"Resolution would only have led to more tensions in Balkans"

"Resolution would only have led to more tensions in Balkans"

Such an approach would cause only great divisions, he ambassador said and underscored that Russia wanted a balanced document but that Moscow's statement was ignored.

Churkin said that it is important that the ceremony to mark the anniversary of the crime in Srebrenica would be attended by representatives of Serbia and added that it would not be good for the resolution to negatively impact the efforts aimed at ensuring peace and stability.

Churkin noted that the draft resolution was met with pain in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the wider region, which caused politicization of the unfortunate event.

He recalled that his country always advocated investigation into all crimes committed in Bosnia, and underscored that nobody can say which side suffered most during the conflict.

"The data shows that several hundred thousand Serbs had to leave their homes, which can produce the conclusion that Serbs suffered just as much, if not more than others. This is why the anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Treaty should be used to ensure progress of the Balkans towards peace," the Russian ambassador said.

"Polemic"

Ambassadors of Russia, Great Britain and the U.S. "entered into a polemic" during the session of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Bosnia-Herzegovina at which the draft resolution on Srebrenica put forth by Great Britain was not adopted, Tanjug said.

The session was interrupted after the polemic and the representative of New Zealand as the UNSC chair called all members to attend consultations.

Russian Ambassador in the UN Vitaly Churkin addressed the UNSC members for the second time and reflected on the criticism against Russia voiced by certain delegations and asked representatives of the U.S. and Great Britain not to distort Russia's stands.

"Why was there no draft to mark the anniversary of the war in Vietnam whereby we could condemn the bombing of Hanoi involving napalm bombs, the Russian ambassador asked. Why did not the U.S. and Great Britain put forth the UNSC resolution about this at the time," he asked.

Churkin concluded that their humanism depends on politics. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power also addressed participants of the session on two occasions and reiterated that past needs to be acknowledged to achieve reconciliation.

Deputy Permanent Representative of Great Britain Peter Wilson also noted that reconciliation calls for a recognition that in case this does not happen, there can be no progress, while denial does not mean that everything is over and that the past does not exist.

"Blemish"

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power qualified Russia's veto on the British draft resolution on Srebrenica as another blemish on the UN Security Council (UNSC) reputation.

Let's call Srebrenica by its true name - it was genocide and we should not deny this, Power said addressing the UNSC session and added that it is important for the mastermind and the commander behind the genocide in Srebrenica, Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, to be adequately punished in the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Genocide did take place in Srebrenica, Power repeated and noted that this was established as a fact by the ICTY and the International Court of Justice. The remains of over 1,000 Srebrenica victims, which are still out there somewhere, are haunting us, Power said.