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Marko Đjurić is Serbia’s foreign minister.
On May 23, the United Nations General Assembly is expected to take up a draft resolution to create an International Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Srebrenica massacre of 1995. But while the sponsors of this resolution argue that this is an important step on the path to post-conflict reconciliation, alas, it’s more likely to sow further division in the Balkans.
No one can deny that horrible war crimes occurred during the Balkan wars. Only political extremists reject the view that unspeakable crimes were committed in Srebrenica. And only the most callous of people are unwilling to acknowledge and honor those victims.
However, as the proposed U.N. resolution is narrowly focused and was drafted without consulting all regional communities and parties to the Balkan wars, it will likely prove highly divisive inside Bosnia and throughout the region.
While Western reporting and political leaders primarily focused on Bosniak Muslim victims during the Balkan wars, the tragic reality is that all ethnic and religious groups suffered massive war crimes. At a recent gathering of the U.N. Security Council, individuals who, as young children, had endured torture or become orphans due to the mass killing of Serb civilians were present in the hall. They were with me as I argued that the proposed resolution ignores their pain, creating a hierarchy of suffering among innocent victims.
The Republic of Serbia has continuously and consistently condemned all crimes of this tragic conflict — particularly the Srebrenica massacre, which was horrific in its scale and cruelty. In 2010, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia adopted a declaration condemning the crimes committed in Srebrenica. The Republic of Serbia also unequivocally and strongly condemns the denial of all the war crimes committed in Bosnia during the tragic civil war. And senior officials of the republic, including two presidents, have paid their respects to victims at the Srebrenica Memorial Center in Potočari, and participated in commemorations at the U.N. in New York.
But any U.N. resolution on the suffering in the Balkan wars should respect the conflict’s more than 100,000 victims. These victims deserve equal justice, treatment and remembrance, as well as the respect of the international community regardless of their nationality, race or religion. Unfortunately, however, the draft resolution seeks to memorialize and single out one group.
Just as importantly, the resolution also seeks to apply the term genocide to the crimes that took place in Srebrenica, suggesting they were based on different motives than the mass civilian killings of Serbs and Croats during the warfare that accompanied Yugoslavia’s dissolution. I will leave it to experts to debate the definition of genocide in international law, but suffice it to say that many leading scholars — including experts like Yehuda Bauer — have questioned its application in the case of Srebrenica.
Furthermore, the draft resolution undermines the constitution and rule of law in Bosnia. It was drafted, proposed, co-sponsored and is being lobbied for by the U.N.’s Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Zlatko Lagumdzija, without the legally required consent from the country’s tripartite presidency, which represents Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs. It was advanced in secrecy, without consulting the country’s Serbian entity or its elected representatives, and without any attempt to acknowledge the war’s tens of thousands of other victims.
For 29 long years, Serbs who survived numerous civilian massacres have been pleading for truth and justice. They understand the pain felt by all victims and their families, regardless of whether they’re Bosniak, Croat or fellow Serbs.
Together with virtually the entire political spectrum in my country, they believe equal justice for all of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s war victims is the only path to lasting peace, stability and reconciliation.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu observed: “There is no shortcut or simple prescription for healing the wounds and divisions of a society after prolonged violence. Creating a climate of trust and understanding between former enemies is an extremely difficult challenge to overcome.” And mindful of his sage observation, my government is ready to work with all Balkan governments and all U.N. member countries to meet this challenge of finding justice for all.
Reaching a consensus on memorializing the past in a way that doesn’t sow division is the best way to ensure it does not — and cannot — happen again. This is the best way the U.N. can contribute to intergroup and interfaith reconciliation in the Balkans.
