Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 1052: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the circumstances in which the body of an Irish citizen was eventually discovered in Bosnia, he is satisfied that the concerns of members of her family that adequate searches had not been carried out by the authorities there were fully justified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2944/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am very satisfied with the assurances given to us by the Bosnian authorities, including those in Medjugorje and the surrounding districts, that everything possible was done to locate the body of the person mentioned by the Deputy.

A number of large scale searches were undertaken since the deceased person went missing while on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in early September. The last such search was timed to coincide with the growing back of vegetation and the resultant much enhanced visibility for the searchers.

The Hunting Clubs in the Region supported the search effort in every way possible, and indeed it was a hunter who eventually located the remains of the missing person earlier this month.

Members of an Garda Síochána and of our Defence Forces on EU service in Bosnia and Herzegovina also participated actively in the searches for the deceased person.

The husband of the deceased person has expressed his warm appreciation for the extensive efforts of the Department and the Embassy, both in Dublin and on the ground in Medjugorje, and for the widescale searches that were undertaken in an effort to find his wife. The Department was particularly touched that its efforts were warmly recognised from the pulpit, on behalf of the family, at the funeral.