Izetbegović: Vučić's initiative is premature and vague

"Vučić's initiative to jointly commemorate the suffering of all victims in the wars caused by the breakup of Yugoslavia is premature and vague. It must be preceded by the completion of the process of stabilization and normalization of overall relations in the region," stated the office of the Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bakir Izetbegović, as reported by the news agency Patria.

"Prime Minister Vučić's initiative can gain momentum only if it implies genuine confrontation with the truth about all crimes, acceptance of the verdicts of international courts and the historical facts established in those verdicts, and unequivocal condemnation of activities that lead to new conflicts in these areas, such as initiatives for holding referendums on secession coming from the leadership of the entity Republika Srpska.

Without fulfilling these prerequisites, Vučić's initiative can lead to relativizing the character of the war and the extent of crimes committed against Bosniaks, obscuring the truth about those crimes, and granting amnesty from responsibility to those who deny these crimes and genocide.

Such an initiative would not contribute to the reconciliation process, but would essentially jeopardize and set it back," the statement from the office of Bakir Izetbegović reads.