UNMIK ON AIR

SREBRENICA 10TH ANNIVERSARY

Part 2

By Zoran CULAFIC

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July 11, 2005 marked 10th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, when Bosnian Serb military forces brutally murdered in a few days almost 8.000 Bosniack, men and boys. Srebrenica massacre is considered to be a worst massacre on European soil since World War Two. Today you are listening to Second Part of our Srebrenica program.

President of Serbia Boris Tadic did not address the public in Srebrenica, however he sent a strong massage that Serbia is taking the responsibility for the massacre. A few days before traveling to Srebrenica, Tadic explained.

President Boris Tadic – First reason is a human one, and there is no need to explain it in details. The second reason is - citizens of Serbia. We were not behind the crimes. We must demonstrate the distance between citizens and criminals. The future of Serbia depends on that. The third reason is a necessity of establishing a full trust and cooperation between states in the region. I’m going to Srebrenica with thoughts of regional cooperation and responsibility for all what happened in former Yugoslavia region. We have to break that spell bound circle in the Balkans. It is truth that many crimes have been committed against Serb people, and condemnation of those crimes is something that is self-understandable. However, the chastity and strength is to condemn crimes against the other people, committed in our name. That’s why I’m going to Srebrenica.

Some journalist expected that Tadic could address Srebrenica Bosniacks and apology for terrible crimes that were committed by Serb military forces. Branko Radujko, a political advisor to President Tadic explained why Tadic did not speak in Srebrenica.

Branko Radujko, - The organizers of the event, that is Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency, decided on the list of speakers and there was no option neither proposal nor idea that we are aware of, that President Tadic could be one of the speakers. And right because of that President Tadic was speaking with numerous important media, local and international, regarding the issue of Srebrenica and his visit, and he have sent very clear massages that it is necessary to demonstrate that citizens of Serbia are not behind the crimes, and make a distance between the perpetrators of crimes and citizens, and by that protect interests of the state of Serbia.

In many occasions senior international political officials stressed that the best way to protect interest of Balkans states is to face openly with the past and to understand that protecting indicted war criminals could only harm such national interest. In Srebrenica that massage was reapeted once again by Theodor Meron, President of ICTY (International Crinminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia).

Theodor Meron, ICTY – By bringing Karadzic and Mladic before ICTY the Serbian authorities would fulfill not only their legal obligations toward international community, but rather they would act in best interest of their own people. Hiding of those fugitives must stop not tomorrow but today. The Srebrenica victims deserve that, and justice is seeking it from us.

The 10th Anniversary of Srebrenica massacre gather tens of thousands people and many senior political officials, including Presidents of Serbia and Croatia, Boris Tadic and Stjepan Mesic, as well as special envoys of US President George W Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. However, the organizers unfortunately did not consider to include in the list of the speakers at least one of Srebrenica mothers, who have lost their sons, and husbands and relatives.

And although political massages that were heard in Srebrenica could have a huge positive effect for the future of these people, the main massage is sent everyday by relatives of the victims –they could not forget the tragedy, nor they can forgive, but in the same time they strongly believe in better future and living together with all their neighbors, no matter what their ethnic origin is.

Kada Hotic from Srebrenica, in her mid sixties, still believes in humanity and does not differ people according to their ethnicity, although she lost her son and husband, and many other close relatives during the darkest Srebrenica July 1995.

Kada Hotic: I’ll never understand what happened. I’m not a politician, I’m an ordinary woman, but I’ll never understand why there are wars, everything can be resolved through dialogue. We have to lay the foundation for the future generation. I’m worrying about my three grandchildren, about my daughter, and my wish is that they live in healthy conditions, with healthy people, no matter what ethnicity they are. All over the world mixed people live together and that’s so normal and no one should be disturbed by anyone’s religion. People can live together if they find an agreement, no matter who they are and what language they speak and what God they pray to, all of us are human.

Remembering Srebrenica – Ten years after worst massacre in Europe since World War Two.

Thanks for listening.