SARAJEVO, Jan 27 (ONASA) - Members of the Bosnian community in Ireland have sent an opet letter to Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina and European Union Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Embassy of the United States of America in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We would like to express our dismay at the presence of high-ranking diplomats from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia at an event, organised in Chicago on 9 January 2014 by the US-based Serbian Institute. The event marked the Republic Day of one of Bosnias two entities, Republika Srpska, says the letter delivered to Onasa. However, this occasion is not recognised as a state holiday in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is a source of considerable controversy there. In 2013, the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe concluded that it is inspired by an event of particular significance for one of the [three] constituent peoples only, which is painful for people belonging to other communities and thus can result in the discrimination against the members of the Bosniac and Croat people and Others who live in the Republika Srpska. The attendance of state representatives, notably Mr. Branko Pećanac, Consul General of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mr. Nebojša Aćimović, Consul General of the Republic of Serbia at this event has caused considerable offence to non-Serb citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Moreover, they and other speakers used the occasion as an opportunity to honour Bosnian Serb armed forces who were responsible for Europes worst atrocities since World War II and to eulogise the indicted war criminals, Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić, both of whom are on trial for genocide and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. In addition, a disturbing video condoning war crimes, such as the siege of Sarajevo, was shown. The participation of senior staff from the Bosnian and Serbian embassies in a celebration which challenged the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina and, at which, the instigators and perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing were portrayed as heroes is a matter of extreme concern. It has caused outcry in Bosnia and has resulted in further distress for the victims of these atrocities and their families. Also last week, as details of the Chicago event began to emerge, public officials in the town of Višegrad (in Republika Srpska) approved the deletion of the word genocide from a monument erected to commemorate the 3000 Muslim men, women and children who were killed by Serb forces in that town between 1992 and 1995. This reflects an ongoing tendency towards genocide denial among political figures from regional to entity level in Republika Srpska, which has been particularly evident over recent months. More worrying still is that there appears to be little willingness on the part of the authorities at the highest level in Republika Srpska to impose any sanctions on public representatives who openly deny that genocide occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as has been acknowledged by the United Nations. This is on a par with Holocaust denial which is deemed a crime in many European states. Unfortunately, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the constitution defined by the Dayton Peace Agreement of 1995 allows the ‘vital national interest’ of any one of the country’s three constituent peoples (Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats) to be invoked to block efforts to prevent offences of this nature. In the case of the Chicago incident, the Serb member of Bosnias three-person presidency has said that he will veto any attempts to recall Mr. Pećanac. We call on the European Union to insist that prompt and effective action be taken by the Bosnian presidency in this case. It is inconceivable that a person who has participated in a divisive event, which glorified war crimes and those who perpetrated them, could be allowed to represent the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We also urge the EU to demand that Serbia investigates the involvement of its Consul General, Mr. Aćimović in this incident. In this respect, it is worth noting that the arrest of Ratko Mladić was a precondition for Serbias Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU which came into force in September 2013. Finally, we appeal to the EU to prevail upon the governments of both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia to ensure that the denial of genocide and other crimes against humanity is not permissible at any level of society in either country. If the EU does not use its influence in this regard, it is showing tacit support for those whose behaviour is equivalent to that of Holocaust deniers, says the letter. (end)
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 14:23:14 +0000
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