SARAJEVO, July 8 (Hina) - At least 2,000 displaced Bosniaks from the eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina town of Srebrenica (Republika Srpska) will gather in the town on July 11 to pay tribute to victims of the greatest tragedy in Europe after
World War Two.
SARAJEVO, July 8 (Hina) - At least 2,000 displaced Bosniaks from the
eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina town of Srebrenica (Republika Srpska)
will gather in the town on July 11 to pay tribute to victims of the
greatest tragedy in Europe after World War Two.#L#
Potocari, a town in which a factory of accumulators was located
before the war, and a base of United Nations Protection Forces
(UNPROFOR) during the war, will be a place of prayer and
commemoration for over 8,000 Bosniaks from Srebrenica. They are
still registered as missing, even though there is justified
suspicion that they were killed by Serb forces headed by Ratko
Mladic.
Serb forces in 1995 conquered this United Nations safe haven
immediately after which they started mass killings and executions
of Bosniak population. Srebrenica today belongs to the Bosnian Serb
entity.
This "high risk event", as it was described by Republika Srpska
Interior Minister, is in the centre of the attention of Bosnia-
Herzegovina authority for days now.
The primar intention of the organisers -- representatives of
associations of displaced and missing residents of Srebrenica --
was to gather about 5,000 people in Potocari and to lay a foundation
stone for the monument to the killed Bosniaks.
Such announcements caused great concern within international
organisations.
The Office of the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina (OHR)
stressed that the gathering of such a large number of persons,
including the elderly and ill, at a place such as Srebrenica was of
high risk.
The only road going to Srebrenica is narrow and curvy, the town does
not have regular water supply, and temperature at this time of the
year is very high, OHR spokesman Oleg Milisic stressed.
International organisations suggested the number of bussed which
are to arrive in Srebrenica, should be limited to 10 to 15, and the
number of participants should not be greater than 750.
Srebrenica Mayor Abduraham Malkic said the requests for limiting
the number of participants of the commemoration in Potocani could
not be accepted.
"We are not going to a soccer game", said Malkic and stressed
freedom to move should not be jeopardised five years after the
signing of the Dayton Agreement.
Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina Edhem
Bicakcic ended public debates. In his statement for the Bosnia-
Herzegovina Radio, he said he expected about 2,000 people to gather
in Potocari on July 11, adding this was exclusively a religious
ceremony which would last for about an hour.
It was reported that the commemoration in Srebrenica would be
supervised by about 700 Republika Srpska police officers, co-
ordinated by Deputy Interior Minister Brane Pecenac.
Along with numerous Bosniak displaced persons, Chairman of the
Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Alija Izetbegovic and member of the
presidency Ante Jelavic are expected in Potocari in the upcoming
week.
They were invited by United States Ambassador to Bosnia-
Herzegovina Thomas Miller.
According to Sarajevo press, Miller was also trying to persuade
Serb member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Zivko Radisic to
arrive in Srebrenica, who for the time being failed to either refuse
of accept the invitation.
Radisic's only comment was that all victims deserved respect,
however one needs to know that during the war all the nations
suffered the same.
The association of Serb veterans from Srebrenica publicly objected
the holding of the commemoration in Potocari. The association
forwarded a statement to the press in Banja Luka and Belgrade
reading there were no reasons for the gathering in Potocari.
"It is known that nobody was injured there on July 11, let alone
killed. Potocari was only an assembly centre for Bosniaks which
wanted to be evacuated in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina even
though the Serbian army guaranteed their safety", the statement
read.
The remains of over 4,000 persons gathered during exhumations in
the Srebrenica region over the past four years, do not mean anything
to Serbian veterans.
The remains of killed Bosniaks are still to be identified.
The search for the remains of another 4,000 persons is still being
conducted.
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