Posted on 06/13/2005 7:28:37 PM PDT by mark502inf
First of all, I would like to applaud the organizers of today's conference. As we approach the solemn anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, it is appropriate that we commit ourselves to remembering what happened there ten years ago. The crimes committed in Srebrenica, the most heinous and destructive in Europe since the Second World War, must not be forgotten. This tenth anniversary year should be seen as an opportunity - for introspection, for reflection, for reconciliation, for healing, and, most importantly, for justice.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express publicly my admiration of Natasa Kandic and the Humanitarian Law Center for their inspiring courage, boundless energy, and relentless drive to ensure that the perpetrators of war crimes be brought to justice and that the victims of those crimes be appropriately honored and remembered. Natasa, you and your colleagues are embarked on a noble crusade that deserves the profound gratitude and support of all people who believe in justice.
" Beyond Reasonable Doubt." This is a fitting name for this conference and a fitting topic for us to be discussing. It is an indisputable fact that, ten years ago, Serb forces under the command of Ratko Mladic massacred almost 8000 Bosnians in the enclave of Srebrenica. This atrocity has been documented through thousands of testimonials by witnesses and relatives, through the discovery of numerous mass graves, and even through last year's admission by the government of the Republika Srpska that Serb forces conducted the killings. More recently, the appearance of the now famous videotape should remove the doubts from the mind of any reasonable person about the scope and brutality of this massacre.
Unfortunately, a sense of denial has prevailed among large segments of the population about war crimes committed by Serbs. In public remarks I made on May 12, I noted that polls showed that just over one-third of Serbs believed that war crimes were committed at Srebrenica, despite the acknowledgement of the RS Government itself that these crimes occurred. I noted that less than one-third of Serbs believed that the bodies of over 800 Kosovar Albanians, most of them brutally executed, were located in mass graves in Serbia -- despite the fact that your own government acknowledges this fact. Indeed, these graves contained the bodies of three young American citizens -- the Bytyqi brothers -- who were summarily executed after being illegally detained at the Petrovo Selo MUP facility.
And, more recently, a student group at the Belgrade Law Faculty sponsored a conference that aimed to cast doubt on the crimes at Srebrenica. By attempting to propagate such a dangerously irresponsible myth, they sought to excuse the war crimes perpetrated there. While we respect the right of free speech, the opinions expressed there dishonoured that right in an attempt to fan the flames of chauvinism and ethnic hatred. Such vitriol disgraces the dead on all sides of the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.
Let me emphasize two points. First of all, we recognize that there were many Serb victims of war crimes during the 1990s -- in Croatia, Bosnia, even Kosovo. But the argument I most frequently hear -- that all sides were guilty of crimes -- does not justify the many crimes committed by Serbs or excuse the perpetrators of those crimes from punishment. Secondly, many in Serbia have reacted defensively to the videotape, demanding that Serbs not be condemned collectively for crimes committed by individuals. I absolutely agree. We do not, nor have we ever, condemned the Serbian people as war criminals. The Serbian people did not commit these crimes; ruthless and unscrupulous individuals committed them. It is these individuals who must face justice before ICTY or domestic courts.
I hope that the broadcast of the Srebrenica videotape, which of course displayed just one tiny fraction of the inhumanity inflicted there in July 1995, will bring about a national catharsis in Serbia. I hope that this image of ethnic cleansing in its most brutal form will cause Serbs throughout this country to more openly face the past. I hope that the tape will remind us that there are still many perpetrators of war crimes living freely and openly among us and that it will stimulate your law enforcement and judicial organs to more aggressively bring such people to justice. I hope that it will persuade the 60% of Serbs who oppose the extradition to The Hague of Ratko Mladic, who was in charge of the forces at Srebrenica, to change their minds. I hope that those who organized the Law Faculty conference and the 50% of Serbs who do not believe that the Srebrenica massacres occurred will acknowledge the magnitude of crimes committed by Serbs in the wars of the 1990s. I hope that they will recognize that their "heroes" of Srebrenica were capable of cowardly shooting frightened, helpless, bound teenagers in the back. And I hope that it causes all of us here to reflect again on the scope of the Srebrenica massacre - a massacre that sent to the grave a number of people equal to --- times the number of attendees in this room right now.
I also hope that the appearance of this tape will invigorate efforts to prosecute and convict the murderers of the Bytyqi brothers and the many other victims whose killers still live freely and openly among us.
I harbor these hopes because I firmly believe that confronting this awful truth represents a critical step towards reconciliation among the peoples of this region and toward ensuring that justice will be fairly meted out to the perpetrators of war crimes.
I believe there is room for some optimism. We applauded the rapid and vigorous action of the Government of Serbia in arresting those involved in the videotaped killings. We welcomed the Government's announced intention to ensure that these and other perpetrators face justice for these crimes. We welcomed the recent transfers to ICTY of numerous individuals accused of complicity in organizing and/or carrying out the Srebrenica massacres. And we have welcomed the assurances by senior Government officials that those indictees still at large, most notably Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, will be delivered to The Hague soon.
We also welcomed the announcement by President Tadic and other leaders here that they will travel to Srebrenica on July 11 to honor the victims of that atrocity. As Under Secretary Nicholas Burns emphasized here on Thursday, this anniversary represents an historic opportunity for Serbia to distance itself from what occurred in 1995 and to promote an enduring reconciliation among the peoples of this region. Let us look forward to this future, while not forgetting the victims of the past.
The folks at Trnopolje weren't there because they wanted to be there, nor could they leave if they wished.
If you have some name other than "camp" for that, suit yourself. You merely distance yourself further from reality.
The fact is disputable, they did not execute 8000 muslims.
No, your alteration of reality is the issue here.
Humanitarian?
Do you believe all Muslims should be killed, or just those that live in close proximity to others?
I merely state what's been established by the ICTY and admitted by Michael Hume and Thomas Deichmann at their libel trial.
Indisputable fact, beyond reasonable doubt, I kid you not, Believe you me, eh?
I seem to remember some similar "facts" and "evidence" and "reports" and "testimonies" about Racak, Markale, "breadline massacre", Trepca Stadium, Operation Horseshoe, Rajmonda, freezer trucks, mass rape, babies shot with 3 bullets and "screaming unbelievably loud" and a whole bunch more.
But it works, right? Same as the "Belgian babies" or "incubator babies".
Fool Me Once Shame On You; Fool Me Twice Shame On Me
Indeed, it appears that 3000 Serbs were murdered there. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1422876/posts
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