EU Parliament delivered where United Nations Security Council failed due to Russian Veto, even though 10 member nations of the UNSC voted Wednesday 8 July “yes” for the resolution to call Srebrenica genocide a genocide and 4 abstained from voting.
European Parliament has a couple of hours ago released these statements that follow:
European Parliament condemned in the strongest possible terms the genocide in Srebrenica of 11 July 1995 and said that “such horrendous crimes must never happen again”, in a vote on Thursday, 11 July. MEPs regret that the UN Security Council failed to pass a resolution commemorating the genocide and call for acceleration of war crimes prosecution at international and domestic level.
MEPs commemorated and honoured all the victims of the massacre and “all the atrocities during the wars in the former Yugoslavia” and expressed their solidarity with their families, many of which are still left without final confirmation of the fate of their relatives. Out of more than 8 000 Muslim men and boys executed by Bosnian Serb forces and paramilitary units, the bodies of nearly 1 200 have not yet been located and identified.
Overcome hatred and divisions
MEPs reject “any denial, relativisation or misinterpretation of the genocide” and say its 20th anniversary should be “a fresh reminder of the dangers of extreme forms of nationalism and intolerance in society, further exacerbated in the framework of war.” They also stress that regional cooperation and the European integration process “are the best way to promote conciliation and to overcome hatred and divisions.”
Failure of UNSC to pass resolution on Srebrenica genocide
The text also regrets that the UN Security Council, which has the primary responsibility for maintenance of international peace and security, failed to pass a resolution commemorating the Srebrenica genocide. This is especially regrettable, as the International Court of Justice, the UN’s primary judicial body, has determined that the crimes committed in Srebrenica were genocide, MEPs say.
End trials, promote understanding
MEPs invite the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to accelerate and bring to an end the trials and appeals without undue delay. More needs to be done do prosecute war crimes at domestic level, too, they stress. They also urge the development of education and cultural programmes promoting understanding the causes of atrocities and raise awareness about the need to nurture peace and to promote human rights and inter-religious tolerance.
MEPs urge the political representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina to “acknowledge the past” and to “work successfully together towards a better future” and welcome the decision of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, taken unanimously, to proclaim the 11th of July as Day of Mourning in the country.
Note:
The massacre of Srebrenica was recognized as genocide both by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice. The act of genocide and ethnic cleansing was the biggest war crime in Europe since the end of the Second World War.
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At last the appropriate recognition. Now if only the appropriate acceptance of wrongdoing was forthcoming from Bosnia it would be much easier to put the past behind you.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
At least put the past behind us with peace in mind and heart, David – how great that would be.
So very true: acknowledging the past is essential to move on to a better future. Here’s to hope that this important step that was taken will bring you closer to that goal 🙂
We must try and must pursue, Christopher, days of denials must be left behind – cheers!
Ina, I long for day that Croatian politicians are as strong, united and patriotic as Serbian politicians. They never would allow anyone to spit at them like they do to us. The example of Srebrenica is perfect. They, unlike our leaders, do not accept the label of genocide for the sake of their grandchildren as RS president Dodik proclaimed. He went even further and in essence threatened war if the Srebrenica genocide proposal had passed the UN by saying RS would leave the federation. The serbs know how damaging this genocide claim is, after-all they’ve been effectively labeling Croatia as a genocidal nation for over 50 years; and have even positioned the aggressive war they started against Croatia and their loss to Croatians as genocide yet again by Croats! How crafty they. How utterly stupid and impotent we are!
Know what you mean, Sunman, Croatian politicians have mostly been lame and ineffective on the international and domestic scene and it’s time this changed
Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
THESE THINGS MUST BE ADMITTED AND ATONED FOR.
Thanks Jonathan – that’s for sure!
The positive thing about this latest show from Serb side is that it convinced those Bosniaks who had still good feelings towards Serbs and the yugoslav nation who their real enemy is. Serbs in general has only one regreat regarding the 1990s war in Bosnia/Croatia and that is that those two nations are still alive. The fact that some Croats and Bosniaks are still living in this world is a terrible crime according to the Serbs. I guss we all took the right decison when we left the Yugsolav Union that is if some people were still not convinced.
The best thing we did was to leave Yugoslavia – agreed, Mustafa
The Serb PM had the guts to arrive in Srebrenica to the funerals after he denied they were victims of genocide he was chased away and almost killed in a video that is all over the internet. Well done the brave people!!! today media all over the world has created a huge anti serb sentiment with focus on the genocide if the croatia government has brains they will take advantage of this.
I saw and read aboutthat, Mustafa, how Aleksandar Vucic was booed and stoned out of Srebrenica commemoration and funeral for the hundred plus newly identified remains of victims of the 1995 genocide. I so agree with you he should not have gone there only a couple of days after being a part of Serbia’s lobby with Russia not to call this a genocide. He must have known he would not be welcome by most but he went anyway – it’s not courage it’s provocation.