By: Nevena Šarenac
A number of European and world officials and diplomats attended the commemoration ceremony today for the genocide in Srebrenica, and expressed their sincere condolences to the families of the victims.
High Representative of the EU Catherine Ashton paid tribute to the victims today, and said that there are no words that could ease the pain of the families, but that the international community could show respect for their loss, not allow for the denial of genocide and support justice in a concrete way.
“18 years have passed since the genocide in Srebrenica in July 1996. The pain and suffering of those who lost children, parents, cousins and friends are still present. On behalf of the EU, I pay tribute to the victims’’, said in a statement by Ashton on occasion of the commemoration for the victims in Srebrenica.
According to her, the prosecution for war crimes that were committed in BiH will continue to ensure that the truth is established, to guarantee justice and to strengthen reconciliation, especially at the regional level.
“The decades-long process of reconciliation that led to the creation of the EU should be an inspiration for reconciliation in the Western Balkans. In this direction, great steps have been taken, but there is much more to be done, especially from the government so that citizens of the entire region could fully enjoy peace and prosperity together with the rest of Europe’’, she said.
The same message was sent by the European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle, who said that we all share the sadness and pain of those who survived the massacre in Srebrenica.
“The crying for loves ones, the pain of knowing that we will never see them again, the monstrosity of the crimes that were committed against a people exclusively on the basis of their ethnic affiliation-not even the 18 years that have gone by can ease the pain’’, he said.
Even if we cannot provide comfort to those who are alive, said Füle, our duty is to provide justice to victims and a better future for those who survived the conflict in BiH so that such atrocities can never happen again, and that men, women and children could expect a brighter future.
“My thoughts are with you today. My mission to work for a European future for BiH is far from being completed and I am determined to continue’’, said the European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle.
The Ambassador of Great Britain to BiH Nigel Casey, who participated at today’s commemoration ceremony in Srebrenica and representing the British government, recalled that this year the burial of 409 victims that were identified in the last 12 months would be buried, thanks to the painstaking work of the International Commission for Missing Persons (ICMP).
“This will be, as always, a very emotional event, when the families of these victims get the chance to, after 18 years of their murder, to say goodbye to their loves ones. This will be a painful moment for all of us when we remember the terrible events that took place in Srebrenica in July 1995, and the victims of genocide and many other crimes that occurred during the war in BiH’’, said Ambassador Casey, among other things.
“Like other terrible crimes committed on the territory of this country during 1992-1995, Srebrenica is a lesson for all of us today, because it shows what hatred and extremism could bring if it is not stopped’’, warned the British Ambassador to BiH.
The British Minister of Foreign Affairs William Hague published an article today on Srebrenica on Huffington Post, and said that the real legacy of Srebrenica should be that such violence will never happen again in Europe nor anywhere else in the world.
“Today we are marking the anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families’’, said in his article on Srebrenica.
The events that occurred on this day 18 years ago launched a series of events that led to the death of more than 8.000 men and boys and the forced relocation of 30.000 women and girls.
The horror and barbarism committed in Srebrenica and in its surroundings in the days after 11 July were a reminder of the darkest days in Europe during WWII, where many hoped that something of this magnitude would never again occur in Europe, said the Hague.
After 18 years. The legacy of Srebrenica and the conflict of the 1990’s still haunts BiH. Victims have still not been identified, and perpetrators of these crimes are on the loose.
“One day, the real legacy of Srebrenica should be that such violence does not occur again in Europe or anywhere else in the world’’, said the Hague.
My thoughts are with the victims of Srebrenica today, their friends and families’’, said the delegate in the European Parliament on her Twitter account today Tanja Fajon.
“We will continue the fight for a safer and better BiH’’, said Fajon.
