Explosion Plot Dismissed at Srebrenica Commemoration Site

Zaman Online ^ | 7/6/05

[Valin]

Explosive materials were found in the neighborhood of the Srebrenica monument prior to the 10th anniversary commemoration ceremony of the Bosnian massacre that occurred in 1995.

Police official Radovan Pejic said Tuesday that police found explosive substances in two different locations close to the Potocari monument, which is in the neighborhood of the Srebrenica monument, early morning hours of yesterday. A commemoration ceremony will be held in the monument to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre on July 11. As the Serbian pro-Europe reformist President Boris Tadic will be the first Serbian president to participate in the ceremonies, the independent TV channel B92 plans to broadcast live from Srebrenica. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will represent Turkey at the ceremony. Many Serbian media agencies also plan to send correspondents to cover the event for the first time. Video footage revealing the horror of the massacre lead to this change in Serbia, the footage first appeared early in June and was presented as evidence at The Hague War Crime Tribunal trial against former Yugoslavia. The video footage is said to have stunned the public.

As the anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre approaches, speculation is mounting that suggests that the former military leader Ratko Mladic and political leader Radovan Karadzic might be arrested or they may turn themselves in. Both are believed to be responsible for ordering and carrying out the massacre and are wanted by the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. On the other side, in the Serbian Parliament, all the nationalist parties and even moderate names including Prime Minister Voyislav Kostunica are trying to hinder a bill calling for recognition of the Srebrenica massacre.

Towards the end of the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, more than 8,000 Muslims were massacred by Serbian forces before the eyes of United Nations (UN) soldiers who had guaranteed to protect them. The incident is regarded as the largest massacre in Europe after World War II.