BELGRADE (Euronews)–Serbia’s parliament has apologized for the slaughter of thousands of Bosnian Muslims massacred in Sebrenica in 1995. The landmark resolution was passed by a slim majority.
After nearly 13 hours of parliamentary debate the apology was approved but it stopped short of calling the killings genocide.
Vice President Meho Omerovic of the Sandzak Democratic Party pledged action.
“With this decision the parliament of Serbia strongly condemns the war crimes and the parliament will do everything to arrest the most important one Ratko Mladic and bring him to justice in the Hague tribunal.”
Omervic’s words were not accepted across the Parliament, the radical party saying the apology came due to international pressure.
“This declaration, which was already prepared, is a product of pressures imposed on our country and which is acceptable to the ruling majority would expose the Serbian nation and the state to unforeseen consequences,” said Serbian Radical Party Leader, Dragan Todorovic
The Serbian opposition SRS party submitted “a draft resolution to parliament condemning the genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey against Armenians from 1915 to 1923,” SRS official Zoran Krasic told a press conference in Belgrade.
”SRS submitted the draft so that Serbia can join some 20 countries which have condemned the genocide, believed to be the first genocide of the 20th century,” he said.
“Under the pressure of the international community, some parties are trying to push through the Serbian parliament a resolution on Srebrenica, which would include the term genocide, although what happened in Srebrenica cannot be compared to the plight of Armenians or of over one million people in Rwanda,” Krasic was quoted as saying.