Vote on Srebrenica Resolution in Mid-May

(Patria) - The United Nations (UN) General Assembly will vote in mid-May on the resolution declaring July 11th as the International Day of Remembrance of the Genocide of Srebrenica. The topic will be discussed today at an extraordinary session of the UN Security Council convened by Russia.

Diplomatic sources in New York confirmed that they do not doubt the adoption of the resolution. The only question is how many countries will abstain.

It is expected that about ten countries will vote against the resolution in the 193-member UN General Assembly, but there is a possibility that several dozen countries will abstain from voting.

The resolution was supposed to be voted on this week, but there are alleged complications with the agenda, which Serbia presents as a success of its lobbying.

Serbia, with the help of Russia, has begun intense lobbying at UN headquarters against the resolution, which it describes as an "attack on the entire Serbian people," while some politicians from the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska are even threatening "secession and border demarcation," although the text of the resolution does not mention Serbia or the entire Serbian people.

Among other things, the draft resolution condemns the denial of genocide and the glorification of those convicted of war crimes. It was proposed by countries with difficult historical experiences in this regard - Germany and Rwanda, with the participation of other countries.

In Srebrenica, which was under UN protection at the time, Bosnian Serb forces killed at least 8,000 Bosniaks in 1995. This crime was defined as genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and more than 50 people have been convicted there and in courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Srebrenica massacre was also declared genocide by the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ).

The topic will be discussed today at an extraordinary session of the UN Security Council, which Russia convened at the initiative of representatives of Serbs from Bosnia and Herzegovina. A regular session on Bosnia and Herzegovina is scheduled for the end of this month, but member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željka Cvijanović wanted to warn the Security Council that the situation in the country "is worsening due to the proposed resolution on Srebrenica as well".

Russia, which vetoed a similar resolution in the Security Council a few years ago, lobbied for Cvijanović to appear via video link.

Meanwhile, a discussion regarding the Srebrenica resolution was held at UN headquarters on Monday.

The Mothers of Srebrenica stated on X that the victims of genocide must not be forgotten and warned the world that such a thing should not happen again.

Yesterday, representatives of associations of genocide victims' families spoke at a panel on Srebrenica at the UN.