16th anniversary of Srebrenica crime marked

Tens of thousands of people gathered Monday at the Potocari Memorial Center near Srebrenica to mark 16 years since the crime against Muslims in this town. The commemoration was attended by Bosniak and Croat members of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic and Zeljko Komsic, as well as High Representative Valentin Inzko. 16th anniversary of Srebrenica crime marked Officials from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Turkey and the United States said at the commemoration that facing up to the past was the main condition for reconciliation in the region and expressed satisfaction that Ratko Mladic is spending this anniversary of the Srebrenica tragedy in custody at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Member of the Bosnia Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic said Srebrenica was the deepest wound on the body of the Bosniak people, which would never heal. "Srebrenica is a dark stain on the face of the international community and a black hole on the conscience of the people who ordered and carried out the crime, and they will never be free of it. Justice is slow and incomplete... Last year (Serbian President Boris) Tadic was here and promised Mladic would be arrested. He kept his promise," Izetbegovic said. High Representative in Bosnia Valentin Inzko pointed out nothing could be built on genocide, while Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said a crime like the one that happened in Srebrenica must never be repeated. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc received the warmest welcome from the Bosniak crowd, who followed him through Potocari, greeting him in Turkish and Arabic. U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia Patrick Moon said he came to Potocari to pay his respects to the victims of genocide, their families, all people of Srebrenica and their friends. Serbian President Boris Tadic, who attended the commemoration last year, this year sent a message saying Serbia wanted reconciliation with its neighbors and would do everything to individualize blame for war crimes, "in order to free nations of blame." Tadic said he was asking other countries to do the same and he believed in better relations in the Western Balkans. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) human rights commissioner Marko Karadzic also attended. The commemoration for the 613 identified victims started with the playing of the Bosnian national anthem at the Potocari Memorial Center, where 4,524 people were buried in years past, and will finish with the interment of the 613 newly identified victims. Around 2,000 police officers from the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina are in charge of security, including a helicopter squad. (Beta)

16th anniversary of Srebrenica crime marked

Officials from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Turkey and the United States said at the commemoration that facing up to the past was the main condition for reconciliation in the region and expressed satisfaction that Ratko Mladić is spending this anniversary of the Srebrenica tragedy in custody at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Member of the Bosnia Presidency Bakir Izetbegović said Srebrenica was the deepest wound on the body of the Bosniak people, which would never heal.

"Srebrenica is a dark stain on the face of the international community and a black hole on the conscience of the people who ordered and carried out the crime, and they will never be free of it. Justice is slow and incomplete... Last year (Serbian President Boris) Tadić was here and promised Mladić would be arrested. He kept his promise," Izetbegović said.

High Representative in Bosnia Valentin Inzko pointed out nothing could be built on genocide, while Croatian President Ivo Josipović said a crime like the one that happened in Srebrenica must never be repeated.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc received the warmest welcome from the Bosniak crowd, who followed him through Potočari, greeting him in Turkish and Arabic.

U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia Patrick Moon said he came to Potočari to pay his respects to the victims of genocide, their families, all people of Srebrenica and their friends.

Serbian President Boris Tadić, who attended the commemoration last year, this year sent a message saying Serbia wanted reconciliation with its neighbors and would do everything to individualize blame for war crimes, "in order to free nations of blame." Tadić said he was asking other countries to do the same and he believed in better relations in the Western Balkans.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) human rights commissioner Marko Karadžić also attended.

The commemoration for the 613 identified victims started with the playing of the Bosnian national anthem at the Potočari Memorial Center, where 4,524 people were buried in years past, and will finish with the interment of the 613 newly identified victims.

Around 2,000 police officers from the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina are in charge of security, including a helicopter squad.