentation on their missing relatives. The families asked Sommaruga to insist with Milosevic to grant international investigators access to JNA and government data on the missing persons and prisoners. They also called on international officials to support the identification of victims by genetic analysis. International officials supported the mission in general terms, but did not offer any concrete solutions of their own. (hina) as 192131 MET apr 96