The State Department explained the position of the United States of America for the Bosnian language service of the Voice of America before the vote on the resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in early May.
“The United States is proud to sponsor the proposal of the General Assembly on the resolution on genocide, which was presented by Rwanda, Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby commemorating the genocide committed in Srebrenica in 1995”, the State Department states.
It was pointed out that the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice in The Hague confirmed the fact that genocide was committed in Srebrenica.
“The appropriate commemoration of that crime, as well as the memory of the thousands of those who were killed then, are in line with the earlier efforts of the United Nations to recognize and commemorate other cases of genocide,” the State Department said.
The United States has supported previous resolutions confirming genocide in other situations around the world, which have been upheld by international courts.
“Commemoration of historical truths and acceptance of facts moves the region forward along the path of reconciliation. Given the persistent and recent cases of genocide denial that can be heard in the countries of the Western Balkans, the United States believes it is important to commemorate the genocide in Srebrenica in this way.
This resolution is not directed against any country, nor does it impose collective responsibility on any ethnic group,” the State Department concluded in its response to Voice of America.
