UN to vote to establish a day of remembrance for the Srebrenica genocide amid Serbian opposition
Kyiv • UNN
The UN General Assembly is expected to vote to establish an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, which is fiercely opposed by Serbs.
The UN General Assembly plans to vote on Thursday to establish an annual day of remembrance for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. This prospect has provoked fierce opposition from Serbs, AP reports, UNN writes.
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In the General Assembly resolution, supported by Germany and Rwanda, "Serbia is not mentioned as a culprit, but this did not stop an intense lobbying campaign for a 'no' vote by Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik and populist President of neighboring Serbia Aleksandar Vucic," the newspaper writes.
The 193-member UN General Assembly is expected to vote Thursday morning on a resolution declaring July 11 as the "International Day of Remembrance for the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide," to be observed annually starting this year.
As the publication notes, "the Srebrenica killings were the bloody crescendo of the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, which followed the breakup of the then Yugoslavia and unleashed nationalist passions and territorial ambitions that pitted Bosnian Serbs against the country's two other major ethnic groups, Croats and Muslim Bosnians.
Both Serbia and the Bosnian Serbs deny that genocide took place in Srebrenica, although this was established by two UN courts.
Dodik, who is the president of Republika Srpska, the Serb part of Bosnia that occupies about half of its territory, said on Wednesday on social media platform X that the UN resolution is being imposed on the country by supporters of Muslim Bosnians and that it will split the country.
The final draft resolution adds a statement reaffirming the General Assembly's "unwavering commitment to supporting stability and strengthening unity in diversity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Serbian President Vucic and his government are reportedly campaigning both at the UN and among developing countries to gain support for a "no" vote. A majority vote is required for approval.
In opposing the resolution, Vucic and Dodik suggested that if adopted, it would open the door to the need to compensate for war damage. Local analysts say that Serbian leaders, including Vucic, also fear that they may be held accountable for their active participation in the bloodshed in Bosnia.
The draft resolution includes the 2007 ruling of the International Court of Justice, the highest UN tribunal, that the actions committed in Srebrenica constituted genocide. It was the first genocide in Europe after the Nazi Holocaust during World War II, which killed about 6 million Jews and other minorities.
The draft resolution condemns "unequivocally any denial of the genocide in Srebrenica as a historical event". It also "unequivocally condemns actions that glorify those who have been convicted by international courts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, including those responsible for the genocide in Srebrenica.
Richard Gowan, director of the UN International Crisis Group, called the timing of the vote "unfortunate given the allegations that Israel is carrying out genocide in the Gaza Strip.
"The vote will be an opportunity for more political theater," he told AP. - "I expect Russia and China to ask with great interest why the US and European governments are focusing on the massacres of the 1990s and not the killings in Gaza today.
As the newspaper notes, "Russia and China, which have close ties to Serbia, are almost certain to oppose the resolution, and Hungary has said it will vote against it.
German Ambassador to the UN Antje Leenderze said that "the resolution has the support of a large interregional group".
Govan said that "if the level of support is limited, it will be a blow to the Bosnians.