President: Always forgive, never forget

President: Always forgive, never forget

According to him, by defending itself in 1999, Serbia defended the law, justice, and international law.

"16 years have passed since the first NATO bombs fell on our towns and villages, schools, hospitals, factories, television stations and army barracks, even the embassy of the People's Republic of China, on our fields, airports, bridges and railways. When they felt that was not enough, they targeted our homes and in our homes, our greatest treasure - our children," Nikolic said.

"In defending our territorial integrity, we defended the international principle of integrity of any sovereign country in the world, we defended the law and justice, international law, charters, and institutions before which we should all be equal," said Nikolic.

He emphasized that Serbia at the time warned that the precedent perpetrated against it was "opening up Pandora's Box with terrible consequences for the international community."

"Lonely and tragic, Serbia's voice was lost in the cacophony of tyrants destroying the very fabric of international order, first with words and ruthless decisions, and then with bombs. The consequences of the arrogant decisions made 16 years ago are felt today, and the whole world lives with them," he added.

The president told those gathered in Aleksinac today that Serbia remembers its tragedies and fellow citizens, counts the innocent victims and works to, once again - as it has been doing throughout the 20th century - rise from the ashes.

"When we mention their past, they say all, that matters is a better future. When we mention our future, they say we don't deserve it because of the past. We are not allowed to build a better future for their children until, as they say, we confront our past and the decisions we made. Until we apologize for everything that they did to us," Nikolic said.

"Well - if these rules of confronting (the past) are valid for Serbia, do they stem from a special book, one that applies only to us? Let them at least show us that book of rules they used 16 years ago when they raised airplanes and threw bombs on our country that are to this day making our children sick. The bombs that have sown discord all over the planet," Nikolic said, and added:

"Serbia remembers and marks those days, preserves the memory of its innocent victims, counting them among its holy martyrs. Those who have not apologized, who have not faced the disastrous consequences of their decisions and actions, who have not been called by any court to answer for the the deadly 'collateral mistakes', deserve neither to be remembered nor forgiven. When they, if ever, utter the words of apology and ask for our forgiveness, they will hear the words the patriarchs always said when they bowed to the shadows of the dead in battlefields: we always forgive but must never forget."

According to Nikolic, "new generations, unburdened by prejudice against Serbia, could act in ways that would help families of the victims find peace."

The Serbian president spoke about Aleksinac and said the town came under attack on several occasions, noting that ti became "a collateral mistake as many as six times." On April 5, 1999, on the 13th day of the aggression, NATO hit the center of the town, killing 11 and wounding 50 people. Among them was the entire Milic family: father Dragomir, mother Dragica, and their daughter Snezana.

"They say that the target was a military barracks near the town and that due to a technical error, they missed by a little bit. How can they miss by so much to recognize a children's park, a promenade and a market place, the center of Aleksinac, as a target?," Nikolic asked.

The president added that those who gave the order, the executors, their helpers - are all still alive, "some of them are bombing even now, while Serbia mourns, remembers, wrestles from oblivion and asks only for a decent human apology from the powerful ones who bombarded a country in Europe near the end of the 20th century."

"Did it require such a force, 19 countries united in injustice, to strike against Serbia, and among them those countries that are proud of their tradition of justice and law, human rights and democracy, libertarian ideas. Are their traditions genuine or false? What kind of tradition gave rise to this act," Nikolic asked.

He stressed that "Serbia still respects and believes in true major civilizational values, while 16 years ago their fake form suffered defeat."

"Perhaps we should also ask them to forgive us our sins as we hope that some day, month, year, someone will on their behalf to ask for our forgiveness and apologize to the families for the murdered civilians, for the children, for all of our citizens who perished and who were coldly referred to as collateral mistakes," warned Nikolic.

He added that "a mistake had occurred - but it wasn't collateral - it was their historical and inhuman mistake."

The ceremony today was held at the monument in Aleksinac built by the people of Serbia on November 1, 1999. The names of the 24 local victims are inscribed on it.

In addition Nikolic, the state delegation included the Serbian Army Chief General Ljubisa Dikovic.

A delegation of the Municipality of Aleksinac also placed a wreath at the monument.